Chapter 195
Amy’s voice was small now. “I believe so.”
I set the glass down with a soft clink. “Pour the full glass.”
She did.
“Now decant the rest,” I said. “I’ve lost my appetite for food. But I be staying to enjoy the bottle.”
Amy said nothing. She bowed slightly and stepped away to fetch the decanter.
The wine sat on my tongue like a memory I hadn’t known I still carried.
Cassandra. Always scheming. Always twisting the truth just enough to stay one step ahead. She thought I’d never question it- never ask. She thought I’d cling to hope.
She thought wrong.
The manager arrived about twenty minutes later. A discreet, well–dressed man with perfect posture and an apologetic smile.
“Mr. King,” he said. “On behalf of the restaurant, thank you for joining us. I hope the service has been satisfactory?”
“It has.”
He gestured discreetly toward the front windows. “If you’d like to avoid the photographers, we’re happy to escort you through the rear entrance when you’re finished.”
I looked through the glass.
They were still out there. Still waiting.
Still watching.
“No need,” I said smoothly. “I don’t mind being seen.
CASSANDRA
I dipped my fingers into the soak basin and let the warm water swirl around my knuckles.
I needed this. My shoulders ached, my head pounded, and the smell of acetone and lavender oil felt like the first thing to cut through the fog in days.
The nail technician smiled at me. “Do you want rounded tips again, or-?”
“Keep them square,” I murmured, flipping the page of the tabloid’d brought with me.
My eyes flicked past an article about Alpha heirs in the northern territories–some scandal with a Luna eloping with a human, typical trash. I was halfway through the next paragraph when something caught my eye.
A short blurb. Barely three lines. Practically invisible.
Elena Hart and Alpha Logan have quietly ended their engagement, sources confirm. No official statement has been made, though pack insiders say the split was amicable.
I stared at the words for a long time.
Quietly ended.
No statement.
Amicable.
Something cold slithered down my spine.
1/3
Chapter 195
Elena and Logan were over.
That wasn’t good.
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I didn’t know why it wasn’t good yet–but I knew the timing was bad. My story had depended on the engagement still holding. Derek keeping his distance. Elena remaining on edge.
If the engagement was off…
I flipped the page, my fingers suddenly clammy.
And there it was.
A full–color photograph.
Derek King.
Stepping out of La Scala.
Looking sharp. Alone. Clean lines of a tailored suit. No tie. Hair swept back, chin tilted just slightly. He wasn’t smiling–but he didn’t need to. His expression alone said everything: power, control, intention.
Below the photo, a single caption:
Alpha King dines solo at La Scala.
I stopped breathing.
La Scala.
Where Amy worked.
No.
No, no, no.
He knew.
He had to know.
My heart pounded in my chest, too loud, too fast. My fingers dug into the magazine, nearly tearing the page. He wouldn’t have gone there unless he was checking something. Unless he had reason. Unless someone tipped him off.
Which meant my lie–my only card—was unraveling.
I flipped back to the article about Elena and Logan, reading it again with fresh eyes.
The engagement was over.
Elena was free.
Which meant she would be the first person he turned to.
Which meant I was screwed.
Unless…
Unless I didn’t do this alone.
I stared at the two pages–Elena’s quiet split, Derek’s public appearance—and for the first time in days, I began to think.
Not panic.
Think.
2/3
Chapter 195
If I couldn’t win this on my own… maybe it was time to team up with someone who had just as much to lose as I did…
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