4

The next week completely flew by in a frenzy of so much productivity even my head spun.

I found out Hades had ancient vampires visit every "elite" warlock family and made it clear that their plans for me were done. That the madness of making any god a pet or even "elevating" themselves was over. They were now a simple coven just as any other witches and warlocks, and Nicole was their leader.

Or they died.

Those were their options, and if they wanted to argue about that, they could speak with Hades… In the underworld.

So they would be dead.

Meaning there was no arguing.

I laughed. I laughed and laughed at how amazing my brother was even when he was a shit. Really, he was. Poseidon loved it too, and I think we shocked Hades when we congratulated him for handling it perfectly instead of chastising him or changing something.

Not at all.

Nicole was shocked and had some choice words about it, but when she spoke with Hades that it had to be her after how those bastards treated her like a whore, she accepted. She made it clear that later she planned to hand it over to Colton since he was the strongest and would keep them in line, but Hades said he would revisit the topic depending on how things went.

I didn't blame him and told Nicole I felt the same but to let me know if there were problems or if we needed to liquefy anyone. She wasn't sure if we were kidding or not.

We weren't. I was over the crazy and cults.

Really over them. We made that clear when a group planned to get around the decree by moving and starting over and a shop somewhere else. Hades's minions informed him and we made an example of them and liquefied them, letting everyone know they'd gotten themselves in that mess.

I was pretty sure they now believed us and that they were being watched.

That group was stupid because who would they have rallied around without even their demigod like before? It had been a ridiculously stupid plan, but it was ludicrous without him.

Fools.

Two ancient vampires were guarding Nicole and her estate at all times for now at Hades's order along with his minions watching over her. I doubt Colton liked that, but people were stupid and I wanted her protected.

Idiots tried to fill the void of stupid in the wrong way a lot of times.

We were trying to prevent that and something worse happening to that family.

The New Jersey factory was all set up, renovations done with the storage and auto ingredients system all handled. Training on everything was mostly done—at least everyone on something, and now they could all cross-train and get comfortable on other machines. They have everything to start and could get regular shipments of everything they would need.

Amazon would no longer be picking up to keep things confidential. They had too many contract drivers who had no loyalty and loved to post too much to social media. Of course, they could get in huge trouble if they did… But once the cat was out of the bag, we couldn't put it back in. Sueing them after the fact wouldn't do much when the damage was already done.

Though everyone knew it would probably come out eventually. We wouldn't publicize it, and it would just be supes there, but they knew the risks.

However, we were going to do the best we could to keep things quiet. Which meant some of the vampires were going to drive plain trucks and deliver to Amazon's warehouse. They knew things would be coming and just to be grateful, accept the deliveries, and not to start trouble unless they wanted us to not use them anymore.

Which was a real threat now that we were ramping up production and they wanted to sell in other countries. We were fine with that if they wanted to ship it to their distribution centers in Europe and convert prices.

The vampires from Boston who had been working on the sprinkles and decorations overnight were going to be there for the first week and making sure the handoff went well. I filled the entire factory full of the last of the St. Patrick's Day blend we would put on the market, and then they would start right into the Easter and spring ones.

Plus, everything the bakeries that ordered directly from us wanted.

And they wanted a lot. Hopefully, we could get ramped up fast, but if not, they would have to wait. We would do the best we could, and they knew we were adding more.

We were already sending out frozen basic cakes and cupcakes now to a handful of large bakeries with multiple locations that signed contracts. They were ironclad and detailed… As Justina always was. They acknowledged they were Karma Bakery cakes, wouldn't let them go stale, and we had them listed on our website as using our cakes.

Among a few other things.

So a lot was moving fast and we were growing. Jamie was making deals and getting things going better than I could ever have imagined. My four managers were handling more and more, and we were adding employees left and right.

A hundred more people started at the factory in Boston from a shelter in NYC that all had been vetted and were working out well. Things were really going perfectly.

The training handoff from Robin to the other culinary school teachers was flawless, and so many at the factory were doing really well and loving it.

The sale with the other factory behind us was finished as well at the end of last month. It'd been gutted and converted. The previous owner found out after it was all done and he went back to check it out and found me standing there. He threw a fit, but there wasn't anything he could really do.

I told him to bitch to the media all he wanted because that was really all he could do. If he wanted to sound like a fool that he'd been played, his investors would probably love that, and his employees would absolutely feel secure working for him if he threw a fit like that.

So far, he hadn't done it, but I bet he planned on throwing darts at my head at least.

