Lauren’s POV.
I didn’t want to hear another word from him. Not from Alexander. Not now, His voice, his lies–everything about him suffocated me.
Without thinking, I shoved past him, my heart pounding like a trapped bird. The past had already taken too much. from me, and I wasn’t about to let him drag me back into that darkness. Not again.
1 stormmed out, my breaths shallow as I pushed through the crowd. The world blurred around me–faces, lights, voices–a chaotic swirl I couldn’t escape. But then I heard them. Those heavy, deliberate steps behind me.
Alexander wasn’t done.
His hand brushed my arm, his voice cold and commanding Lauren-”
1 stumbled forward, colliding into something solid. Liam. He steadied me, his grip firm.
“Let’s go,” he said sharply, his voice a lifeline in the chaos.
I glanced back at Alexander. His gaze burned, stormy and unrelenting, locking on mine like a predator tracking prey. My stomach twisted.
Liam’s voice cut through the tension. “My fiancée isn’t feeling well,” he said coolly, his tone like steel. “We’re leaving. Apologies.”
For a moment, Alexander faltered, his anger rising like a brewing storm. But Liam didn’t falter his heavy gaze. With his hand on my arm, we turned and walked away.
The car ride home was suffocating, Silence wrapped around me like a vice as my thoughts spiraled anger, fear, grief tangling in my chest. Alexander’s face wouldn’t leave my mind, his words replaying in a cruel loop.
Then my phone buzzed. Miles. One of Alexander’s Beta’s.
Reluctantly, I answered. “Hello?”
“Alpha is offering a price for your hospital shares beyond anything you could imagine,” Miles said, careful and measured.
“No,” I replied instantly, my voice sharp. The hospital was my life, my purpose. I wouldn’t let him take that from
ΠΕ.
Miles hesitated. “Maybe you should talk to Alexander directly. There could be a way to make this work.”
“Work?” I bit out, my voice bitter. Alexander doesn’t care about me. He never has.
Miles’s tone softened, sensing my heat. “He’s always cared Lauren.”
I laughed, sharp and cold. “I’m not Lauren. You are mistaken. Tell him I’ll meet with him–to end this.”
I hung up, my breath uneven as Liam cast me a wary glance But he didn’t say anything.
The hospital was all that mattered. Losing it wasn’t an option. It wasn’t just my life’s work–it was my anchor. I couldn’t let Alexander take that from me.
No matter how much it hurt to face him, I knew what I had to do.
I had to confront Alexander.
5428 BONUS
Thadn’t slept.
Alexander’s company building loomed like a supervillain’s air dark, towering, and unforgiving. Its tinted windows reflected the gray sky, the intricate carvings exuding power and menace. But as I stepped through the revolving doors, they felt more like the gates to hell.
Inside, the air was electric, crackling with tension. Heads turned. Conversations stopped. The employees froze mid -motion, their wide–eyed stares cutting through the silence like a knife.
“Luna Lauren?” The receptionist’s voice trembled with disbelief, her expression caught between awe and shock.
1 stiffened but kept my voice steady. “Excuse me.” My tone was clipped, calm–a shield against the storm brewing inside me. “I’m Ava, Owen’s doctor. I need to speak with Alpha Alexander about the hospital.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly, scanning me as if searching for cracks. After a pause, she nodded and motioned for me to follow.
I didn’t care about the whispers or the weight of their stares. Let them wonder. I had only one goal.
almost
When I finally reached his office, the heavy wooden door swung open to reveal Alexander, waiting. His dark, chiseled frame was framed by the sunlight streaming in from the wall of windows behind him, casting ethereal glow around his broad shoulders..
He didn’t look up at first, his pen gliding over paper with a precision that matched the sharp angles of his face. But then, as if sensing my presence, he paused mid–stroke.
Slowly, his cold, piercing gaze lifted to meet mine. His dark eyes, nearly black in the dim light, locked onto me with an intensity that made my breath hitch. For a fleeting second, something unspoken flickered in their depths -something softer, something I didn’t dare name.
I didn’t let it shake me. The door closed behind me, leaving us alone in a room that felt swallowing, the dust particles speckling the light like stars in the air.
Chin high, I strode into the room, the clack of my heels the only sound against the polished floor. My grip tightened on the papers in my hand, the tension in my chest coiling tighter with every step.
“Alexander.”
“Lauren.” He tipped his head, “So, you’re willing to talk now? Did you get Liam’s permission t come here or?”
Chapter 00:5
