Page 47 of Knot Your Sunshine (Snugverse Romcom #2)

Chapter forty-four

Mia

Josh enters first, and I have to look twice. Purple shadows pool beneath his eyes, and his fingers tremble as he grips his laptop bag.

Keanu follows, and something twists in my chest. His golden skin has gone sallow, like old parchment left in the sun.

Noa comes last. A muscle jumps in his jaw with mechanical precision, tick-tick-tick, like he's chewing invisible words. His hands flex and unflex at his sides in the same rhythm.

They take their seats to my left. Even through the de-scenting spray I doused the room with earlier, wisps of their anxiety leak through.

Chadwick enters seconds later and sits alone across from me, briefcase perfectly aligned with the table edge, fingers already drumming an impatient rhythm.

I stand at the head of the table, remote in hand, shoulders back, the click of my heels on the floor sounding like a judge's gavel.

"Thank you all for coming." My voice comes out steady, professional. I meet each alpha's gaze in turn. "I'll be presenting my findings regarding the franchise test. I ask that you hold all questions and comments until the end."

The alphas nod in unison, faces drawn tight. Chadwick's eyebrow arches but he waves his hand in a dismissive "proceed" gesture.

I click the remote, and the first slide illuminates behind me: a screenshot of his data dump.

"When I reviewed the raw data you provided for the franchise test"—my gaze locks on Chadwick—"I found it to be chaotic. Unstandardized. Almost deliberately obscured."

His jaw tightens and his fingers stop their drumming.

"So I decided to focus on what I know best." Click. "People."

The screen fills with screenshots. Instagram posts with hundreds of comments. Five-star Google reviews that run paragraph after paragraph. Blog features with thousands of shares.

"I examined the actual customer experience." My finger traces toward the screen. "My locations consistently earn glowing reviews across every platform. But the franchisees you selected?" I pause, savoring the moment. "Their satisfaction ratings paint a rather different picture."

Click. Review after review fills the screen. "Satisfactory." "Adequate." "Fine." "Quick service." Each one three stars or less.

"That's quite a contrast, wouldn't you agree?" I tilt my head, studying Chadwick's increasingly rigid posture.

He scoffs, the sound sharp in the quiet room. "Anecdotal evidence means nothing in business metrics."

"Oh, I agree completely."

The smile that spreads across my face feels predatory, like I'm suddenly the big bad wolf in the room.

"Which is why I went directly to my franchisees and got their actual numbers."

A new slide appears. Clean data, devastating in its clarity.

"Second appointment booking rate: 89% versus your reported 24%." Each word drops slowly, deliberately. "Average ticket price: $87 compared to your reported $23. Product sales conversion: 34% against your laughable reported 8%."

I let the numbers hang in the air, watching them sink into Chadwick's increasingly flushed face.

"As you can see, my franchisees demonstrate remarkable profitability while earning stellar reviews.

They're building sustainable businesses with loyal customer bases.

" I tilt my head slightly. "So I'm curious.

If my franchisees are actually this profitable, why does your dashboard show them failing so spectacularly? "

His face now looks like someone spilled wine on it.

"Honestly, Chadwick." I meet his eyes directly. "I'm starting to question not just your methodology, but your integrity."

"How dare you?" The words explode from him. "I have an MBA from Harvard! A doctorate in economics from Stanford! What proof do we have that these numbers you're showing are even real?"

"I don't appreciate you questioning Ms. Everly's integrity." Noa's growl makes the windows seem to vibrate.

Chadwick's shoulders hunch, his voice dropping. "Mr. Hale, I'm not implying malicious intent. Perhaps the franchisees provided inaccurate data to make themselves look—"

"Actually." Josh's interruption cuts clean through.

He turns his laptop around, fingers flying across the keyboard.

"We did our own analysis. Mia's right. Your raw data was deliberately obfuscated, but once we cleaned it up..." Spreadsheet after spreadsheet fills his screen. "Same pattern. Her franchisees showing exceptional results, while yours are bleeding money."

He clicks to another tab. "And here's the interesting part: eighty-seven percent of the marketing budget went exclusively to your locations, which are vastly unprofitable. Mia's franchisees got the scraps and still outperformed yours."

Josh looks at Chadwick with cold precision. "Either you're incredibly incompetent despite your degrees… or you deliberately rigged this test."

"That's—that's preposterous!" Chadwick slams his hand on the table.

