Chapter 438

Olivia

I was just about to come up with a retort to Vanessa’s obvious hatred of me when the door suddenly flung open, causing all of us to jump and whirl around.

“I need everyone but Olivia to leave the room, please.”

Nathan stood in the doorway, his eyes wild. My own eyes widened as soon as I saw him; I knew that he had his interview with the Alpha association today, but it seemed as though something was wrong.

As the others filtered out of the conference room, leaving Nathan and me alone a moment later, a heavy silence settled between the two of us. The tension in Nathan’s shoulders was palpable, his usual confident demeanor replaced by a look of deep frustration and concern.

“Is everything okay?” I asked softly, taking a tentative step toward him. “Is it about your interview?”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It’s, uh… It’s complicated, Liv,” he said, his voice sounding hoarse and weary. “The interview went okay, I think, but… Liv, they want us to raise a lot of money for your auction.”

“What?” I asked, quirking an incredulous eyebrow. “How much money? And why?”

Nathan paused for a moment, opening and closing his mouth several times as he seemed to grapple with the right thing to say. I could practically hear the gears turning in his head, and seeing him like this made me certain that whatever the goal was, it was unattainable.

“A hundred thousand dollars.”

My mind reeled at the staggering figure. “You’re joking. A hundred thousand dollars?” I echoed, disbelief filling my voice. “But that’s way more than we projected to earn! That’s… That’s impossible for an auction this size!”

Nathan nodded, his jaw set hard. “I know, and I’m just as frustrated as you are, Liv,” he murmured.

I paced across the room, clutching my hair. This auction was supposed to be a fun chance to bring some more business and tourism to our pack during the winter months, but this… this was way more than I had signed up for.

“Nathan, I love you, but this is way above my pay grade,” I said softly. “Why do they want you to raise so much?”

Nathan sighed, running a hand through his own hair now. “They said it’ll be a ‘significant demonstration of our pack’s capabilities’,” he said, making air quotes with his fingers. “They said that they’ll only seriously consider the application if we can accomplish this.”

His words made my heart sink. “But a hundred thousand dollars feels impossible,” I said softly. “Are they trying to set us up for failure?”

He was silent for a moment, and it was clear to me then that he had already considered that notion.

“Nathan?”

“Listen,” he said gently, his eyes holding the weight of a thousand worlds, “they… they asked about the auction, and when I told them that you, my wife, are organizing it, they…”

His voice trailed off, but he didn’t need to finish. I felt my gut wrench, and tears began to fill my eyes, obscuring my vision. “It’s just a ‘housewife project’,” I whispered.

Nathan’s eyes softened, and he shook his head. “You know I don’t see it like that,” he said.

“I know you don’t,” I replied. “But they do, clearly. And so do a lot of people. Maybe I’m not cut out for this; and one hundred thousand dollars is certainly something that I’m not cut out for.”

“Look, I know it seems impossible,” Nathan said. “But this is our chance, Liv. If I can get on the association, it will be a huge benefit for our pack. We need this auction to be a success, or our pack will become a laughing stock. We’ll lose all future chances at getting on the association.”

I felt a weight settle in my chest, a mix of anxiety and doubt. “I just… I don’t know, Nathan,” I said, both Vanessa’s and the online commenters’ words echoing in my mind. “That’s… That’s way too much money, and I have so little experience in this kind of work. What if the auction is a total failure? And it’ll be all my fault?”

Nathan’s expression softened even more as he stepped closer, taking my hands in his. “Liv, I believe in you,” he said softly. “You have great ideas, and you have a lot of passion for this sort of thing—for our pack. And even if we can’t accomplish it, you know I would never, ever blame you for it.”

His confidence should have been reassuring, but Vanessa’s scathing words just continued to echo in my mind, further amplifying my insecurities.

Was I really capable of pulling off something so significant, or was I just a spoiled housewife out of her depth?

“I just don’t know, Nathan,” I muttered, shaking my head. “I’m just a housewife, you know? I’ve got no education, very little experience, and I’ve got the twins—”

“Olivia,” Nathan said firmly, his eyes meeting mine with unwavering conviction, “you know you’re more than that. Who even told you that?”

I swallowed. I hadn’t mentioned the online comments or Vanessa’s bad attitude yet, and I hadn’t planned on it. “It doesn’t matter,” I said. “That’s just how I feel. I mean, I’m okay with these projects, but how can we even possibly raise that much money?”

“We’ll need to think bigger, get more creative with the auction items,” Nathan said, his mind clearly already racing with ideas. “Maybe we can reach out to some high-profile figures, get some unique experiences or items that can draw larger bids.”

I took a deep breath, absorbing his words. “Getting the items and experiences is one thing,” I said, “but convincing people to bid on things is another.”

Nathan furrowed his brow, nodding slowly. “I guess you’re right,” he said. “But Liv, our pack needs this. We’ve got to try.”

A soft sigh escaped my lips then. I knew that Nathan was right; we couldn’t just give up before we had even begun, no matter how momentous the task at hand seemed. And besides, quitting now would just mean giving more fuel to the online commenters and Vanessa, the very people who seemed to be waiting for me to fail.

“Alright,” I said, gently pulling away and sinking back down at the conference table, where my laptop and binders were still spread out in front of me. “I’ll get to work. There’s gotta be something we can do to make this happen.”

A slow smile spread across Nathan’s face, and he let out a sigh of his own. “Thank you, Liv,” he said. “I’ll be with you, every step of the way, if you’d like.”

But I shook my head, my fingers already tapping on my keyboard. “This is my project, and I plan on keeping it that way. Just take care of yourself, and the twins,” I said.

He furrowed his brow, taking a step closer to me. “You’re sure?” he asked. “I really could help you.”

I nodded, lifting my gaze to meet his, and as I did, a soft smile began twitching at the corners of my lips.

“I’m sure,” I said. “And while you’re at it, go ahead and book those honeymoon reservations.”