But we transferred the meat buns and soup production over there. We'd have to make some adjustments and figure out how to ramp up best. Jamie was all over it now that the upgrades needed were put in.

All I knew was Costco was thrilled because they sold out of the meat buns before they could barely put them in the freezers. And we got requests for more soup all the time at the bakery. The food trucks sold out of it the moment they parked—people wanted more of all of it and more locations.

A few times over the week I felt huge surges of power that took my breath away that were a big help to make things work.

We announced that the St. Patrick's Day pickups would be at the bakery but also different AMC locations that people could opt into. Dion came up with a text line to send their order number to and then they could designate their location. It confused the crap out of me, but the twins were thrilled and said it was genius.

If they were happy and said it was smart, I was happy and thanked him.

And I made the entire factory in Huntsville full of shamrock-shaped Krispie treats for him to give away for free at AMC theaters over St. Patrick's Day weekend in thanks. They were going to start working on fixing the place up for what we needed soon, so Hades showed us another huge warehouse he had for… I didn't want to know.

It was massive, and I doubted good things happened there.

Now it would be for all my extra treats and Dion would know about it and could take from. I even made the wards from my dining room always transfer there. If my power made treats appear on my dining room table while I was asleep, they would automatically appear in that warehouse… And I could clean it up on pallets later.

So it was a very productive week, and we were moving forward on a lot of plans that everyone wanted.

But once again pushed back what I had actually wanted to focus on. It left me a bit anxious and forced me to push my personal feelings aside and contact one of the last people I wanted to see.

Or not really, but it hurt me to see him.

I had loved to stare into his pretty bright bottle-green eyes. I had found his reddish-blond hair attractive and even how it hung in his face since it was a bit longer. It was how he showed his emotions at times because he had a very confident exterior being so attractive, well educated, and smart.

But sometimes you could get a glimpse of his doubts and who Colton Knight really was when he tucked his hair behind his ears or fidgeted with it. And I had loved knowing that, seeing that side of him.

Now it hurt.

Sitting across from him hurt me.

"Thank you for coming," I mumbled as I set down the juice he liked and his favorite muffin, swearing mentally that I still remembered he would have asked for that and I gave it to him.

And he smiled as if touched I'd done it. "Of course."

"It's for work," I bit out.

He nodded, staring at the muffin. "Work, right." He reached out, and I realized almost too late it was to touch my hand.

I reacted in time so he didn't but knocked over my own juice, jumping as well and hitting my plate so my muffin went flying. I blinked at the mess, and it was how I felt about the situation… And fled.

"Arabella, are you okay?" Cora worried as she caught me on the first floor as I was about to go into the kitchen.

"I can't do this," I rasped knowing he would hear me and not caring. "I tried to talk to him about work, about the apartments at the factory. I didn't want to start trouble because I thought his company had announced they would be part of the project. If we hired someone else it would make them look bad, and I didn't want either of us to take the hit because of personal."

"What did happen personally?" she demanded, giving me a bit of a shake. "It's time to tell one of us. Please. We're all scared he did something unforgivable."

I swallowed loudly, the begging in her tone breaking me and making me finally crack and say something. "He knew one of the men who brutalized me." I nodded when she flinched. "Not well. They weren't friends, but he knew him. He knew who I was and didn't tell me. He's known all along and didn't tell me until someone found me and it exploded. He knew."

"What the fuck is wrong with some people?" she whispered.

"He didn't think it was a big deal," I mumbled.

"Then it wouldn't have been a big fucking deal to tell you," she snapped. "There are always ways to bring it up or discuss things. There are always ways to—someone else could have helped mediate it or—there is always a way."

I blinked at her a moment.

Yes, yes, there were always ways. Jamie had known Colton was a warlock. Even if Colton had been gagged, he could have told me some of it. There was a lot he still could have let me in on. There were always ways.

Tears filled my eyes as I nodded in agreement.

"I'm sorry," Colton whispered from behind me, clearly having given chase. "I… You gave me my favorite muffin and knew I would want the juice after having worked out. I thought—I'm sorry, Arabella. I won't touch you."

"You are not to be alone with her," Cora bit out. "No, Colton. I—what the fuck is wrong with you? How you could break her trust and keep something so important—I could never trust you again after such a lack of judgment. It wasn't just some random secret she was keeping. It was a safety net for her protection! You violated it the way she was violated. Don't you get that?"

"No," he whispered. "I didn't—I don't. I… I helped protect her by knowing."

