(BL)Alpha Made-Chapter 513: Two CEOs under one roof
After Michael left and before Maxwell got home late, Andrew sat with the words that he’d heard. Michael had stayed a little longer after, venting to Andrew about his troubles and Andrew was glad that he felt that he could.
It did make Andrew realise that the man had bottled up his troubles just as much as Andrew or Maxwell had. He told Michael to come over whenever he needed to do it again, not letting Michael know that he was thinking about his issue.
Michael knew that he was,, even if Andrew was trying not to make it obvious.
"I don’t need you to fix it, Andrew." Michael told him as he was leaving. "I’m serious. I can figure it out. Once the news comes out, I’m sure their opinions will change." Michael had tried to sound hopeful, but Andrew knew that he didn’t actually feel that way. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
Andrew didn’t trust the company he was working with either. He was sat at the island, drinking his own non-alcoholic drink from a martini glass because he wanted to feel brooding and fancy at the same time, when Maxwell came home.
"I’m home!" He called as the door opened and closed behind him. Andrew could feel the draft of the cold as he entered.
He was taking off his coat as he rounded the corner, his scarf and hat already gone. He glanced around, clearly still expecting Michael to be there and when he wasn’t, he looked a little confused. Andrew smiled, turning and gesturing for Maxwell to come over and Andrew gave him a soft kiss.
Maxwell’s soft, love-filled sigh meant everything to Andrew so he gave him a few extra.
"How did you get home?" Andrew asked and Maxwell shrugged.
"Just called my Dad. He sent a driver, and then asked why you couldn’t drive me. Told him you had a meeting at home that came up suddenly." Maxwell said and Andrew nodded. That wasn’t exactly a lie. "Where’s Michael? I don’t see his shoes or coat around." Maxwell asked after Andrew was finished welcoming him home.
"He’s already gone. Said he had something else he needed to get done. I could have picked you up, but..." Andrew trailed off, feeling a little guilty. Maxwell kissed him before pulling away to go hang up his jacket and come back.
"Don’t feel bad. I’m sure whatever Michael had to speak to you was important. It was, wasn’t it?" Maxwell asked and Andrew gave him a smile.
"He used me to get out of a meeting." Andrew told Maxwell, and watched as the other man raised an eyebrow as he picked up Andrew’s drink and took a sip.
"Really?" He asked, surprised, and Andrew nodded.
"Yeah. It was apparently a pretty shitty meeting too, so I forgave him easily." Andrew said, and Maxwell put down the drink before getting up and onto the stool next to Andrew. He took his hand without hesitation and Andrew warmed instantly.
"Is he okay?" Maxwell asked, and Andrew just wanted to kiss the man. He showed care so easily now, and concern. He just wanted to squeeze him in his arms and cover him in kisses.
"I think so. Well, I actually don’t think he’ll be okay in the long run, but for now, he’s better." Andrew said, before he sighed. "The meeting he had today was a meeting with a supplier of some sort. Something medical, I’m pretty sure. They are one of the few suppliers that work with him because he doesn’t have an office and doesn’t work for a hospital." Andrew said and Maxwell furrowed his brows.
Maxwell knew a bit more about this industry. He didn’t work exactly in it, but he worked tandem to it. His family did own a hospital after all, and he was in drugs and research. It had to be along the same line.
"Oh shit. I think I know who he’s working with." Maxwell muttered, looking upset. "The alpha supremacists?" He asked and Andrew gave a shrug.
"They sounded like that, but I don’t know." Andrew admitted and Maxwell looked even more upset.
"He’s right then, there isn’t really anyone else in that field who could take over. They drove their prices down, got everyone else out of the industry and then raised their prices once everyone was gone." Maxwell told him and Andrew felt disgust fill him.
"That’s fucking scummy." Andrew said and Maxwell nodded.
"I did call them supremacists for a reason. They aren’t known for being particularly good people." Maxwell said and Andrew couldn’t help but agree.
"Is there nothing you or your family could do to help him out?" Andrew asked and Maxwell looked conflicted.
"I...I don’t know. We don’t have to rely on them because we have a small contract with another company that is kept so secret that I don’t even know who they are so we don’t have to deal with them. No one else is brave enough to go so boldly against them." Andrew felt something stir in him hearing that.
"So you can’t do anything?" Andrew asked and Maxwell sighed.
"Andrew, Baby, it’s a big conflict of interest. A big one. I want to operate my business with some kind of morals, and being a pharmaceutical business, as well as my family owning a hospital is already a big deal. If I then opened a business in that field, someone could come after me with valid legal grounds. They would say I’m trying to take over certain medical sectors, and I wouldn’t exactly be able to deny their claims either." Andrew hated the look that was on Maxwell’s face.
