Chapter Text
My name is Sundrop Sonnenchein and I am the middle omega child and one of the primary shareholders of Elian Sonnenchein, the alpha CEO of Solstice Incorporated, and his wife and secretary, Helen.
I also have an older alpha brother named Solomon, who is the heir to our father's business, and a younger omega sister named Soleil.
At work, we operate in the same building and don't engage in unnecessary conversation. However, once we're at home, we are a close-knit family of five.
But, recently, Soleil had fallen ill and had to be hospitalized. When the weekend came, we would all head to the hospital to visit her.
"It's been a week, Soleil," Solomon pointed out before asking "How have you been feeling?" "It's been a while, Sol." Soleil agreed before answering "I'm still the same, but I'm staying positive!"
"That's good to hear..." Dad said, cheerfully, before before his mood deflated slightly as he added "or, um, maybe it's not?" "You don't have to worry so much, dad." Soleil chuckled, reassuringly, causing dad to slump his shoulders as he mumbled "Alright."
I placed a hand on my sister's shoulder as I said "Just remember, Soleil, if there's anything you want to say, just say it, okay? After all, holding anything back isn't good for you." "Your brother is right, sweetie," mom agreed, wholeheartedly, "if you're not feeling your best or need to get something off your chest, just let us know."
Soleil smiled and said "Alright Mom and Sunny, I promise I'll let you all know if and when I'm not doing my best."
Soleil put on a brave face every day, but we were told by the doctor that her condition wasn't promising. Still, believing that she would get better someday, we kept encouraging her.
A week later, as we were about to visit Soleil, I ended up crossing paths with the last person I wanted to engage in any conversation with.
"Hey, Sunnydrop, wait up!" A voice called out to me before I turned and saw Travis Blackthorn jogging up to me.
I groaned.
Travis was a college classmate of mine and the alpha heir to Blackthorn Corporation who lives nearby. Ever since I turned him down after he confessed his love to me during our years in college, he started making snide comments behind my back.
However, I never had the time nor energy to engage with his antics, so I kept brushing him off. But, despite this, he still kept pestering me and his fennel scented pheromones kept on clashing with my sunflower scented ones.
"What do you want?" I grumbled, irritability. "Don't be so cold," Travis brushed off my displeasure with a flirty grin as he answered "I heard all about it: Your father's company seems like it's going bankrupt?"
I won't deny, a lot of investors to Solstice Inc. have been pulling out for some unknown reason. Like one second, they're on board with working with us and the next, they're backing out without any explanation! But the fact that Travis knew about this was not helping in the slightest.
"Is that all you wanted to say?" I asked, annoyed. "Oh come on, Sunny," Travis crooned "I know I can help your father's company get out of this bind." I raised an eyebrow at that, waiting for him to name his price in return for his 'help'.
"All you gotta do..." Travis added, his pheromones emerging from excitement "is marry me!"
And there it is. Trying to use my family's misfortune to get me to marry him like he had told me over and over again that that was his greatest desire of all.
"Yeah, no thanks." I answered as I backed away from him and added "Well then, if you'll excuse me, I need to go visit my sister in the hospital." Before I turned and walked away.
"Tch! Fine then!" Travis shouted at my retreating form, his fennel pheromones spiking in frustration, "Just remember, you'll regret brushing me off!"
A few weeks later, when I went to the office, a beta colleague of mine asked me a question that led to me storming into my father's office.
"Father," I announced "We need to talk!" My father and Solomon looked at me with concern. "What is it, Sunny?" Our father asked as he sat at his desk, feeling uneasy.
"Just earlier," I said "a beta colleague asked me if I'm really going to marry the alpha son of the president of Lunar Enterprises. Apparently, if I marry him, he would help our company out. Is this true?"
My father goaned as he held his face in his hands. "So it has become a rumor, huh?" He asked, rhetorically, before adding "I'm so sorry, I should have informed you sooner." "Is it really true?" I asked, sorrowfully "How did this come about?"
"Recently," Solomon answered "Orders to our company have dropped significantly. To be honest, our performance is poor and, given our situation, we might not be able to provide sufficient medical care of Soleil. That's when this proposal came up."
"So that's what happened." I murmured, dejectedly. "However," Solomon added "we've heard from various sources that this potential suitor, Moondrop Kamaria, is a ruthless individual. Dad and I couldn't bring ourselves to ask such a thing of you, my precious little brother."
Our father pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes as he bemoaned "We're so sorry we kept this from you."
Even though I was upset that they withheld this information from me, I could understand why they did. I mean I would be hesitant too if I was to inform someone that they were to be married off to a ruthless individual if it meant getting the help in keeping a family business afloat.
"It's okay." I said, reassuringly "I understand how you feel." I took a deep breath in through my nose and exhaled out my mouth before I announced "Alright, if that's the case, I'll accept the proposal."
"We're so sorry..." my father interjected, tears welling up in his eyes and his sandalwood pheromones spiking with distress, before Solomon, also on the verge of tears and his citrus pheromones also spiking, added "We're truly sorry."
Seeing my father and brother, a strong pair of alphas, cry like this, I keenly realized how they had been struggling and trying their best on their own.
My desire to help the company and Soleil was the same as my father's and brother's and I felt it was my turn to give back to the family that had given me so much despite the fact that I was an omega.
That and I would rather marry a ruthless businessman than an annoying and obsessive nuisance like Travis, who not only saw me as an object to possess, but who's fennel scented pheromones didn't pair well with my sunflower scented ones at all.
With that thought, I decided to get married.