"No, you fucking placated her and played her. That's not protecting her but instead makes you not trustworthy," Cora snapped. "It makes you one of those Alpha assholes who thinks the man is the boss and handles all the important things and the woman just does what she's told. You coddled her and didn't show her respect as a partner, not helped her heal, you asshole."

"You're my hero," I whispered, blinking up at her.

She kissed my hair. "You're too in the middle of your trauma still to figure out what you feel. Being outside of it helps. Let's go have your meeting because I know the apartments are bugging you while everyone else wants more from you. And then I'm going to ask you for more because I have something bugging me like that and it will be good for you too."

"Deal."

"Good," she sighed. "Thank you because she's like a sister to me, and I thought I'd have to tell her no so I didn't break you." She sniffled. "Adulting is too hard some days."

"It really is."

We went back to the second floor, and Cora made Colton clean up my mess while she sat with me.

He did and cleared his throat before he sat back down. "Yes, I did publicly state we would be handling the project, so thank you. I didn't think that's what this was… I apologize."

"Asshole," Cora grumbled, shaking her head. "Okay, so you want to get moving on the apartments. Do you want him to handle management too?" She chuckled when I sighed. "You want him to handle management too even if he normally handles fancy apartments like his, he knows how and he can make the exception for these, right, Colton?"

"Yes, of course," he immediately agreed. "I don't care about that."

But it would probably do something to his company, right?

No, I didn't care. He was a big boy and could handle whatever.

I pulled out the map I'd brought with of the area and what I owned, glad it didn't get ruined when I'd made a mess. "Do we need to buy something else or is there room? I know we were originally discussing—everything is so much bigger now and… I don't know what is what anymore."

And I was fried. I didn't want to talk about this with him and he'd thought I'd just made up something to see him. I felt fragile now, and I just wanted to run.

I hated myself for that. I blinked back tears and covered my face.

"Hey, you're doing great," Cora whispered. "You're being strong enough to sit here so there aren't whispers and more shit thrown at you later. I wouldn't be able to handle that and would just work with another firm, okay? Don't be so tough on yourself. Think about the fun you'll have tonight with Jamie and the smiles he'll make you have."

"You're mean," I mumbled.

"He deserves it," she said easily. "Now that I know more, he fucking deserves it."

Colton cleared his throat and moved the map closer. "Yes, we were discussing building a smaller building right on location, but when you were talking numbers, I realized that would never work. I started looking into other ideas and found a few. The one I like best is that four blocks away there is actually an apartment complex."

"Oh, so they can just rent there?" I asked, looking where he was pointing.

"No, it's shut down," he explained. "It wasn't kept up to code and the owners were foreclosed on. No one lives there, and it's currently a danger that's causing problems for the area. Some kids just got in trouble there and someone jumped from the roof and the police are worried about what else will happen next."

"So buy it, tear it down, and build something new," Cora muttered.

"Exactly. And have someone on staff always to shuttle from the front office to the factories since it's a few blocks away. Otherwise, they can walk, but have the option for when the weather's bad but also to remember that they might have to wait and to leave early."

I nodded. "Or we have the buses for the kids, and the shift getting off can pick up the next shift. We can work that out. We also won't just get rid of the dorms we set up, but this will be better for those we trust and who have been with us the longest. We can't bring in everyone right away, and they won't be ready tomorrow. But employees only."

"Yes, it can be employee housing so you don't have issues, and we'll manage it for you," Colton said… A bit too fast. I saw the way Cora noted it too.

He wanted to have a way to stay in my orbit?

I wasn't sure, but he owned the business park of my bakery. I could never fully get away from him unless I sold the bakery and moved or… I wasn't doing that, so there was no point in thinking about it.

He pulled out a notepad and pen and started asking me questions like how many buildings, floors, and units—completely basic questions, and I simply blinked at him.

Cora burst out laughing, apologizing and then laughing all over again when I simply rolled my eyes.

"I have no idea, Colton," I drawled. "I have no idea how many people we could end up needing or the max we could have to optimize all three factories. Some will eventually want houses or some have houses. People want more food trucks, and they can live there. People want more bakeries. I would think more units and who cares if they're empty?"

Apparently, that was not the right answer from the way Cora and Colton frowned.

So again, I should not be in charge of things like that, but I didn't want to be. I wanted people safe and to have a comfortable roof over their heads.

And to not be in charge of that.

I think I mentioned that, right?

"Got it. I will talk with the managers and get some ideas," he muttered, making some more notes. "And Jamie on the plans to ramp up." He glanced at Cora. "Or whatever she is going to ask you about?"

