Austin Greene stepped out of his car into the first real snow of the season, the cold biting clean through his gloves for a second before his body adjusted as he pulled his coat tighter and crossed the lot toward Farren Towers, the flakes catching in his hair and melting against the collar of his jacket.
Saturday,
he thought, glancing up at the building's glass face disappearing into low cloud,
my one day off, and I'm getting called in with no explanation.
The lobby doors slid open, and the warmth hit him immediately, the kind of controlled, even heat that erased the cold from his skin in seconds, making the heavy coat feel unnecessary as he stepped onto polished marble that reflected the overhead lights like still water.
He scanned his ID at security, gave a brief nod to the guard who recognized him, and headed for the elevators, the familiar routine doing nothing to settle the quiet tension sitting in his chest.
If this is about Canada,
he thought, jaw tightening slightly as he pressed the button for the executive level,
just say it straight Farren. Don't dress it up like it's something else.
The elevator ride was smooth and fast, the subtle shift in access as it required his elevated clearance before moving a quiet reminder of where he stood in the structure of the company.
When the doors opened, the executive floor was as pristine and controlled as always, the noise of the city reduced to a distant, muted presence beyond reinforced glass.
Naomi looked up from her desk as he approached, her expression shifting immediately into a warm, familiar smile. "Well, look who decided to give up his Saturday."
Austin let out a small breath, some of the tension easing as he leaned lightly against the edge of her desk. "Don't remind me. I was mid-breakfast when the call came in."
She raised a brow. "Must be serious i presume."
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," he said, lowering his voice slightly. "You know anything about why I'm here?"
Naomi shook her head, her tone easy but reassuring. "If it was bad, you wouldn't be hearing it like this. Trust me."
He studied her face for a second, then nodded slowly. "Yeah. Alright."
"You'll be fine," she added, softer now, the familiarity in her voice grounding. "You always are."
He huffed a quiet laugh. "Appreciate that."
She tapped a button on her console. "Let me tell him you're here."
A brief pause followed before she nodded toward the door. "Go ahead."
Austin straightened, smoothing his jacket once before stepping past her and into Alex's office.
Alex didn't waste time.
"Sit," he said, already moving around his desk, a file in hand, his tone clipped in a way that made it clear he was juggling too much at once.
Austin took the seat, his posture instinctively straightening.
"Apologies for the short notice," Alex continued, not quite looking at him yet. "Everything's been moving quickly since the deal closed, and I needed to make this call sooner rather than later."
Austin nodded once. "Understood."
Did he just apologize
Alex set the file down, finally meeting his eyes. "You're being promoted."
The words landed clean, but they took a second to register.
"To what?" Austin asked, careful to keep his tone even.
"Head of Weapons and Military Development for FSS," Alex said. "Full oversight. Production, storage, deployment design. You build the structure however you see fit."
Austin blinked, the earlier tension shifting into something sharper, more focused. "That's… a lot."
"It is," Alex said. "I think you've earned it."
He leaned back slightly, his expression settling into something more deliberate. "You saved the deal. That matters. More than that, you're the most qualified person I have for the role, regardless of our… prior disagreements."
Austin held his gaze, waiting.
Alex didn't soften. "I want to be able to trust you," he said plainly. "I don't. Not yet."
The honesty hit harder than anything else, not because it was unexpected, but because of how cleanly it was delivered.
Austin nodded once. "Fair."
"You raised concerns before," Alex continued, his tone shifting slightly. "About the weapons being too focused on werewolf engagement. That criticism was… not well received at the time."
Austin's mouth twitched faintly. "I noticed."
Alex's expression didn't change. "Consider it an opportunity to address that. Build what you think is necessary. If you're right, the results will reflect it. If you're wrong, that will be evident as well."
Austin exhaled slowly, the weight of it settling in. "Understood."
"Details on budget, personnel, and timelines will follow," Alex said, already glancing toward another document. "For now, I needed you aware so the office can be established immediately."
Austin nodded, then hesitated for a fraction of a second. "Where exactly will I be based?"
Please don't say Canada
Alex looked back up. "There's a facility. Approximately fifty kilometers northeast of Moonstone."
Austin frowned slightly. "There's a facility out there?"
"Yes," Alex said.
The simplicity of the answer did more than a longer explanation would have.
