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I moved closer and got in the attending’s face, glancing at those who backed him up until they all squirmed.

“Sign it or get the fuck out of my hospital. You made your pathetic little move. Enjoy what it gets you, because I won’t be the one out tomorrow. I guess all that time in the sun playing golf instead of sharpening your skills and paying attention to your workplace got to you.”

“We’ll see,” he said, grinding his jaw. “I think the owner will listen to us when he sees how many of us with flawless records are stepping up and all of the discourse that’s been going on at his hospital.

” He leaned in and smirked. “It’s all our word against yours after all, and we both know this is a world of guilty until proven innocent. ”

It was hard not to laugh, but I let him see in my eyes that I was laughing at him.

“Remember this confidence tomorrow. Really, remember it so you choke on it.” I turned and looked at Beth.

“Call in whatever magics we need to get it done. People are curious, even the good ones. We’ll probably break fire code with everyone who will show up. ”

She opened her mouth but then closed. “Yeah, I’m dying to know, and I’m completely on your side that all of the changes are what’s best for ASH. I’ll get it done. I’m going to need some extra overtime approved.”

“Done.” I smirked at her. “It will come out of the bonuses of the doctors here. Make sure security gets everyone here on the list. I’m not kidding that they sign first or resign.

” I nodded to the security guards there, knowing the guys in charge were probably already listing everyone from the security room and monitors.

I left them to handle it because there was a conversation I needed to have before I blew up my life tomorrow.

I swallowed loudly when I saw Ha-joon standing towards the back.

I gestured with my head for him to follow me and led him down to the mechanical area where I knew there was a blind spot from cameras and audio.

“I have to tell you something,” I whispered, shaking inside. This was too hard to tell him when things were going well.

“I already know,” he said gently, cupping my face. He nodded when I frowned. “I know.”

“No, you—no, this—it’s—you can’t—”

He gave me a soft kiss. “Da told me he thought it was a Dr. Miller who had founded ASH. That was what he’d heard.

” He continued when I froze. “That Dr. Miller had saved a human protégé from the mayor trying to take advantage of humans finding out about supes. The story you told me without the ending. Also, that the founder didn’t want the world to be separated. ”

“I didn’t,” I breathed, shocked on so many levels that my hands and feet felt numb. My nose too. Maybe my face? Spots formed and then I was in his arms.

“Ellie, I’m not mad,” he whispered as he lowered me to the ground. “No, I don’t hate you. I love you. I’m in love with you. Please, I understand why you kept this secret. Please , don’t worry about me when you’re under so much pressure, my sweet kimchi.”

I realized I’d started to faint and must have said something, blinking at him. “What did you say?” He started to repeat some of it, but I moved my fingers over his lips. “You’re in love with me?”

His eyes flashed shock, but then he cursed. “I didn’t realize I’d said that. You just like dropped and I got scared. But yes, I am. This wasn’t the way to say it.

“How do you not hate me for keeping this from you?” I breathed. “I’d hate me. I’m still keeping more from you. I’m terrified to tell you when I haven’t known you very long.”

“That’s why I’m not mad.” He kissed my forehead.

“If you knew me a year and we lived together and you kept it from me, that would be so different. That would be totally different . We just became a couple, Ellie. You hide you’re the founder for valid reasons.

Even I’ve heard that people want the founder of ASH for a list of reasons.

“The main one because you are the only person who knows the formula of the additive put in the blood that’s so amazing.

No one can replicate it, and—I know the threats and talk on black markets to abduct the owner and get that formula.

You have dozens of patents and basically own Atlanta. Of course it’s terrifying.”

“Alan knows too. He’s the only one who knows the formula,” I muttered, sort of lying but not really. He knew what it was, but… It wasn’t so much a formula.

It was complicated.

Everything always was.

He gave me a soft kiss, so soft it was like a whisper of his feelings when I needed them most. “I’m in love with you, Ellie Reed-Miller. Not the founder. Not the boss of ASH. Not the daughter of Kenneth. Not the doctor who did great things. You. This person in front of me. That’s who I love.”

“Okay,” I whispered, trying to process it all.

“So don’t worry about me and go be the kickass baddie who founded this place and put those fucking gits in their place. Do it before my wolf shreds them for coming after the woman we love and our future because I’m barely holding it together. Seriously. I want his fucking head.”

Wow, so… Okay then.

And I wasn’t in trouble?

“I think I might love you too,” I heard myself confess. I cleared my throat and tried to push to stand, thanking him when he helped me. “Okay, you want a badass. I’ll give you a badass. No holding back.”

“No holding back. Time to finish this bullshit with coups and mutinies and take back what you built,” he said firmly. “Turn me on before the first of that lingerie order arrives and I get to see you in it before taking it all off and having you.”

