Page 85 of Chosen Beta

“That was how this place was set up,” I admit, as I spear a piece of carrot with my fork. “Things are going to be very different soon, but real change takes time, and I don’t want to lose any of the staff if I can help it.”

He gives me a bemused glance before he moves back over to the side of the door.

It feels like the conversation is over, but a few seconds later, he asks, “How did you get this job?”

“Well, I worked on reception for years. Learned everything I could about every department, and I pretty much waited around for an opportunity I wasn’t sure I’d ever get. Then, Geraldine died, her first appointed successor went missing, and the second person they tried to replace her with was fired after she broke some rules, which made the board look like idiots. They knew they needed to cover the role quickly and I was right there, with the knowledge they needed the new head of administration to have. They trusted me. I let them. Then, I got in and I started changing the rules to better protect the Omegas.”

It's sort of how it happened. I can’t say I did everything I did in the hopes of becoming the head of the school, but I did start to hope I might one day get that shot after I began to realize everything wasn’t quite as it seemed on the surface.

“What changes have you made, exactly?”

Now, he sounds curious.

“Well, we’re no longer donor funded. I had us registered as a real school so we would qualify for government funding, and I’m having the class schedules inspected and modified so we can teach the Omegas real life skills and how to cope with the things that make them different, instead of teaching them which lipstick suits their skin tone, and how to behave at a party.”

He sucks in a breath. “You’re no longer … How in the hell are you managing that? This place … the donors were milked for millions …”

“And as those amounts were donations, they’re not entitled to ask for any of it back.”

“Are you telling me you have a pot of cash those assholes can’t touch?”

“The academy does, yes. I intend to use it to keep the staff employed regardless of how long it takes for any government funding to come through.”

“What about the parents of the Omegas you’ve got here? Aren’t they pulling their kids out of school and asking for their money back?”

“Not so far. Everyone’s been informed of the changes, and they know more information will be forthcoming. If anyone wants to remove an Omega from the academy, I’ll be speaking with the Omega to make sure it’s also her choice to leave before I sign off on any of that.”

“Do they know you’re their guardian while they’re here?”

“I didn’t realize that wasn’t clear, but I intend to make sure they know that when I make a speech to the entire student body on Friday.”

Hopefully, I’ll actually have the speech ready to go on Friday.

At this point, it’s starting to feel like I might never be finished.

“Huh,” he mutters.

He walked in with an attitude, and he probably had some assumptions about what he was going to find. A few weeks ago, those assumptions would have been correct. I’ve done a lot in a short space of time. It doesn’t always feel like that when I look at everything that still needs to be done, but it’s good to have that reminder.

I take one last bite of the delicious food, and I put the lid back on the plate.

“What are you doing?” Owen asks as I start to get up.

“I’m getting back to work.”

“Like hell. You barely touched that food.”

I raise an eyebrow at him. “You’re one to talk. You took three bites of the roast before you decided you were finished.”

“That’s because I need to stay sharp. You need to eat properly.” He waves a hand at the coffee table. “Sit back down and finish your dinner, or I’ll tell Ezra you didn’t appreciate his thoughtful gesture.”

I sit back down, but I feel like telling him where to go.

The only reason I don’t is because I am actually still hungry.

One roast dinner won’t derail everything.

I’ll be back to soups and salads and skipping meals for a coffee tomorrow.

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