Austin sat back, something shifting quietly in his head as the implication settled in.
I didn't know that existed,
he thought, the realization sharp and immediate,
which means I only know what he's decided I should know.
It wasn't paranoia, just a recalibration.
He looked back at Alex, his expression neutral. "Got it."
"Further details will be provided," Alex said, already moving on. "For now, that's all."
Austin stood, adjusting his jacket. "Thank you mr. mayor."
He turned toward the door.
"Austin."
He paused, glancing back.
Alex looked like he'd almost forgotten, one hand already on another file. "One more thing."
Austin waited.
"The President was… impressed with how you handled the meeting," Alex said, his tone making it clear he had little personal investment in the statement. "When he heard about your promotion, he insisted you be assigned a secretary."
Austin blinked. "A secretary?"
"He's already sent someone," Alex continued. "Handpicked by his own office."
There was a faint pause.
"She'll be working directly with you," Alex added. "Treat her well."
"Are we sure she can be trusted?"
"That's your problem. You figure that out." Alex said dismissively as he put the file away
Austin nodded once. "Of course."
Alex had already shifted his attention elsewhere. "That's all."
Austin stepped out of the office, the door closing softly behind him.
He started toward Naomi's desk, his mind still working through the promotion, the facility, the implications of both, when movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention.
A woman was walking toward Alex's office.
He noticed her in pieces at first, the line of her stride smooth and unhurried, heels clicking softly against the floor in a rhythm that seemed too precise to be accidental, then the rest of her came into focus and his attention locked without permission.
She was striking in a way that didn't feel entirely natural, the kind of beauty that made you look twice before you realized you'd already been staring. Her dark hair fell in dark, glossy waves past her shoulders, catching the light with a subtle sheen that made it look almost liquid, framing a face built on sharp symmetry and softened just enough to feel approachable, full lips set in a faint, knowing curve that suggested she was always half a step ahead of whatever room she walked into.
Her eyes flicked toward him as she passed, a brief, casual glance that lasted less than a second.
It hit anyway.
A small, involuntary shiver ran through him, not from the cold but something internal, like a misfired signal his body hadn't cleared with his brain first.
Then her perfume reached him, a half-second delayed, warm and subtle and just distinct enough to linger, something floral layered over something deeper that he couldn't quite place but immediately associated with heat.
He kept walking.
Don't look back,
he told himself, the thought automatic.
He made it three steps.
Then he glanced over his shoulder.
From behind, she was just as striking, the clean lines of her posture, the hourglass figure accentuated by her catwalk and the way her clothes fit her frame making the earlier impression feel less like a trick of the light and more like something deliberate.
That's… not fair,
he thought, almost amused despite himself, turning forward again as he approached Naomi's desk.
Naomi looked up as he reached her, her expression curious. "So?"
He leaned lightly against the desk again. "Not Canada."
She let out a relieved laugh. "See? I told you."
"Promotion," he added.
Her brows lifted. "Okay, now you're just flexing."
He shook his head slightly. "Head of Weapons and Military Development."
She blinked once. "Oh."
"Yup," he said.
"That's big," she said, a note of genuine pride in her voice. "Like… really big."
"Kinda feels like it," he admitted.
Naomi studied him for a second, then her expression shifted, a hint of something else creeping in. "So... Did you see her?"
He frowned slightly. "Who?"
"The girl," Naomi said, leaning forward a little. "She just went in there."
Austin let out a small laugh. "Yeah, I saw her."
Naomi's mouth twisted, something between disbelief and irritation. "She is definitely something."
"I'm not blind Naomi," he said with a chuckle.
"She's…" Naomi exhaled, searching for the word. "It's too much. Like, I don't even know where to start with that."
Austin smirked faintly. "I think someone's jealous."
Naomi shot him a look. "Oh please."
"You are," he said, amused now. "It's okay. She's objectively ridiculous."
Naomi crossed her arms, her expression tightening for a moment before she let out a breath. "Okay, yes, she is gorgeous. But that's besides the point."
"What's the point then?" he asked.
She hesitated, her brows drawing together slightly. "There's something… off," she said slowly. "I don't know how to explain it. It's like—" she shook her head, frustrated. "I just don't like it."
Austin tilted his head. "You don't like her because she's hot?"