Well, my Tuesday was definitely looking up.

I spent the rest of the day making calls and cashing in some favors to make my plan work. It was go big or go home time… And I wasn’t fucking going anywhere.

This was my mother fucking hospital, and I was done with people challenging me. It was time to get the shits in line or kick them the fuck out like we had the board.

It was a lot of juggling and coordinating.

Some of my admins had helped HR to make sure everyone signed the magically binding agreement ahead of time.

Some tried to slip through, but security wasn’t playing.

I heard over the radios that someone called in for the police but then canceled it. It was clear they were over the shit.

Seriously, a lot of us were over it.

I greeted our guests and received them well given it was early and last-minute. I’d had to sweeten the deal for a few of them with a luncheon and going over some of the plans on our expansion. That had annoyed me since they weren’t in power anymore but simply added validation to what was going on.

They were just being nosy and wanted to act like they were still looped in on things. Whatever, it was an acceptable level of petty for dropping everything to make this work.

The President of North America showed up about five minutes before the meeting was supposed to start. We’d made it clear to employees that they were there early or they were locked out.

And anyone who was part of the mutiny and not there no longer worked for ASH and had quit. That was them quitting.

I would be curious later if any didn’t show, but right then I had to remind myself not to vomit about a dozen times. I’d been keeping a lid on this secret for over a hundred years and was about to share it with all the employees of ASH, most of whom I didn’t trust.

Someone thought they’d be smarter than the agreement, and what did it matter once they leaked the information? Yeah, we would still nail their ass.

Most just didn’t have the faith in magic they should. The information wouldn’t just be locked in their minds. They wouldn’t be able to write it or—even if they tried to think a name, their mind would go blank. We were going to jam electronics—the whole jumping through hoops.

Still, it would probably get out. Nothing was perfect.

Which meant it was time to change my security and up things. I felt bad for those who valued me who would be hurt I’d hidden this from them.

I simply hoped they were smart to understand why.

“You ready for this?” the president asked me.

“Nope, but it won’t get any easier so might as well just get it done,” I grumbled. I smiled when people politely chuckled and we headed out.

I walked into the massive lecture hall first, flanked by a posse of leaders from the hospital and around the world. People couldn’t hide their shock at who was with me and blinked like they thought they were seeing things or needed more coffee.

I should have been surprised when the president went off script and headed right for the podium… But I honestly wasn’t. He was all passion and theatrics. Alan snorted from behind me, and we decided just to take our seats on the stage.

“I was severely disappointed at the pettiness and selfishness a hundred and forty-two citizens of North America displayed yesterday,” the president started.

“All to save your own skin as a last-ditch effort instead of doing better and being the future of ASH.

Instead , you are pushing to drag it down and kick the owner on your way out.

“And I cannot just be quiet on that. Not when the owner of ASH saved my life.” He stared out at the large room.

“I’ve said it many times, praising ASH and how far our medicine has truly come.

I’ve always been an advocate for doing better and saving lives , not just ignoring health care because we are supes.

Health care isn’t just for humans who die too young.

“It’s for all of us. It’s a miracle we need to respect and always value.

The hundred and forty-two of you failed in that yesterday, and as the first child the founder of ASH saved from childhood vampiric leukemia, I demanded to be the one to introduce the owner if this was happening.

I also wanted to look into the eyes of such selfish people who would risk such a good person.

“The founder of ASH has performed medical miracles .

Not just saving children but changing how vampires consume blood by discovering the additives ASH puts into their blood.

The threats against the owner because of that gold mine are endless, and all of you risked that person because you are selfish .

“Nothing Ellie Reed has proposed is horrible. Do your jobs like professionals with grace and dignity while acting like adults instead of petty teenagers. And for that , so many fight against her tooth and nail. First, the stupid board who brought nothing to ASH and now you childish fools. You blind fools because the answer was always right in front of your faces.”

He gave them a moment with that, staring around the room and shaking his head.

“How many of you know who the owner or founder is? Everyone on this stage does. How about the rest of you?”

I was shocked how many hands went up. I shouldn’t have been maybe, the handful of attendings had been there for over fifty years. Or Dr. Joyce Tai was my best friend and smart. She… Yeah, it made sense she knew. A few department heads that we hadn’t told pieced it together.

Some others in security. Okay, paying attention was their job.

But it was definitely more than I’d thought.

He nodded, glancing around. “Well, I thank all of you for being the best of us and protecting the person who founded ASH, this mecca of medicine, and my savior—the savior of many of us.” He turned and smiled at me. “It’s my greatest honor to present the founder of ASH, Dr. Ellie Reed-Miller.”

I stood and met the gaze of the attending who started the coup. “Surprise.” Just to be an extra shit, I added jazz hands.

Nope, I didn’t regret that. It felt fucking delicious.