I looked to her, not sure what that was about either.

She sighed. "I can't even pick on him about being nosy." She let out a slow breath. "My best friend from culinary school, Holly—she's me but in New York. She's done shows for years and has—she's better known like Si-woo knew me." She waited until I nodded. "She wants to leave her bakery for the same reasons I bailed on mine."

"And you want me to hire her here?" I hedged, wondering how much more she wanted me to expand into the wedding market in Boston.

"No, New York City." She nodded when my eyes went wide. "Just hear me out. It's not as crazy as it sounds because her whole team wants to go with her. They want to walk out, but they will be blacklisted all over given where they work."

"And I won't care about that," I chuckled darkly.

"No, no, you won't," she agreed. "And you could work your magic with your money to get a lease kitchen like you got us—and we might actually need a few more. But with the decorations being done and sprinkle blends and basic cakes that can be shipped right there—it's everything they would need, Arabella. She could hire more culinary student helpers like I have and be set."

"Under Karma Bakery though," Colton checked.

"Yes, I made it clear it only works that way, and she agreed that she doesn't want the overhead and business, just the freedom like I have, but the manager title and fun again," Cora confirmed.

"You have Gina's friends who want to open a storefront," Colton reminded me with a look that it could work. "They don't want to do a full bakery but more a corner shop with take-and-bake items. Premade cakes from the factory."

"Is that true?" Cora asked, her eyes flashing shock. "That could be perfect then." I wasn't sure how, but she hurried on. "Holly and I wanted to talk to the twins about having a bigger gallery on the website of our wedding cake selection. Most brides want the same type of thing. Their colors but picking exactly what they've seen on social media."

Now it was my turn to be shocked. "Your biggest concern was cranking out cookie-cutter cakes when we met, Cora."

"No, I know, but it's not the same, and it won't be like that," she assured me. "We can throw in some easy and basic ones to help brides who need to keep costs down, even give them options to pick them up. That's what Holly and I really want to help with, that there's no option for but a market for. The delivery and assembling of cakes is a huge part of the cost."

"In a place like New York City where everything is way too overpriced, you could have a huge niche of cakes meant to be picked up and put together at the venue," Colton agreed. "Or not even put together, but so much better than grocery store cakes. Say five matching cakes in the wedding colors that don't cost wedding prices. You could absolutely do that now."

"I hate you still, but he's absolutely right and what we want to do," Cora said. "We want to start a movement and find others like us to come under your umbrella in major cities and have teams. Change the game. I want to—let me have a mockup with the twins and Holly."

I shrugged. "Cora, do whatever you want. As long as you have the people and can manage them. If you want more kitchens at the place, fine. You more than manage it all, and we can get you more of everything from the factory now. I don't know about New York. We'd need drivers, and even here, that's the hard part. If you have six or seven weddings—more in summer."

"You'd find them," Colton said easily. "You pay well and—hell, some of my guys would take a Friday night to drive cakes to weddings or whatever. Other catering events. But if you handle this pickup option—there would be a huge market for it."

I sighed and sat back, rubbing my forehead. "The windows just got installed, and we're back to café service, but I'm thinking of having two days a week be pickup orders only. We have too much foot traffic. There's too much chaos."

"It might not be a popular option, but for the employees, I would do Sundays and Mondays," Cora said. "It seems to be when the problems always come in. You can't cut both weekend days. But it's always some group after church, and I'm not picking on churches, but the kids are cranky after or something. Or there's a problem in the parking lot—just no. You aren't a day care."

"Agreed." I did have a problem with churches because of my damn brother, which wasn't the church's fault. "I was thinking Sunday and Wednesday, but I was worried that would confuse people, but it's smarter to group it together. And tastings only on Fridays for now."

"I love it," Cora agreed. "You can still have kiddie events now and again on Sundays, but it seems to be like Sunday playdates or something, and the bakery is just too busy for that."

I sighed again and kept rubbing my forehead. "Talk with the twins on this idea of matching wedding cakes that can be picked up to save money and if there's a market for it. I want to meet Holly before I consider this, but I'm not against it. She wouldn't be in full swing her first season, but I'm not familiar with NYC, and I cannot be focused there."

"Good deal. Thanks, Arabella, really. She's been miserable and dying inside there without any options."

And Cora and I knew how that felt. We'd suffered that crippling devastation and torment. We knew how it seemed like nothing would ever get better and there was no way out.

But there was. There was always a way out and some form of escape if people just kept fighting.

There had to be.