"That is not what I said," Naomi shot back, though there was a flicker of something else under it, something she didn't fully unpack. "It's just… a feeling, a tingling."
He studied her for a second, then shrugged lightly. "Alright. Got it."
"I feel like you're not taking me seriously."
"Of course I'm not taking you seriously." Austin said laughing again.
Naomi held her gaze, serious, "I'm not joking though."
This caught his attention as he gradually stopped laughing and tried to figure out what she was actually talking about.
Naomi looked at him, her expression softening just a fraction. "Just… be careful, okay?"
He blinked, caught slightly off guard by the tone. "Careful of what?"
She opened her mouth, then closed it again, shaking her head. "Never mind. Forget I said anything."
He smiled faintly. "Wow you're weird."
"And you like me anyway," she said, quick and easy.
"Yeah, I do," he replied without hesitation.
The words landed between them, simple and unguarded.
Naomi looked at him for a second longer than usual, something quiet flickering in her eyes before she shook it off. "So," she said, shifting back into lighter territory, "who do you think she is?"
Austin shrugged. "No idea."
Naomi leaned in slightly, lowering her voice. "I'm telling you right now, that's his mistress."
Austin barked a short laugh. "Farren?"
"Who else?" she said. "You saw her. Come on."
He grinned. "I mean… if that's the case, I get why he was in such a rush. I'd be in a hurry too."
Naomi snorted, shaking her head. "You're terrible."
"And you're thinking the same thing," he shot back.
She tried to hold a straight face, then cracked, laughing. "Okay, maybe a little."
"Tell me you wouldn't crack if you were a guy," he challenged, smirking.
She scoffed, folding her arms like the very question was ridiculous. But her lips twitched, betraying her.
"Don't—" she started, then broke into a laugh, shaking her head. "Ugh, fine. I definetly would."
They both laughed, the tension easing into something familiar and easy again.
Austin pushed off the desk. "Alright, I'm gonna head out before he finds something else for me to do. And hey you can still crack her if you want, don't let being a girl stop you. Its a free world."
"You're an idiot Greene," Naomi said with a giggle.
"Hey I'm your idiot." he added, a smug look on his face.
He turned toward the elevator.
"Austin."
He paused, recognizing the voice immediately, and turned back.
Alex stood just outside his office, one hand lightly on the doorframe, looking mildly relieved. "Good, you're still here."
Austin stepped back a few paces. "Yes Mr. Mayor?"
Alex gestured slightly to his side. "I want you to meet someone."
The woman from the hallway stood next to him now, closer than before, the full effect of her presence impossible to ignore at this distance.
Naomi straightened slightly behind her desk.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Alex broke it cleanly. "This is your new secretary."
The words landed, and for a second they didn't quite connect to anything Austin's brain was prepared for.
The woman stepped forward, that same faint, knowing smile in place, her gaze settling on him with an ease that felt practiced.
"Megan," she said, her voice smooth and warm, each syllable shaped with deliberate care.
Austin stared at her.
Naomi blinked once, then twice.
The silence stretched just long enough to become noticeable, the earlier conversation replaying itself in both of their heads at the exact same time.
Mistress.
Lucky man.
Austin felt the corner of his mouth twitch, the absurdity of it catching up all at once as he tried to assemble a normal response.
Naomi's lips pressed together, her shoulders tightening as she fought, unsuccessfully, to keep her expression neutral.
Austin cleared his throat. "Right," he said slowly. "Of course."
Naomi made a small sound that could have been a cough or a suppressed laugh.
Alex, completely unmoved by any of it, had already turned slightly, his attention drifting back toward his office. "She'll handle your scheduling and coordination," he said. "Work with her directly."
"Got it," Austin managed.
Megan's smile didn't shift, but something in it felt like it deepened just a fraction, her eyes holding his for way longer than necessary.
Naomi looked between them, then back at Austin, the earlier unease returning under the humor, sharper now.
Austin stood there, the moment hanging, the reality settling in piece by piece as the joke they'd just shared twisted into something very real.
You've got to be kidding me,
he thought, the disbelief sitting right under the surface as he finally nodded.
"Nice to meet you... Megan," he said.
Megan inclined her head slightly. "Likewise."
The silence lingered one beat too long, the shared awareness between him and Naomi impossible to ignore now.
This is going to be interesting,
The thought finally landed.