Chapter 29

#Chapter 29 – The Billion-Dollar Endowment The next weekend, the party honoring Annabelle Prath is in full swing in Victor’s back yard. The windows along the back of his house, between the kitchen and the pool, have all been folded back to create one big party area which Amelia has filled with tables, waiters, bars – even a small dance floor.

“Thank you all so much for coming,” Victor says, standing in his tuxedo at a podium by the pool.

“Amelia and I are so grateful that you could come and celebrate with us as we honor Annabeth Prath and all of her contributions to our Pack.”

The crowd – about a hundred people, carefully selected, well-dressed – applauds, a few whistles breaking out. The small group of press, also carefully selected, snap pictures for the gossip columns.

The sun is setting just behind the treeline of Victor’s house. If guests looked carefully, they would see two very small, very jealous figures sitting up in those trees, hungrily watching the action below. Evelyn had carefully explained to Alvin and Ian why they could not go to the party, but they bitterly resented being left out.

Eveyln had made them promise that they wouldn’t go onto Victor’s property or in any way disrupt the party, but she couldn’t stop them from climbing the trees and silently, secretly watching the goings-on at their father’s house. They even brought a big bag of peanuts up with them, quietly dropping the shells from the trees as they ate and stared.

Evelyn herself sits on the porch and watches her boys watch the party, ready to spring if they should give into any impulse to join the fun.

“In addition to honoring Annabelle with the Matron’s award,” Victor says, leaning into the microphone.

“I’d like to make a special announcement.” Amelia perks her ears at this, turning away from her conversation with an influential retired Alpha to pay attention to her fiancé. This was not part of what they had planned.

“Though this has been long in the works,” Victor says, lying through his teeth – the crowd didn’t need to know that this had been in the works for about six days – “I’d like to announce that the Kensington Foundation is creating a billion-dollar endowment, which will be used to found the new Prath Education Center.”

The crowd gasps at the size and ambition of the donation and Annabeth smirks at Victor, raising her glass. “This will be an elite educational institution at which all Pack children can enroll. This is an investment in our Pack’s future leaders today.”

The crowd applauds wildly as Victor says “more details will be announced soon via a press release, but I wanted you all to be the first to know.”

Victor steps down from the podium, shaking hands and smiling at his constituents.

“A billion dollars, Victor?” Amelia hisses in Victor’s ear, smiling so that all that anyone else can see is the happy, proud fiancé. “Into a school?”

“It’s the right choice, Amelia,” Victor says, keeping his cool. “It will get Annabeth on our side.”

“A school is a money pit, Victor,” Amelia snaps, “we’re never going to get that money back – it’s a poor investment,”

Victor turns to glare at her, unable to help it, refusing to let her criticize his choices. Amelia freezes for a moment and then laughs, playing it off as a joke, kissing Victor on the cheek and dancing off to charm someone else.

“I take it that your girlfriend isn’t happy with your choices,” Victor hears behind him. He turns, surprised to find Annabeth standing by his elbow.

“My soon-to-be wife,” Victor says cooly, “and…Amelia can be shortsighted, sometimes.”

“She will be glad, later, when her children have a place to go to school. Where they don’t have to mix with the human population in order to receive a fine education.”

Victor nods. “She’ll come around.”

“This was well done, Victor,” Annabeth murmurs. “When I came to this party, I thought you were merely licking my boots, as so many before you have done. But this school, if it is real?”

Victor nods curtly. “It is done. I’ll send the paperwork to you tomorrow. You’ll see that the money has been endowed and cannot be used for anything else.”

Annabeth nods, pleased. “Then you have demonstrated to me, Victor, a true investment in the only thing that really matters about our Pack’s future: our children. You have my endorsement.”

Victor smiles, pleased, and takes her hand, bowing down to kiss it. “Thank you, Annabeth. I won’t disappoint.”

“I only hope that someday you too will have children, so that you fully understand what I mean.” She gives him a pointed look and fades into the crowd.

The party goes late into the night, the champagne flowing freely and the music floating peacefully over the grass to reach me on my back porch. Long after the boys have climbed down from the tree and gone to bed, I sit in a rocking chair, covered in a blanket, listening to the music with my eyes closed.

“I brought you some cake,” I hear. I open my eyes slowly to see Victor standing before me, two plates of chocolate cake in his hand.

