Chapter 85: Introduced

​Sofia stood beside Alaric as he personally introduced her to the factory staff. That alone said everything; Alaric did not personally introduce just anyone. The way he stood slightly closer to her and the way his voice softened when he said her name ensured every worker in the building understood immediately.

​This was her.

​This was the woman the rumors were about. For days, whispers had been flying through the territories: that Alpha Alaric had stood against his own nephew because of a woman; that a girl from the Full Moon Pack had shaken the balance between two powerful men.

​The person who had started the rumors had described her clearly: curvy, striking eyes, and a stunning face. Now, she was standing right in front of them.

​”She’s the one,” one staff member whispered under her breath.

​The woman beside her nodded slowly. “I see why two Alphas are fighting over her,” she murmured. “She’s beautiful.”

​Sofia heard the whispers. Her shoulders stiffened slightly, but she kept her chin up. Alaric’s voice remained calm and authoritative as he finished speaking.

​”Sofia will be working directly under management,” he said firmly. “She is to be treated with the same respect you would show me.”

​Silence followed. No one missed the meaning behind that sentence.

​Sofia swallowed softly. This was new—respect without humiliation. This was a place where no one called her a slave and no one spat at her feet. Alaric turned to her once the introductions were done.

​”Are you comfortable?” he asked quietly.

​She nodded. “Yes.”

​But inside, her emotions were tangled. For the first time, she wasn’t being hidden. She wasn’t being shamed, and she wasn’t being commanded. She was being presented. That scared her almost as much as it healed her.

​Across the room, more whispers floated, but she paid no attention to them.

​Sofia inhaled slowly. This was not going to be easy. But at least this time, it was better. Alaric held both her hands and smiled sheepishly at her. He didn’t even bother hiding his affection. “I have to go… remember to tell me if anything goes wrong, okay?”

​Sofia swallowed hard and nodded, and right there, in front of thirty staff, Alaric lifted both her hands and placed soft kisses on them. That drew gasps from the staff, and they had to look away while Sofia’s stomach did a somersault.

​”I’ll see you during lunch,” he smirked before turning around and leaving.

​The staff quickly turned around and went back to their duty while the HR manager, a tall woman with kind eyes and her hair pulled into a practical bun, stopped in front of Sofia. She extended a hand, her smile reaching her eyes.

​”Welcome to Vanguard Textiles, Sofia. I’m Helen, the Head of Human Resources,” she said, her voice warm and professional. “Don’t mind the stares. It’s not every day the King personally handles an onboarding session. Usually, I’m lucky if he remembers where my office is.”

​The joke helped ease the tightness in Sofia’s chest. She took Helen’s hand, feeling the firm, grounding grip. “Thank you, Helen. I’m… I’m looking forward to getting started.”

​”Good. Let’s get you away from the ’firing line’ of the main floor and into the management wing,” Helen suggested, gesturing toward a set of double glass doors.

​As they walked, Sofia could feel the eyes of the workers following her, but the hostility she had grown used to in the Full Moon Pack was missing. Here, it was replaced by a heavy, thick curiosity. They didn’t see a criminal; they saw a woman who had somehow captured the heart of a cold King.

​Helen led her into a bright, spacious office suite. “You’ll be working on production logistics and quality oversight. Alpha Alaric mentioned you have a keen eye for detail. We deal with high-end fabrics here—silks, velvets, and enchanted wools that are exported to the Royal Courts.”

​She stopped at a polished oak desk that sat just outside the main executive office—Alaric’s office.

​”This is your station,” Helen said. “You’ll be the bridge between the floor managers and the King’s desk. It’s a position of high trust.”

​Sofia ran her fingers over the smooth wood of the desk. There was no dust, no chains, and no shadow of Damien’s presence. It was clean. It was hers.

​”I’ve never done anything like this before,” Sofia admitted, her voice small. “I was a… I didn’t have a title back home.”

​Helen leaned against the desk, her expression softening. “Back home, they didn’t see what was in front of them. Here, we value results. And honestly? If Alaric trusts you enough to kiss your hands in front of thirty people, he trusts your mind enough to handle this department. He’s many things, but he isn’t a fool.”

​Helen handed Sofia a leather-bound folder. “Inside are the current production schedules. Take the morning to look them over. I’ll come back at noon to show you to the cafeteria—unless, of course, the King beats me to it.”

​With a playful wink, Helen turned and headed back toward the HR department, leaving Sofia alone in the quiet hum of the executive suite.

​Sofia sat down in the ergonomic chair, the leather soft against her back. She opened the folder, but for a moment, she couldn’t focus on the numbers. She looked at the backs of her hands, still feeling the faint, lingering warmth of Alaric’s lips.

​She was no longer a ghost in a mansion. She was a woman with a desk, a job, and a King who was waiting for her to choose him.

​Suddenly, the landline on her desk chirped.

​Sofia startled, her heart racing. She tentatively picked up the receiver. “Hello?”

​”I miss you already,” Alaric’s deep, gravelly voice vibrated through the line. He was clearly in his office, just a few feet away behind the closed door. “Is your chair comfortable, Sofia?”

​Sofia leaned back in the chair, a small, genuine smile tugging at her lips. “Yes,” she whispered into the receiver. “It’s very comfortable. Thank you, Alaric.”

​”Good,” his voice dropped, sounding more like a caress than a phone call. “My door is always open. If you need anything—or if the silence out there gets too loud—come to me. I’m right here.”

​”I will. I should probably get to work now,” Sofia teased gently.

​”A hard worker. I like that,” he chuckled before hanging up.

​Sofia set the phone down, her heart still doing light acrobatics in her chest. She pulled the leather folder toward her, determined to prove that Alaric hadn’t made a mistake in hiring her. However, she had barely read the first line of the production schedule when the clicking of high heels against the marble floor drew her attention.

​A woman in her late thirties walked toward the desk. She was dressed elegantly in a charcoal-colored pencil skirt and a silk blouse that shimmered under the office lights. Her hair was a perfectly coiffed platinum blonde, and her makeup was flawless.

​She stopped at the edge of Sofia’s desk, her sharp eyes scanning Sofia from head to toe. There was no warmth in her gaze, only a cool, calculating scrutiny.

​”So,” the woman paused and scanned Sofia again. “The rumors are true.”

​Sofia straightened her posture, her protective walls sliding back into place. “I beg your pardon?”

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep