CHAPTER 11: CORPORATE VAMPIRE
"Welcome to the first quarterly stakeholder meeting of the New Orleans Supernatural Cooperative Framework."
Kol stood at the head of Marcel's largest conference room—commandeered for the occasion—and watched supernatural faction leaders file in with expressions ranging from confused to hostile. Behind him, Elijah stood with arms crossed, the very picture of noble support despite his obvious skepticism about this entire endeavor.
"This is insane," Kol thought, watching a vampire captain sit three seats away from a witch elder, both radiating mutual distrust. "I'm trying to run supernatural politics like a board meeting. Marcus Chen's corporate training meeting Kol Mikaelson's world. This either revolutionizes New Orleans or gets me killed."
"Stakeholder meeting?" Diego muttered to Thierry, confusion evident. "What the hell is a stakeholder?"
"Anyone invested in the outcome," Kol explained, gesturing to the assembled group. "Which, in this case, is everyone who doesn't want New Orleans descending into open warfare."
Marcel entered last, Josh trailing behind him. The compound's leader took his seat at Kol's right hand, projecting authority even while clearly uncertain what he'd agreed to support.
Davina slipped into the room's back corner, notebook ready. She'd insisted on attending despite Kol's concerns, arguing that as the witch who'd resurrected him, she had stakeholder status too. He couldn't argue with her logic.
"Right." Kol pulled out his hand-drawn charts—organizational structures, territory maps, conflict resolution flowcharts. "Let's begin with the fundamental problem: New Orleans' supernatural community operates on a system of violent power assertion with no formal dispute resolution mechanisms."
Blank stares.
"You solve disagreements by killing each other," Kol clarified. "Which is expensive, destabilizing, and frankly exhausting for everyone involved."
"That's how it's always been done," a vampire captain said defensively.
"And how's that working out?" Kol gestured to the room. "When was the last time you had a week without factional violence? When did you last feel secure that tomorrow wouldn't bring a new war?"
The silence was telling.
"Exactly." Kol unveiled his first chart—the New Orleans Supernatural Cooperative Framework. "So here's what I'm proposing: A formal treaty structure with defined territories, resource allocation, and—most importantly—arbitration protocols for disputes."
He walked them through it systematically, translating corporate concepts into supernatural terms. Vampires received designated hunting territories with guaranteed blood supply access. Witches gained autonomy over their magical practices and protection from arbitrary persecution. Humans—represented by Marcel's human contacts—received protection clauses and grievance procedures.
"And when someone violates the agreement?" asked a witch elder, elderly woman with suspicious eyes.
"Arbitration." Kol pulled out another chart. "Neutral third party hears both sides, reviews evidence, makes binding decision. Vampires, witches, and Marcel's people each appoint one arbiter. Disputes go before all three."
"What's arbitration?" Diego asked, genuinely confused.
"Solving disagreements without murder," Kol said. "Revolutionary, I know."
Elijah made a sound that might have been a suppressed laugh.
The presentation continued, Kol fielding questions and explaining concepts that ranged from "territory rights" to "quarterly review processes." Some faction leaders engaged seriously, seeing potential stability. Others remained skeptical, convinced this was elaborate manipulation.
But slowly, grudgingly, they began to see the appeal of a system where conflicts didn't automatically escalate to lethal violence.
"This is madness," the witch elder said finally. "But it's structured madness. I've seen worse governing systems."
"High praise," Kol said drily.
Marcel leaned forward, apparently inspired by Kol's presentation. "This is exactly what we need. We'll leverage our stakeholder engagement to synergize our vampire integration and create sustainable frameworks for cross-faction cooperation!"
Everyone turned to stare at him.
"What?" Marcel asked defensively. "I'm participating in the new business model."
"Boss," Thierry said gently, "please stop."
"But Kol said—"
"Kol says many things," Josh interrupted, clearly fighting laughter. "Doesn't mean you should repeat all of them."
Marcel tried again. "We need to optimize our blood supply chain through vertical integration of feeding territory management?"
"You're trying too hard," Kol said.
"You started this!" Marcel gestured at the charts. "You can't introduce corporate vocabulary and then complain when I use it!"
"I can when you butcher it that spectacularly."
The room erupted in laughter—genuine, surprised laughter that cut through weeks of tension. Even the witch elder cracked a smile.
Elijah observed the exchange with something like approval, and Kol realized this was exactly what he'd hoped for: faction leaders seeing each other as people instead of enemies, common humanity emerging through shared confusion about Marcel's linguistic adventures.
"Let's move to signatures," Kol suggested once the laughter subsided. "This framework only works if everyone commits."