"These are your numbers we're using, man." Keanu leans forward, his usual warmth replaced by ice. "They had no reason to be presented in such a shady way unless you were hiding something."

Chadwick's mouth opens. Closes. Opens again. No sound emerges.

"You're fired." Noa stands slowly, towering over Chadwick even from across the table. "We'll be pursuing legal action for fraud. And even if the case doesn't stick for whatever reason, our network will ensure every potential client of yours knows exactly what kind of 'expert' they'd be hiring."

The blood drains from Chadwick's face.

"Get out," Noa growls. "Now."

Chadwick scrambles for his laptop, shoving it into his briefcase with shaking hands. Papers scatter. He doesn't stop to collect them. The door slams behind him.

The silence that follows feels like the first clean breath after being underwater.

My shoulders drop, and air fills my lungs properly for the first time in hours.

"You were incredible, Mia." Keanu's eyes shine.

"We're so sorry about everything." Noa leans forward, hope written across his face. "But now that you've proven you were right, we can—"

"Wait."

My hand rises, and their expressions freeze.

"There's something else I need to say."

The air shifts, thickens. I pull in a breath that expands my ribs. Their scents intensify even through the de-scenter, longing and fear tangled together. It would be so easy to fall into them, to accept their apologies.

But I'm done with easy.

"I appreciate what you just did." My voice thickens despite my efforts. "I can see how hard you've been working. The exhaustion is written all over you."

They exchange glances, hope and fear warring on their faces.

"But how can I trust you?" The question cracks something open in my chest. "I want to. God, I want to. But you hid things from me. Made decisions about my business without me. How do I know you won't do it again the next time you think I need protection?"

Josh's face crumples. Keanu drops his head into his hands. Noa closes his eyes like I've punched him.

"I'm not a resentful person. I can forgive." My throat tightens around the words. "But we need to reestablish trust. Real trust. And I don't see how we can do that from where we are now…"

My voice breaks, but I force myself to continue.

"I'm prepared to dissolve the partnership and walk away."

They flinch in unison. Josh's chair scrapes as he jerks back. Keanu's hands clench on the table. Noa goes completely still.

"I know I'd be within my rights since you hid things from me, and that's clearly a contract breach.

" Each word feels like swallowing glass.

"It'll set me back years in my franchise project as I'll have to start from scratch.

But I'd rather do that than be with a pack that doesn't truly believe in me. That doesn't treat me as an equal."

I meet each of their eyes in turn. "This is who I am. Ambitious. Driven. Someone who can handle the hard stuff and will prioritize her work over fun in tough times. If you can't handle that, if you need me to be softer, easier, less... then we can't be together."

The last four words hang between us and my breath turns ragged as I struggle to hold back tears.

Noa stands slowly. "Mia, our initial reasons for inviting you here were selfish.

"We wanted you. Your scent, your presence, everything.

And in our desire to keep you close, to pamper you, we tried to handle the hard parts so we could just..

. have you." His hands clench and unclench at his sides.

"But our instincts to protect they weren't what you needed.

Hell, they weren't even what you wanted.

We let our own desires override your autonomy.

" His voice cracks. "And we are so, so sorry. "

"I appreciate that Noa, but—"

"Let us make you one last proposition."

Keanu pulls out his phone. A moment later, the door opens.

An omega strides in with confidence that commands attention, with auburn hair in a sharp bob and an expensive-looking navy suit. But her smile warms her whole face.

"Naomi?" My breath catches.

She crosses to me, extending her hand. "Nice to finally meet you in person, Mia."

"Naomi, what—"

"Don't worry." She hands me a leather portfolio. "This isn't a betrayal, it's a gift. Just read it. It's in your best interest."

My hands shake as I open the document. The first pages outline twenty-seven fully vetted franchisee candidates. Each profile includes financial verification, business experience, and personal statements about why they want to join.

The next section details the operational structure. The alphas' investment fund has hired a full team, accountants, marketing specialists…

I flip the page, and my hand flies to my mouth.

All reporting directly to me.

I need several seconds to process what I'm seeing. Then, when I flip the page, I feel my legs threaten to give out.

Pack Hale's New Ownership Structure: Noa Hale: 16.33%, Josh Ellis: 16.33%, Keanu Makai: 16.33%, Mia Everly: 51%.

The portfolio slips. I catch it before it hits the floor, but my hands won't stop shaking.