The Billionairess's Trusted Alpha Mate

Chapter 2

Kyra's POV

I slumped in my seat as the dark sedan pulled away from the house. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes at the words my sister just spat at me before I left the house.

How could she think I was nothing more than a placeholder? Hadn't I lost our parents too? Hadn't I busted my a** trying to keep the company going to keep our lifestyle the same? Didn't she know what I sacrificed for her?

The tears began to trail down my cheeks and a pain shot through my chest as I replayed the scene in my mind. I looked out the window, thinking the weather matched my mood perfectly as I listened to the rain splatter against the car.

"Miss Kyra? Are you alright?" My driver, Charles, asked me as he looked at me through the rear view mirror. I swiped my cheeks with the back of my hand, I had forgotten to raise the partition between us so he wouldn't see.

"I'm alright, Charles, thank you. I'm just dealing with some issues this morning. Stress from the board meeting, things like that." I said dismissively, I didn't need him worrying about me. Charles was an old friend of the family. My parents hired him a long time ago to help him get on his feet, and he insisted on staying as my driver after they passed. His blue eyes were kind and gentle as he continued to look back at me. He passed me back a box of tissues, "Here, you wouldn't want Walter and the board to see you like this. You know Damien would use it as an excuse to try and take your position." he said calmly.

I smiled at him and took the tissues, wiping my eyes and then checking my makeup in the mirror. My nose and cheeks were a bit splotchy from crying, but it should fade by the time we get there.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked. I sighed and rolled my eyes, "Becca." I stated, and he tensed a bit at her name. My sister was never nice to the staff unless there were other people around. They also knew how she treated me before our parents died.

When I told him what she said, his blue eyes flashed dangerously, and he gripped the steering wheel so tightly I could see his knuckles turn white. "The nerve of that girl. After everything you've done for her! Doesn't she know she'd be on the street if it wasn't for you?!" he growled low. I smiled at him, "Charles, calm down. It's only words. She'll get her reality check soon enough." I stated quietly as we passed over the bridge that led into the city.

The slate gray water mirrored the sky, and low clouds dotted the horizon, obscuring the skyscrapers that you could see before you hit the beginning of the city. We lived on the outskirts due to all the traffic and busyness the city brought plus my parents loved living near the mountains. They said the clean air always gave them inspiration. I remembered every morning coming downstairs to find them sitting on the back porch overlooking the valley behind us drinking their coffee and laughing. My mother, Caroline, with her curly black hair and kind crystal blue eyes giggling at some random joke my Dad said to her. My father, David, had short dark hair that stuck up messily in the morning, his green eyes would look so serious at first then they would sparkle with mischief before he said something so outrageous you couldn't help but laugh. He always said that starting the day laughing was a good sign you were going to have a good day.

I hadn't started my day off right so far.

I sighed and looked at Charles, "Tell me something funny, Charles. I need to start my day off better than I have already." I said. He grinned at me, "Did I ever tell you about the time your Dad and I snuck out of the house to get some coffee?" he asked and I grinned widely. Mom didn't like that Dad drank several cups of coffee throughout the day and had banned him from drinking it at home. She wouldn't stop him at work but had a limit set with his assistant. So when she went to run an errand in town, she set Mrs. Davis to keep him from the coffee.

Charles had been Dad's driver before mine so he had helped Dad by distracting Mrs. Davis so Dad could get into the car then drove them both into the city. Dad had two gallon jugs of coffee brought home with him only to be caught by Mom on the way out of the coffee shop. What ensued was a long chase for several blocks, several laps around the park and ended with Dad trying to toss the jugs to Charles only for them to fall into the duck pond and spill into the water. Dad tried to get it and drink it but with the silt and mud, it was ruined. He ended up climbing out, his clothes drenched to a loudly laughing Mom and Charles taking video with his phone.

It was a hilarious story, one that always made me laugh and he knew it. By the time Charles finished, we were almost to the Windmere building and I was having to check my face again since tears of laughter were threatening to spill over.

