Page 101 of Toxic

Now I took a deep breath.

This was the core of my request: "The problem is that the head of that department is none other than… Winter."

Silence fell as both Dad and Father looked at me with almost comical surprise.

"Well, that’s an interesting coincidence," Father muttered finally, looking away—again. He glanced briefly at Snow, who still remained glued to his screen.

"Yeah, it’s interesting but also problematic. Winter’s not going to be on my side in this… My relationship with him isn’t much better than with Storm. Icy-cold, I would say."

My parents were well aware of the dynamics between their children, and both looked at me with concerned expressions.

"Tough situation," Father muttered, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"I know, that’s why I’m coming to you," I pleaded, looking at Dad, who seemed pensive. "Dad, I believe if you call him and beg him, tell him to help me, there might be a chance," I truly sounded like a squeaky kitten.

Dad blinked, his bright eyes darkening a bit. He knew very well how Winter felt about alphas. That hadn’t changed in years.

After some fidgeting, he cleared his throat. "Tell me, what’s your plan with this guy? You said he broke up with you, have you thought about what you want to do? Do you even know his current status? Maybe he’s already found someone else?"

I bit my lip so hard I tasted a bit of blood.

"Dad… Maybe this is impulsive, that’s just how I am. But… I—I have to try, I can’t take it anymore, I need to see him, I need to see him one more time!" It came out a bit screechy.

They both stared at me, still looking just as concerned, as if they were thinking: ‘What are we supposed to do with you, son?’

"But you can probably arrange a meeting without needing to get a job at that company, right?" Dad’s voice was soft, his eyes studying my face.

Before I could answer, Father cleared his throat and jumped in.

"Skye, it’s going to be really hard to convince Winter to hire you, especially with his dislike for alphas. And if he knows you’re doing this just for some guy and not because you genuinely want to work there, it’s going to put him in a tough spot."

I got defensive, "That doesn’t mean I won’t do my job well! Getting experience at such a big company will be beneficial for me!"

"But you’re working for Nathaniel—what about that?" Father pressed, furrowing his brows.

"I’m not quitting on him. I’ll just work part-time there. I’ll offer to work part-time at DevApp too, but for free. I still need to make a living, so I can’t give up my job with Nathaniel."

Dad rubbed his chin.

"Skye, I hear you, son. The problem is… I talked to Winter about a month ago. He’s been having some issues at the company. His CEO, Jacob Lowen, wanted to hire his son—an alpha—into Winter's department because the kid’s a graphic designer. But… Winter fought tooth and nail to keep that alpha out. You see what I’m saying? This is a really tricky situation."

I cursed under my breath because I didn't know about this situation. What bad luck!

Snow glanced at me but didn’t say anything.

"And like you said yourself, they don’t even have any open positions," Dad added quietly.

"That’s exactly why I want to offer to work for free," I muttered. "Maybe that would help?"

There was a pause, then Father let out a frustrated sigh.

"Skye, you’re really overcomplicating things. Trying to negotiate all of this just to see that guy, when you don’t even know if he’s moved on already, is a bit crazy. Besides, he’s a beta, son. There are challenges that come with that—are you aware of the cons?"

"Storm still seems to think it’s a good match!" I caught myself raising my voice when I knew I should stay calm and collected.

Father snorted impatiently. "And you yourself don’t believe in Storm’s ‘talent’, so why bring that up? But that’s not even the point. Do you realize you’re risking Winter’s reputation? He’s always been against hiring alphas, and now he’d have to hire his own brother? Nepotism from the CEO—bad. Nepotism from Winter—okay? That’s going to look really weird."

"Obviously, the CEO doesn’t give a fuck about Winter’s prejudices since they have this fucking program that encourages alphas to apply!" I was more and more agitated.

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