Chapter 44: Bitter Waters
Chapter 44: Bitter Waters
(Olivia’s POV)
I stumbled forward, my nose colliding with a hard chest. Pain shot through my face, tears instantly welling in my emerald eyes
Looking up through my blurry vision, I saw Ethan Stone’s amber eyes watching me with that unreadable expression he’d mastered over years of being Alpha.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my words slurring from the wine Victoria had kept pushing on me. “1 thought you left with Victoria.”
Ethan’s jaw lightened visibly. “I sent her home.”
Confusion swept through me like wildfire. Why would he escort Victoria out only to come find me? Nothing
about this made sense.
“Well, good for you,” I mumbled, taking an unsteady step backward. “Now you can leave me alone too.”
The memory of Victoria’s triumphant smirk burned in my mind. Her fingers clinging to Ethan’s arm. His hand on her waist. The casual way he’d agreed to take her home.
“I’m leaving,” I announced, turning away and taking a wobbly step toward the garden exit.
Before I could get three steps, Ethan’s strong hand wrapped around my wrist, yanking me back. The sudden movement made my head spin violently, nausea rising in my throat.
“Let go!” I demanded, pushing against his broad chest with my free hand
“You’re in no condition to go anywhere alone,” he replied, his grip unyielding as iron.
I looked around frantically, suddenly aware we were standing in plain view. Anyone could walk by and see us
together.
“Aren’t you worried someone might see us?” I asked, bitterness dripping from every word. “You’ve never been keen on being seen with me in public before.”
His expression darkened instantly. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, please,” I scoffed, my voice rising with each word. “You parade Victoria around like a trophy, but with me, you’ve always kept your distance in public. Don’t pretend otherwise!”
Ethan’s amber eyes flashed dangerously. Was it anger? Guilt? I couldn’t tell before the emotion disappeared.
behind his mask again.
“How much have you had to drink?” he asked, deliberately changing the subject.
I laughed, a hollow sound even to my own ears. “Didn’t you see? Victoria kept insisting on toast after toast.
She made sure my glass was never empty.”
“I wasn’t there for most of the dinner,” he replied coldly.
“Right,” I snapped, feeling my temper flare. “You only showed up for the grand finale to escort your precious Victoria home like a knight in shining armor!”
O <
- Chapter 14 Hitter Waters
I tried wrenching my arm away again, suddenly disgusted by his touch. After watching him with Victoria, his fingers on my skin felt like betrayal.
This time he released me, either sensing my revulsion or anticipating what came next a violent wave of nausea that had me doubling over.
I stumbled to a nearby stone bench, collapsing onto it while trying desperately to keep the contents of my stomach where they belonged. The cool night air helped slightly, but my head still spun like a carousel.
I fumbled for my phone, determined to call James. He would come for me, no questions asked.
As I struggled with the screen, I noticed Ethan pull out his own device. He tapped at it for a few moments before sliding it back into his pocket
Seconds later, my phone buzzed with a notification. Opening it, I found a bank alert that made my eyes widen
in shock.
The string of zeros seemed to stretch forever. It was a transfer from Ethan Stone a sum so substantial it made my head spin worse than the wine.
“What is this?” I asked, looking up at him in confusion.
“Double the prize money for first place in the Pack Healer’s Crystal Competition,” he replied matter–of–factly. as if discussing the weather.
Understanding hit me like a slap. He was paying me off. Buying my silence about Victoria’s behavior and her purchased victory.
A bitter laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. “So that’s why you’re here. Not to check if I’m okay, but
to make sure I keep quiet.”
His expression remained impressively impassive. Take it however you want.”
I stared at the number on my screen again, the irony cutting deep into my heart. This single transfer was more than he had provided for Lily and me during our entire five years together.
“Do you know what this tells me, Ethan?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, it tells me exactly how fa you’ll go for Victoria. You never spared a fraction of this for your own daughter’s medical bills, but for Victoria’s reputation? No expense spared.”
A muscle in his jaw twitched violently, but he remained silent as stone.
Despite my disgust, I didn’t reject the transfer. I needed that money for Lily’s burial site at Sacred Moonlight Cemetery. My pride wasn’t worth denying my daughter her final rest.
“I’ll take you home.” Ethan said after a moment, his tone making it clear this wasn’t a request but an Alpha
command.
“No,” I refused, standing up shakily. “Im not getting in a car with you.”
The thought of being trapped in an enclosed space with him after everything made my skin crawl. I’d rather
crawl home on my hands and knees.
I took a determined step forward, still dizzy from Victoria’s wine attack. My foot caught on an u
stone, and I began to fall.
paving
Ethan moved with inhuman speed, his hand catching my elbow before I could hit the ground. His touch was
gentle but firm, instinctively protective despite everything between ut
Irecoiled violently, pushing him away with all my strength. “Don’t touch me
The sudden movement threw me completely off balance. I stumbled backward, falling widy as tred
to find something to grabi
I
Instead of solid ground, my feet suddenly met nothing but air fell backward with a started ory plunging directly into the Moonlit Reflection Pool adjacent to Amber Crest Restaurant
The shock of icy water hit me like a physical blow I gasped involuntarly, the cold penetrating my dothes instantly. The freezing temperature seemed to cut straight to my bones as I struggled to pull myself so
Strong hands gripped my arms before I could manage it, hauling me from the water with effortless trenge Ethan’s face showed a mix of concern and frustration as he quickly pulled my soaked coat away from my
body.
I shivered uncontrollably, my teeth chattering loudly as the night air hit my wet clothes. Without hesitatio
Ethan removed his Black Alpha Overcoat and wrapped it around my shoulders
me–pine,
His scent immediately surrounded me – pine, amber and something uniquely Ethan. I tried to struggle
against it, to push the coat away despite my freezing state.
He stopped me with a single stern look, his eyes flashing with unmistakable Alpha command
*Still causing trouble?” he asked, his voice cutting through my protests like a knife.
The authority in his voice temporarily silenced me as I stood there, pathetically dripping and shivering. wrapped in his coat like a child.
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