“That’s not enough,” I say. “Two boys, one me. You need three pieces of cake.”

Victor laughs and sits down in the chair next to me. “I knew they would be asleep. This is just for you.”

I accepts the cake happily and dig in. It is absolutely delicious – the bitterness of the dark chocolate complimented by the sweetness of the cream frosting. “Mmm. Thank you, Victor,” I say. “But this will have to be our secret. The boys will never forgive you if they found out you brought me cake and not them.”

He laughs. “There’s plenty left, they can have theirs tomorrow.” I nod, consenting, and continuing to take small bites, making it last.

“I owe you a debt, Evelyn,” Victor says quietly, and I turn to him, curious. “Your advice really paid off tonight. I got Annabeth’s endorsement.”

“Victor!” I cry, “congratulations! That’s so exciting!”

He nods and I can see him work to suppress a smile. Always the alpha, wanting to be even-keeled and serious, even when he’s terribly pleased with himself. “Thank you. But I only got it because I followed your advice.”

“What advice?”

“To invest in education,” he says, looking me in the eye. “Turns out, Annabeth hated the party. But she liked my plan to endow a school for our Pack’s children, so that they can be educated separately from the human population. Really learn the traditions of our people.”

My breath leaves me in a rush – I’m flabbergasted by such a step. Pack mothers have been calling for separate education for decades, but, while Pack Alphas have agreed, they’ve never found the cash to make it happen. “Victor…” I say, “that is…it’s incredible.”

“It’s because of you,” he says.

I look away, overwhelmed, my eyes filling with tears. “Thank you, Victor. Not for me, but for Ian and Alvin. Their school does their best, but it doesn’t cater to their particular needs.”

“I know,” Victor says. “It shouldn’t have taken us so long to do this. It shouldn’t have to be a selfish act.

But…it’s what they deserve.”

I reach a hand out and take his quietly. “You’ve done a good thing tonight.”

He nods, and then reaches into his waistcoat, producing a long, thin box. “This is for you, as a thanks,”

he says, passing it over to me.

I hesitate and then, unable to resist my curiosity, open the box. Inside is a very fine gold bracelet with eight tiny diamonds hanging suspended from it. “Victor…”

He nods, pleased at my reaction. “I’m very grateful to you, Evelyn.”

“I can’t accept –“

He shakes his head, refusing my refusal. “It’s yours, Evie,” he says softly. “Please.”

I look at him, my eyes starry and shining. It is the nicest thing I’ve received in years, perhaps ever. I shouldn’t put such store by expensive things but….well, it’s very pretty. “Thank you, Victor.”

He smiles at me for a moment and we stare at each other. The music fills the space between us as I take in the dark eyes in his strong face, at odds with and in contrast to his lips which, I know, are impossibly soft. Victor’s own eyes shift to my lips, and then he blinks, clearing his throat and looking back at his cake.

“Oh, and another thing,” he says, lifting the last bite. “I arranged to have a lump sum transferred to your bank account every month for the boys’ upkeep. Ten thousand dollars. You’ll let me know if it’s insufficient to your needs.”

The whole world shifts, like a needle scratching a record. “What,” I hiss.

He shrugs. “You do a great job. You deserve to be compensated for your efforts. It’s not easy, raising two Alpha boys – I’m sorry I haven’t recognized that before.”

I jump to my feet, hurling my plate and fork to the ground. Victor stares at me, surprised. “Wha-“

“Victor, I’m not some nanny who needs to be paid for watching her own children!”

“Evelyn, this isn’t – this is just to make sure that –“

“Cancel those payments,” I say, pointing my finger directly into his face. “I will not be paid like a surrogate and a servant, treated as anything less than their mother.”

“You’re being ridiculous, Evelyn,” he growls. “You’ll take a gift worth ten times that, but when it comes to taking a practical amount of money every month for their upkeep –“

“I am their mother” I snarl, grabbing my blanket and storming to the house. “I will take care of them myself.”

Victor leaps up from his own chair, losing his temper. “Fine, Evelyn! Don’t take the money! I’ll just blow it on something else for the boys, which they don’t need, and you’ll have no say in that!”

“Do whatever you want, Victor!,” I call back after him, “it’s your money! The only thing it can’t buy is me!”

I slam the door shut.