"I’m sorry for asking then." Andrew said and Maxwell sighed. He reached out, cupping Andrew’s face with his hand. He scanned Andrew’s face, his blue eyes searching Andrew’s.
"I’m not upset. It’s a question that you are allowed to ask, I’m just sorry I can’t really help in this area." Maxwell told him, sounding regretful and that only made Andrew feel worse.
"I just wish I could help. I feel so useless. Michael seemed so upset he had to work with these guys. Apparently they were so pleased that he was working with me, or had me as a client because I was a true alpha and an Abraham. He was particularly disgusted by that claim because of what he had witnessed helping out at the hospital after the raid." Andrew told Maxwell and Maxwell sighed softly.
"He’s a good man. I hate that he has to work with such bigots." Maxwell admitted, before they sat there in silence.
It took a while, but eventually a thought kept circling around in Andrew’s mind and wouldn’t go away. It finally got strong enough that Andrew had to voice it.
"What if...I started the company?" He asked. "What would that look like?" Andrew asked and Maxwell sat there, staring at him.
"Uh, what?" Maxwell asked and Andrew felt a little more confident as he continued to speak.
"I have no fucking clue what he needs, while it appears that you do. However, what I do have is shares in another company, and also a fuckton of money that I don’t know what to do with. What if I asked Kim if we could start another company on top of the two that we already have as a family, and we branch out in that direction? Would it be weird because I’m an alpha? Or would it make sense? I’m also going to school to become a Doctor, so we could explain my interest in that way." Andrew said and watched as Maxwell stared at him, his jaw slack, before he snapped it closed.
"Why the hell didn’t I think of that?" Maxwell asked softly. "Andrew, that’s...a pretty good idea. However, you’re going to need to poach a lot of people for research. They have their hands around the necks of most of the researchers." Maxwell warned and Andrew grinned.
He reached out and cupped the cheek of the man that he loved.
"Are you telling me that my CEO fiancé, my soon-to-be husband isn’t going to help me put together packages that would get me enough researchers to crush a bunch of bigots that he’s probably wanted to squash this whole time?" Andrew asked sweetly. Andrew watched as a light flickered behind Maxwell’s eyes and he turned, reaching for his phone.
"I’m going to message Kim and Ellis right now. I know that they are probably both off the clock right now, but I just need to know if Ellis kept our draft letters, and if Kim would want to have a meeting about this. What did Michael say about this issue?" Maxwell asked as he typed rapidly into the phone. Andrew chuckled.
"You know what he said. He told me to not get involved." Andrew told him partner in crime. Maxwell’s grin was on the more villainous side.
"Poor baby doesn’t know who you’re going to marry." Maxwell said, before he slid his gaze to Andrew. "And forgot who his friend is. At the earliest, if things go smoothly, this thing isn’t seeing air for at least 2 years. Are you okay with that? It’s going to be a money sink if things do start moving quickly." Maxwell said and Andrew gave him a smile.
"Angel, I have more money than sense right now, remember? I think of this as a great cause to put my money towards. Diversity brings wealth and new ideas to everyone." Andrew said and Maxwell snapped his fingers, pointing towards Andrew.
"Keep that mindset. I’m writing that down right now. That’s the answer we’ll use when they ask why the hell you would step on their toes." Maxwell told him, his eyes glowing.
Andrew realised that Maxwell thrived when he had something to challenge. Andrew leaned in, pressing a kiss against his forehead and Maxwell leaned into the touch, still typing away rapidly as he saw a response from Ellis pop up on his phone as he was typing out his message to Kim. He didn’t read what he was typing, just watching him work.
"You’ll be on the board, right?" Andrew asked and Maxwell glanced at him, his eyes smiling before his lips did.
"You’re going to have a stacked board. I think even Mr. Dalton will want to invest. He’s had trouble with those guys in the past." Maxwell said and Andrew blinked.
He was going to assemble a group with so much power he wouldn’t even know what to do with it.
"You’ll buy the company out, right?" Andrew asked and Maxwell chuckled.
"Only if Kim gives me a good deal." Maxwell said and Andrew sighed.
"I’m not going to do good as a CEO." Andrew admitted and Maxwell grinned.
"I’m sure Kim will let you be the face. Two true alphas, together? The papers will love it." Maxwell told him and Andrew made a face at him. Maxwell laughed, kissing him. "Let’s keep this a surprise from Michael. I want to see his face when we slide him an offer he can’t refuse." Maxwell said, and Andrew chuckled.
His devious, sweet fiancé.
