Page 11 of Omega's Runaway Love
“And to make sure you stay out of trouble while the mate matcher works, we’re sending you out of town. You’ll be staying at our beach house in Harris Cove for the foreseeable future. All your work can be done remotely from there. The city is small enough to not have much of a nightlife, but close enough to a private airport to easily get you back here for any potential meetings.”
“You realize you’re punishing me for something I didn’t even do, don’t you?”
“Maybe you didn’t do anything this time,” dad growled, “but you have a reputation, and it’s time it got cleaned up. Especially before the next time you think with your knot rather than your brain. Now head back to your condo and pack what you need. Your plane leaves tomorrow morning.”
Chapter 5 - Zaya
“You hired a mate matching service?” I cried.
“It’s for your own good,” dad said, glancing over at papa.
“That’s right,” papa added with a nod.
“But what about my life?” I asked. “My job?”
Papa frowned and crossed his arms. “Isaiah… it’s time for you to grow up and settle down. This…” he waved his hand in the air, searching for the word.
“Influencer?” dad suggested.
“Yes. This influencer thing? You’ve had your fun with it, but now it’s time to really make a plan for your future. We’ve accepted that you don’t want to work in the company, and that’s ok, but jaunting all around the world and calling it a job? I’m sorry, but it’s nothing more than you flaunting the money.”
“It is a job!” I argued. “I research destinations, things to do, and try to show my followers something different than all the other travel influencers. I have sponsorships that pay for not only my employees, but a good portion of my expenses as well.”
“I’d hardly call a couple of contractors employees,” papa huffed.
“They are employees,” I snapped. “I’m not stupid. I asked Gerald who the family accountant is, and he led me to Spencer. I did everything correctly. I started an LLC, and my team are all proper employees of that, not contractors. I use my own income to pay for our family attorneys to review contracts so that I know what I’m signing for sponsorships. It’s not some frivolous thing. I’m running my own business!”
“If you’re running the business, then why do I see a bill for plane expenses every month?” dad demanded.
I opened my mouth to answer, but papa held up a hand.
“Enough. This topic is nothing but a diversion,” papa said. “Whether or not you continue with this social media thing is a discussion best held between you and your future mate.”
“Whom I should be allowed to find on my own, thank you very much!” I griped, crossing my arms. “Who even finds mates through matching services?”
Dad glared at me. “Your papa and I met because our parents hired a matching service, and we’ve been incredibly happy.”
I cringed. Somewhere in the back of my mind I’d known that, and I should have chosen my words more carefully.
“Just because it worked well for you doesn’t mean it will for me,” I said, swiftly deciding that pointing out they’d been mated for over twenty years would just increase the size of the hole I’d dug for myself. “I know my mate is out there, I feel it. So why complicate the process?”
“Have you ever considered that this would be simplifying it?” papa asked.
“No,” I snapped. “No, I haven’t. This is my life, and I should be able to find my mate on my own terms.”
“Maybe if you gave even the slightest indication that you were looking, we’d consider it,” dad said. “But it’s impossible to meet somebody when you’re in a new city every night.”
“That’s not true.”
Papa reached out and set a hand on my arm. “Listen Isaiah. Even if you do think you’re fated, you need to give fate a chance to work.”
I pulled my arm back. “You just want grandbabies to spoil,” I accused.
Dad growled, a sound that made me recoil into the chair. “What we want… is for our omega son to grow up and be an adult. Face it Isaiah, most of your friends from high school, and many from college, are already settled down and mated. They’ve started their families. Meanwhile you’re still treating your life like a summer vacation. It’s time for you to face up to the fact that you have responsibilities.”
“What about my responsibilities to the people who work for me?” I yelled.
Dad sighed. “Maybe it’s time for them to move on as well.”