He produced the treaty documents—actual printed contracts he'd spent two days drafting and redrafting. Legal language mixed with magical binding clauses, creating something that would hold both in mundane courts and under supernatural law.
The witch elder signed first, surprising everyone. "Someone needs to show courage," she said. "Might as well be me."
Her signature seemed to break a dam. Other witches followed, then vampires, each adding their name to the growing list. When Diego signed, Kol caught Davina's eye and saw pride reflected there.
Marcel signed last, still muttering about hostile corporate takeovers but unable to hide his satisfaction at achieving something unprecedented—written peace agreements between supernatural factions.
"Congratulations," Elijah said once everyone had filed out. "You've brought the twenty-first century to the supernatural world."
"Wait until I introduce Robert's Rules of Order," Kol replied.
"Please don't." But Elijah's smile was genuine. "Still, this was well done. Klaus will be... surprised when he learns his wayward brother has become a diplomat."
"Klaus being surprised is my new favorite hobby."
Later, after the compound had emptied and the treaties were safely filed away, Kol found Davina waiting in the attic.
"Businessman Kol," she said immediately, grinning. "Corporate restructuring. Stakeholder engagement."
"Don't you start too."
"I'm just saying, you pulled out spreadsheets for blood bag inventory management. Spreadsheets, Kol."
"Organization is important!"
"You color-coded them."
"That's just good practice—"
She kissed him, cutting off his defense mid-sentence.
Kol froze, brain short-circuiting as Davina's lips pressed against his. Her hands found his chest, magic crackling faintly between them in that synchronization that still surprised him every time.
When she pulled back, both breathless, she was blushing furiously. "Sorry, I just—you were getting defensive about spreadsheets and it was adorable and I couldn't—"
"Do it again," Kol interrupted.
So she did.
This kiss was slower, deeper, both of them leaning into it with the kind of certainty that came from weeks of building tension finally finding release. Kol's hands found her waist, pulling her closer, and she melted against him with a soft sound that made something warm bloom in his chest.
"This is real," he thought distantly, even as his borrowed vampire instincts screamed warnings about attachment and vulnerability. "Not Kol's memories. Not Marcus's past. This is mine. She's mine. We're real."
They broke apart eventually, necessity for breathing overriding everything else.
"So," Davina said, slightly dazed. "We're doing this?"
"Apparently." Kol couldn't stop smiling, face aching with the unfamiliar expression. "Though I should warn you—dating a resurrected Original vampire with mysterious powers and family dysfunction probably isn't your safest life choice."
"Good thing I'm not interested in safe." She settled against his chest, fitting there perfectly. "Besides, someone needs to keep you from turning all of New Orleans politics into a corporate organizational chart."
"No promises."
The grimoire manifested suddenly, floating between them with pages displaying a single image: a heart emoji, perfectly rendered despite the book predating modern technology by centuries.
They both stared at it.
"How does your grimoire know about emojis?" Davina asked.
"I have no idea," Kol admitted. "But apparently it's developing opinions about our relationship."
Approval, the grimoire wrote. She's good for you. Don't ruin this.
"Your book is giving me relationship advice," Kol said. "This is my life now."
Davina laughed, bright and genuine, and the sound made everything else—the politics, the danger, the lies he maintained daily—feel almost worthwhile.
In Mystic Falls, Elijah's letter arrived via courier.
Klaus read it once, then again, then set it carefully on his desk before the urge to destroy something became overwhelming.
"Brother, you won't believe what I found in New Orleans. Kol has returned, changed beyond recognition. He's organizing faction treaties, teaching witches, dating a Harvest girl. Come see for yourself. We need to discuss the future. - E."
Kol. Alive. Changed.
Klaus's hands clenched into fists, hybrid nature surging beneath his skin. His little brother, who he'd mourned in his own complicated way, had been resurrected and hadn't bothered to inform him.
"New Orleans," Klaus murmured. "How interesting."
He'd been planning to visit the city eventually—check on Marcel, remind everyone whose territory it truly was. Now he had additional motivation.
Time to see exactly what his brother had become.
Note:
Please give good reviews and power stones itrings more people and more people means more chapters?
My Patreon is all about exploring 'What If' timelines, and you can get instant access to chapters far ahead of the public release.
Choose your journey:
Timeline Viewer ($6): Get 10 chapters of early access + 5 new chapters weekly.
Timeline Explorer ($9): Jump 15-20 chapters ahead of everyone.
Timeline Keeper ($15): Get Instant Access to chapters the moment I finish writing them. No more waiting.
Read the raw, unfiltered story as it unfolds. Your support makes this possible!
👉 Find it all at patreon.com/Whatif0