Page 65 of Citius

“Sure,” I said, my voice hoarse but eager as I tabbed back a few slides.

Before I could speak again, Cal nudged my glass of water toward my wireless mouse.

“Allow me,” he said, seamlessly taking over as he explained the benefits of vibration therapy in a concise, easy-to-follow way.

As much as I hated to admit it, especially since I was still out of sorts with him, I needed the water. After talking for so long, the cool relief was welcome, a stark reminder of how little water I’d had to drink today.

The woman’s eyes grew brighter the longer Cal talked. She was probably a fellow workaholic omega who could easily envision incorporating such a helpful device into her everyday routine.

“Approved.” Tabitha’s verdict was swift and absolute, her tone leaving no room for debate. “Next.”

That was my cue. Navigating to the next section, I took a deep breath and tackled the stickiest wicket. “PheroPass is uniquely situated to address a long-standing concern in athletics—pheromone intimidation. Our team has—”

“Now, Miss Van Daal,” the head of finance interrupted. Rudely. “This is a fantastical idea with no chance of a return on investment.”

Cal and Owen leaned forward in perfect unison, their expanding forms leaving me comfortably crowded on either side.

“Thedoctorwas speaking,” Cal said, his tone as amiable as a lion with a thorn in is paw.

Owen nodded, voice cold and sharp. “Opinions wait until the end.”

The cycle repeated for the next two hours.

I presented a concept only for a Redwing executive to voice objections, which were promptly and thoroughly dismantled by our team. Cal’s encyclopedic knowledge and Owen’s suffocating brand of persuasion served as cavalry when needed, clearing the path until Tabitha delivered her final verdict.

Pheromone intimidation? Approved. Exploring PheroPass’ ability to monitor blood sugar levels? Pending further discussion. Using it as a seizure-monitoring device? Denied.

On and on, until the Redwing executive team sat in defeated silence.

“Our team will set up a separate meeting to discuss blood sugar monitoring,” I said, scanning my extensive meeting notes. “And Redwing will take the lead on market research for vibration therapy.”

Glancing down the line of university staff, I asked, “Did I miss anything?”

“No,” Talia said, her suppressed pleasure turning the word intosomething delectable.

If anyone deserved to gloat, it was Owen. They’d reinstated his original vision—and then some.

Instead, he stared out the window, feigning disinterest. But sitting beside him, I felt the subtle vibration of his leg, his barely contained satisfaction betraying his stoic façade.

“Any final words?” Tabitha asked, already rising to her full, intimidating height.

The executives were too drained even to answer in the negative.

“Hearing none,” Owen said, his gaze deceptively placid, “meeting adjourned.”

Tabitha walked out the door before he’d finished speaking, the executives hurrying to follow in her wake. Around the room, Redwing staff and university personnel broke into side conversations, exchanging congratulations and making loose plans for next steps.

Owen leaned around the back of my chair to exchange a few triumphant whispers with Cal. The boys were more than content to speak amongst themselves.

Good, I thought as I disconnected my laptop from the wireless projection system. Leave me out of it.

What had started as a dull throb behind my eyes on the ride over had long since grown claws. Between stressing over my flawed CV and the confrontation with Coach Garvey, I hadn’t eaten a proper lunch and forgotten to take my pain meds. No wonder I had a headache.

“Morgan.” Cal drew my attention with a knock on the table. I must not have heard him the first time. “Can we revamp the blood sugar monitoring proposal by the end of next week?”

I pulled up the calendar on my phone and did some quick mental calculations. “It’s doable, as long as your team can help with the data.”

“Okay,” Cal said, adding a note on his legal pad. He’d written dozens of pages during the meeting. “We’ll figure it out at the debrief on Monday. If the timeline needs to change, Owen, I’ll let you know.”

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