Page 2 of Conquered Obstacles

“New Jersey. Cole’s team finished all the updates and renovations you wanted. Today they’re starting the installation of the massive ingredients system. No more offloading pallets of the big ingredients. Sugars will come by truck with the whole thing going into the right bin. Shortening—all of it. The place is so big you have room to store a month’s worth of ingredients.”

I snorted. “Sorry, but given everyone wants more and more and more that sounds too big of a timeline.”

He bobbed his head back and forth. “Fair, but with what is currently being asked—not what you’re actually putting out—it will store up to a 1000% of that. So lots of room to grow and do more.”

I bit back a smile when he gave me that grin and puppy dog eyes like he was ready to accept his “good boy” and be patted on the head. “Hmm, sounds like I should make you something special for dinner tonight. I have to make sure you’re spoiled too.”

“The way to a wolf’s heart is not through his stomach, but I will gladly accept it.”

We both got ready, and I brought us to my apartment above the bakery. I had already told everyone to start texting me if they needed something because I was shutting off the intercom at times.

My employees were probably still smirking since they thought it was about being naughty. They weren’t wrong, but I wouldn’t always take the time to drive to from my new house.

I helped Si-woo get everything finished for the restaurants and made sure everyone at the bakery was handled before deciding that I was done with being blown off. I had had an idea about how to do better with our holiday orders, but the person I would need to meet with to make it happen refused to return my calls.

Or emails.

Or the damn letter I’d sent to his office.

I knew I probably wasn’t a big enough fish to get in front of him, but I talked with the major higher-ups of Costco, so like… Don’t be rude and not respond at all. At least send me to the right person or have your assistant give me a message instead of telling me she would give him my information.

So yeah, I was done and just going to make the meeting happen. I used my power to change and get cleaned up before cloaking myself and appearing in front of Dion Lopez… And found out why he was avoiding me.

“Well, hello, Nephew,” I purred as I uncloaked myself.

Dionysus, Zeus’s son with another goddess not Hera, was sitting in the huge office. His eyes went bug wide and he jumped to his feet, but then I felt his power and froze him.

“Oh no, you’re not running, love,” I chuckled darkly. “I have questions and you will answer them. Understand?” I gave him back the ability to speak but kept him frozen.

“I won’t run, Aunt Kismet,” he whispered. “Please unfreeze me. This—it gives me nightmares.”

Instantly, I let him go, my heart hurting when I saw he was shaken. “I apologize. I had no idea—this surprised me. Are you okay?”

His eyes flashed shock and he slowly nodded. “I thought you knew who I was and wanted to punish me for being in your realm.”

I raised an eyebrow at that. “And you thought blowing off my requests for a meeting would make me forget or ignore you?”

“No, I was trying to buy enough time to reinvent myself or…”

“Get help?” It was all over his face, but I left it alone for now. “No, I wanted an actual meeting with Dion Lopez, and now I’m going to insist and not just for the business I want to discuss.” I gestured for him to take his seat again so we could be civil as I sat across from his desk.

He did after I sat, swallowing loudly. “I apologize for being in your domain and—”

“Dionysus, I am not upset at that unless you’ve been hurting humans or going crazy like your father,” I told him evenly, his fear echoing in me. “Truly. I just need to know what’s going on, how this came about… Even who else is here.” I held up my hand when he opened his mouth to argue. “I do not care as long as none of you are causing trouble.

“I wasn’t able to give you permission, and clearly you wanted a life of your own that isn’t Olympus.” I gestured around to the large CEO-style office. “I’m a bit miffed that you didn’t check in with me when I was discovered and give me a heads-up, but I was on Zeus’s radar which I figure you don’t want to get back on.”

He snorted. “You are always on Hera’s radar, Aunt, and that is who I am desperate to avoid after she tried to kill me. A few times.” He nodded when my eyes flashed shock. “After you left, no one was there to rein her back in. She tried to kill a lot of us.”

“Did she succeed?” I worried.

“No, we sort of banded together and ran. She bragged that she did kill us, and we worried if she’s coming here to harass you that she’ll sense us.”

“Hera is in the underworld being punished by Hades for approaching me when I’ve banned her and Zeus from my domain,” I told him bluntly, nodding when his mouth fell open. “So for now, we’re all safe. You may tell the others, but I do want them to check in with me. This is my domain.”

“That’s fair. Thank you, Aunt.”

“Arabella,” I corrected.

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