The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate (Jason and Laila) by Caroline Above Story novel Chapter 199

Chapter 199

Laila’s POV

Everyone in the room froze as Jason himself stepped through the door to the meeting room.

Then Adelaide straightened, regaining her cooler composure, almost like she had never lost it. Only her slightly reddened face gave away that she had lost her temper at all.

For anyone other than an Alpha, she wouldn’t have bothered, but Jason had enough status to force her to make a change in an effort to stay on his good side. Though Jason wasn’t her pack Alpha, he was still a pack Alpha. Someone as manipulative as Adelaide would have seen the benefit of having him on their side.

“Alpha Jason, what a surprise. I didn’t know you would be visiting the company offices today,” Adelaide said, her voice calmer too, with only a slight hint of annoyance clipping some of her words. Someone who didn’t know her as well as I did might have mistaken her hidden irritation for kindness.

Jason leveled a look at Adelaide that could freeze a blast furnace. He wasn’t falling for her act at all.

Adelaide must have been able to tell too, because her voice went even more sugary–sweet, until she was something of a caricature of what a nice person should be.

“I know we’ve never met, but I’ve heard so much about you. All good things, I assure you. It’s an absolute pleasure to have you as a client of this company. My darling niece has mentioned you to me so many times.” She gestured to me. Though she smiled, she gave me a hard look that screamed, You’d better play along if you know what’s good for you.

Unfortunately for Adelaide, even if I had wanted to play along – and I didn’t – Jason would never fall from that act from me. I’d already warned him about Adelaide being dangerous, and though I hadn’t contacted him since she had taken over my company has primary shareholder, I trusted him to be smart enough to piece together on his own what he was seeing.

“Abagail, is it?” he asked. “Is that what you said? Vanessa’s Aunt?”

Pretending to not know who she was certain to cut her deeply. Adelaide cared about her namesake and reputation above all else. For someone as important as Jason to get her name wrong would be a deep cut.

Her smile stretched paper thin. “Adelaide.”

“Adelaide,” Jason said the correct name more directly, a threat in a single word.

Adelaide winced as if he had slapped her. Her name usually carried more respect, less disdain.

“Tell me, Adelaide,” he continued. “What did I walk in on just now?”

Adelaide swallowed hard. “Merely a discipline exercise for my employees.”

“Your employees?” Jason asked, glancing at me.

‘Aunt Adelaide bought out the other shareholders,” I said.

“As the primary shareholder, I have a say in how things are done around here,” she said. “Frankly, the discipline around here is appalling. I’m shocked this place even functions. You understand how important this is, don’t you, Alpha? I can only imagine how difficult your position must be with so many people following you.”

“I have a different take on discipline,” he said. “I tend to treat my people with dignity, like equals.”

Her smile tightened even further, and I was sure her face was about to crack.

“Well We will have to agree to disagree then,” Adelaide said. “Now, was there something we could help you with? I wasn’t aware of any meetings today.”

“It was a last minute meeting with Vanessa,” Jason lied.

“It wasn’t on the calendar.” Adelaide’s gaze sliced over to me.

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I thought quickly. “It was so last minute, I hadn’t added it to the calendar yet. With how important Jason is as a business partner, I didn’t think it would be a problem fitting him into the schedule. Of course, Claire usually helps me keep track of these things.”

“She can’t even produce a cup of coffee correctly,” Adelaide said, laughing like she told some joke. No one laughed with her. No one even cracked a smile. Yet she persisted like she didn’t care either way. Maybe she had given up on trying to impress Jason.

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