(BL)Alpha Made-Chapter 296: Maybe we should be careful what we brag about

When Andrew, Hewett and Maria entered into the office, both Dr. Cox and Dr. Piper were surprised.

Dr. Piper looked like she was going to pass out at the sight of Andrew carrying a baby, while Dr. Cox seemed surprised for a different reason.

"Dr. Nice. Weren’t you still on lunch break?" She said and Andrew chuckled.

"Max said I could give Maria a tour of the office. I’m just showing her where I work now." Maria nodded, bowing slightly to the two other women.

"Hello. I’m a childhood, er, university friend of Andy’s. My husband is also involved with Maxy’s work and this is my youngest, Hewett." She gestured fondly to him and Hewett giggled, ducking his face into Andrew’s shoulder, holding onto the lapels of Andrew’s jacket. "Don’t let him fool you. He’s not shy, just likes to play games, don’t you?" Maria teased her boy and high pitched baby squeals filled the air.

Dr. Cox’s expression relaxed considerably.

"I think I’ve seen you before. Does Hewett go to the daycare near the towers?" Dr. Cox asked and Maria chuckled.

"He used to, until Andy here confronted the owner for being a pompous asshole. Now, I’ve taken control of Hewett’s day to day. It’s only temporary until I find somewhere better. So far, that hasn’t happened. Honestly, ever since Andy suggested that his company might be getting a daycare I’ve been holding out hope that through our relationship Hewett could go there." Dr. Cox seemed shocked to hear it.

Andrew froze as he felt Dr. Cox’s gaze go to him and watched as it narrowed. She was sensing that there was more to the story and Andrew knew that Maria was a good friend. Too good of a friend. She’d boast about what Andrew had done, not just for Hewett, but for several of the other families there.

Andrew was right as she continued speaking.

"It was so much fun to hear from not only Andy’s mouth, but the other parents and caregivers how Andrew had been treated, and how he handled the situation. Families who had no idea that their kids were being treated poorly, or the fact that other kids just because they weren’t able to give as much money were being shunned from the daycare. I was livid, of course, which is why I’ve told the few boards that I work on what was going on, and why I needed to be more at home to help out." Maria bragged. "That old hag didn’t even know what happened, did she? Is she still in the building, Andy?" Maria asked and Andrew could feel himself sweating.

"I haven’t checked in on that, Maria." Maria sighed at Andrew’s response.

"Tragic. I don’t imagine they will stay in business long. The Beckett’s and the Proctors don’t want to send their grandkids there? Ha! Tough luck for that business. Especially when she treated you like shit, Andy." Maria laughed loudly and Hewett started laughing because his Mom was laughing.

Dr. Cox looked a little green and Andrew knew he was in big trouble.

"What’s going on? I knew that you were looking at places for Mr. Beckett’s brother, but it sounds like there is more to this? Dr. Nice, did you go there because of me?" Dr. Cox asked, suspicion in every inch of her expression and Dr. Piper jumped to her feet.

"Hey Ainsley, maybe now-"

"Shut up Hailey. This just means you’re in trouble now too." Dr. Piper went white at Dr. Cox’s tone. She had been scrambling to her feet, but from one glare of Dr. Cox’s angry gaze, she was back to sitting at her desk, her head down.

Maria, again, not stupid, just enthusiastic, realised that she had probably said something that she shouldn’t have.

"Oh no. Did I get you in trouble, Andy?" Maria asked, genuinely concerned. She didn’t wait for Andrew to reply either. She moved towards Dr. Cox who was clearly distressed. "I’m so sorry. I don’t know what part of that upset you, but I can assure you Andy didn’t mean to cause you harm. He’s just...unable to keep his nose out of things when he hears that others have issues." It seemed as if while Maria didn’t know, she had a good guess.

Dr. Cox let out a dry laugh, pushing her rolling chair around so that she could face Andrew head on. Andrew swallowed past the lump in his throat, holding onto Hewett like a shield.

"I think I am beginning to understand that." Dr. Cox muttered ominously and Andrew paled. He was sure that him and Dr. Piper made quite the pair. She crossed her arms, leveling Andrew with a look before she asked the question. "Dr. Nice. Did you lie to me and tell me you were going to that specific daycare just because of something either I or Dr. Piper said?" Andrew met her gaze, feeling awful, feeling guilty.

"I can’t say that what you told me didn’t influence my decision." Andrew started and watched as her face fell. Andrew scrambled to recover. "It really didn’t come from any part of me that was trying to belittle you or make fun of you. I promise! I just got curious. I didn’t really go to daycare. Unlike you, Dr. Cox, my Mom couldn’t afford it, and it was probably for my protection as well." Maria and the other women in the room looked confused.

