Page 77 of Dragon AU

He didn’t know where the words were coming from. They strayed too close to the truth he kept covered.

“Of course. I trust you.”

Rowan swallowed. “I’ll keep you updated.”

When he couldn’t put it off anymore, Rowan found his way back into the meeting room. Harold was sitting with his arms crossed and a smug smile on his face.

Rowan gave him a placid smile in return and laid his hands on the desk. He found that his give-a-shit meter was officially dead. “So have we crunched those numbers?”

Harold’s smile dropped slightly. “But I thought…”

“Georgia,” Rowan called. The assistant popped her head up, her wide green eyes magnified by her glasses. “Do you have those numbers?”

She flushed and adjusted her specs. “Well…”

“I’ve noticed your notes at the end of the meetings. They’re very impressive. I’d appreciate your input,” he said.

She gave Harold a quick glance before sliding her notes across the table. “I’ve worked out the margins for the current proposal, but…”

“Go on.”

She exchanged a look with Lennie, who nodded at her. “Well the profit margins wouldn’t significantly change if we went with this newer company.”

Rowan pulled it across.

“That company was ruled out. It’s basically a startup!” Harold said.

“A company that has a decade of experience is hardly a startup,” Rowan said as he surveyed the notes carefully. “Why wasn’t this considered before? They’re competitively priced.”

“The current proposal is from an established dragon firm,” Harold said.

Rowan’s eyes went to the info at the top and he spotted the human and dragon founders. He rolled his eyes. Some dragons were so stuffy.

“I want everything you have on this, Georgia. You can lead.”

“She’s an assistant!” Harold exclaimed.

“Which should have been changed a while ago. I’m sure it was just overlooked. I’ll talk to HR to make sure it goes through without a hitch. She’ll be a valuable asset to your team,” Rowan said smoothly.

Everyone murmured in surprise, but there was a pleased air about the room. They were on Rowan’s side with this.

“As long as that’s okay with you?” he asked Georgia.

“Y-yes. Thank you so much!” she gushed after the shock wore off.

“Wonderful. So let’s get to work on this new company and contact them for a proposal.”

“I already got one,” Lennie said quietly, before getting louder and more confident. “Just in case.”

Harold was shell-shocked and Rowan smiled.

“Great initiative. Let’s take a look, shall we?”

The room came alive with new energy as Rowan’s phone vibrated in his pocket. His heart flipped when he saw the name on the screen.

Milo: Are there naked dragons there?

Rowan’s ears went hot and he felt a surge of inexplicable anger.