He should have been reviewing contracts. Actually—he should have been doing anything except sitting behind his desk, chin propped on one hand, watching the same thirty-second clip of Y/N’s performance on loop.
Y/N on that talent show looked impossibly small, soft, the type of Omega that made even a hardened Alpha like him want to wrap them in a blanket and roar at anyone who breathed wrong around them. And seeing the comments section tear Y/N apart for no reason made his blood simmer.
But he couldn’t do much about online drama right now, so he did the next best thing: waste half the afternoon staring at them instead of working.
His phone screen lit up with another clip—Y/N laughing shyly when praised—and his expression softened in a way that would’ve caused a scandal if any shareholder ever witnessed it.
That was exactly when his secretary walked in.
Ten years of loyalty. Ten years of competence. Ten years of watching him make terrible decisions and somehow keeping the company from collapsing.
The Beta set a stack of papers on his desk with a crisp thud. “Sir. These contracts need your review and signature.”
He didn’t even look. “Accept them all.”
The secretary froze. “…All of them?”
“Yes.”
A long silence followed. He finally glanced up, just in time to catch the Beta’s expression—a mix of disbelief, irritation, and the deep existential suffering of someone who was far too done with their boss’s nonsense.
The CEO actually snorted. For a Beta, his secretary was ridiculously expressive… almost cute in a flustered-Omega kind of way. The thought amused him more than it should.
But then the secretary very calmly reached into his briefcase and pulled out— A resignation letter.
The CEO’s heart stopped.
“Wait—WAIT.” He shot up so fast his chair rolled back. “I won’t let you go. You’re my right-hand man. I need you.”
The Beta blinked slowly, unimpressed. “Sir, with all due respect, you haven’t opened an email in three days.”
“That’s why I need you!”
“Your inbox has 473 unread messages.”
“That’s even MORE reason I need you!”
“You postponed a board meeting because Y/N uploaded a rehearsal clip!”
The CEO crossed his arms defensively. “It was a good clip.”
The secretary stared at him, face blank, but his aura radiated exhaustion so strongly that even an Alpha could feel it.
The CEO sighed, rubbing his temples. He knew he was a mess. He knew he had been prioritizing Y/N over everything—including, unfortunately, the functioning of a billion-dollar company.
But fire his secretary? Lose the one person who kept this company standing?
Not even Y/N could make him do that.
He lowered his voice a little. “Look… I’m trying. Really. Don’t quit. If you leave, I’m dead. Literally dead. The board will eat me alive. Please.”