Jones swallowed hard, his face flushing. "That's a gross oversimplification, Marcus, and you know it."
Cough.
The only omega in the room let out a cough at the disrespect. However, Jones did not notice, or perhaps simply ignored it, but the reaction only served to inflate his ego.
"It's about image control and demographics. Our primary alpha demographic, the high-spending consumer, prefers the appearance of availability, or at least a manageable, single omega with a clean slate."
"A mated male omega, especially one with a public history, complicates the fantasy. We would be fighting an uphill battle against existing narratives and limiting our audience reach right out of the gate. It's a financial risk we had already calculated and rejected."
He did not care to look at Levi, who sat beside Marcus like a silent, unnerving statue.