Hewett smiled, tugging on Andrew’s blond hair.

"And I was also curious as to why the company that Max prided himself on didn’t have daycare. To me, it’s a no brainer. He wants omegas to work for him, to feel at home here. Well, not to stereotype, but omegas tend to have children. So do betas and alphas. Why wouldn’t he have a daycare in place to cater to them? Especially people like you, Dr. Cox. Who works so hard to make sure your daughter has the best." Dr. Cox swallowed, faltering slightly.

Andrew had to break eye contact with her, unable to continue speaking without doing so.

"I know it feels like an excuse, but I just wanted to know. Know what it was like for you, as a parent, what it was like. Especially when I heard that rich kids went to that daycare. Even more so when I learned that I owned that building." Dr. Cox’s eyes went wide, as did Dr. Piper’s, but Andrew continued. "I was already dissatisfied with the fact that Max didn’t provide lunch for his company, so I just thought, ’why not?’ and just quietly asked him, tested the water to see if he thought it could work." Andrew let out a soft sigh.

"You what? Owned the building that the daycare is in?" Dr. Cox confirmed and Andrew nodded. Maria grinned.

"Andy has a lot of secret power. Maxy lucked out that Andy is so head over heels for him. Otherwise, someone else would have tried to snag him." Maria bragged and Andrew felt his face heat.

"Stop it Maria. I’m just a man." He muttered and Maria laughed.

"And that response is why you always had people fawning over you." Maria teased, while Andrew raised his gaze to look at Dr. Cox. She didn’t appear as upset as she had been initially.

"Well? How did it go? The full story." She stated and Andrew winced.

"Max and I went undercover. I made the reservation, making it clear that Max wasn’t to reveal himself until I said so. Really strike fear into them. Turns out, Mr. Newman had made the reservation and they were expecting Max to show up, or some kind of Beckett and they actually shunned me in favour of the Beckett name. Could have not been Max or Ben or Will or even Thomas. Could have been someone not associated with them, but they prioritized them over me. We eventually convinced them to give us a tour, but they didn’t know who I was, didn’t give me a proper tour, and honestly didn’t impress me in the slightest with their childcare abilities." Andrew’s blood boiled as he remembered the kitchen.

Maria giggled.

"I arrived around the time or shortly after he was tearing into the owner for her treatment, and Maxy had already revealed himself. It was quite an interesting display, and afterwards we went out for coffee to discuss." Maria offered, showing how they knew each other and how she knew of the situation. "A lot of other families dropped out after that display. Plus, it wasn’t as if we were blind. The families that liked that it was only rich kids stayed, but the rest of us? We left because we noticed the treatment in discrepancies, but we just didn’t know how to bring it up. Well, some tried, and their kids were isolated. Turns out, you can’t isolate if you don’t have the kids."

Maria’s expression was smug, dark, and full of malicious intent. It was wiped away only a second later before she turned to Dr. Cox.

"You had a child going there at one point? What was their name? Maybe Hewie and them went there at the same time." Maria offered an olive branch and Andrew could tell that Dr. Cox, while formidable and used to dealing with Dr. Piper, was no match against the force that was Maria Johnson.

"Uh, Bella. Her name is Bella." Dr. Cox offered after a long pause and Maria’s face lit up.

"Bella? Is it short for Isabella? Gosh, that’s such a pretty name. You know, I think I vaguely remember a Bella when Hewett first joined the daycare. Hmm..." Maria crossed her arms, looking thoughtful. "Does Bella have these really pretty hazel eyes and brown hair like her Momma?" Dr. Cox swallowed at the question, her demeanor softening as Maria brought up her child.

"She does." Dr. Cox said softly and Maria grinned.

"Oh good! It would have been terrible if I had gotten the wrong Bella. Not that I know any others, but still good all the same." Maria glanced at Hewett, a smile on her face. "Hewie said he liked her. Said she was a kind and quiet girl. Always wanted to play with her. He was sad to see her go." Dr. Cox looked a little...ashamed? Andrew hadn’t wanted to bring those kinds of feelings up, but Dr. Cox let out a long sigh.

"The director didn’t like us because I’m not from a rich background. My ex wasn’t either. I suppose he is now, but he wants nothing to do with Bella." Dr. Cox said and Maria reached out, offering her some comfort.

That appeared to be all that she needed before the dam burst and Dr. Piper and Andrew watched on in horror as tears began to pour, silent but deafening, down her face.