The sun started to peek out from behind the clouds as we pulled up to the large glass building in the middle of the city, the rays casting it in a golden light. The winter wind blew a bit making me shiver as I climbed out of the car and clutched my jacket to me. I had been so upset by Becca's words, I forgot my coat.

Charles placed his coat over my shoulders. I tried to protest but he held up his hand, "You are going to need it today. Miss Kyra, I have an extra in the trunk so no worries about me. Now you go in there and kick some butt today. Good luck in your meeting. I'll be back to pick you up around 5." he said quietly. I nodded and smiled at him, "Thank you Charles. What would I do without you?" I asked.

"Freeze your butt off for one thing." he said smirking and I laughed. He gave me a side hug and let me go after handing me my purse. I smiled and walked into the building trying to prepare myself for what was to come.

~*~*~*~

The inside of the building was covered in lights, the cream colored walls lit up like a candelabra. The cleaning staff was vacuuming, dusting, and polishing everything within an inch of its life as office workers went about their various tasks. The carpet was a rich red color which helped hide stains from wine when guests got too drunk. The silver decorations and statues that littered the hallway gleamed brightly. Looking around, I wondered how I could have been so distracted that I forgot about the ball coming up.

Then I heard a voice behind me that reminded me why I had been so distracted...

"Miss Addison! You are running behind schedule today already! There is a stack of papers sitting on your desk a mile high that needs to be gone through by the end of the day. Plus the meeting with the board will be starting in 30 minutes. Where have you been?!" a deep voice lectured me as a tall, brooding man made his way towards me and I closed my eyes bracing for the start of my long day and the ensuing headache I was sure to have by the end of it.

Damien Silverstone, the executive assistant to the CEO, was tall, scheming, and cold. With brown hair slicked back, a dark business suit, and tanned skin, one would think he was handsome until you saw the disgust and anger in his brown eyes. At least to me. The way he spoke to me in public made people think, if they didn't know us, that he was the CEO and I was the assistant. Something Damien dearly wished had happened when my parents died. When it was announced that I would take over, Damien had protested, hard. He even tried to prove to the board that a 19 year old was unfit to be CEO by trying to sabotage me.

Unfortunately, I couldn't prove it was him, he was smart enough to not leave a paper or internet trail when he tried to make it look like I had made a mistake with the finances. If I hadn't had proof that I was out of town on the day in question, I would have been put on probation. $13 million dollars had almost been spent on unnecessary clothing and jewelry. Trying to make it look like I was online shopping instead of doing invoices.

Luckily, I was able to cancel the order and keep the money in the budget but Damien was furious when it was found that an intern had been at my desk working on my computer. The intern was fired and left before we could get his statement.

I sighed and turned to look at him calmly, "Damien, we have been over this. I have my sister to look after and do not have to be in the office until she gets sent to school. I know when the meeting is and I finished quite a bit of paperwork at home last night, that is probably what that stack on my desk is as I asked Jessica to please print them off and place them on my desk for YOU to file when you got in. There should have been a note on top explaining this to you. What right do you think you have to lecture and berate me as soon as I walk in the door?!" I said, my voice rising in my anger.

Damien was taken aback a bit and flushed red as murmurs erupted around us. He always liked to try and put me down in front of a crowd and never thought I would talk back to him. I was just so tired of being looked down on. He looked around and bowed his head, "My apologies, Miss Addison, I was hasty and thought you had forgotten about the meeting the same way you seemed to have forgotten about the ball." he muttered but smirked at me slightly. I tried not to roll my eyes as the whispers continued. "I have been very busy with our acquisitions and the ball did slip my mind. I do want to thank the staff for setting everything up and cleaning. You will see an extra bonus on your next check as an apology and thanks for the help." I announced to cheers in the crowd. Damien's head shot up and he looked ready to shout at me but I ignored him as I strode to the glass elevator and headed up to my office. His furious eyes boring into my back the whole way.