Filed to story: Watch Me Win Alpha (Olivia & Ethan)
“I didn’t know that the Hawthrone family had so many secrets,” Ava said with wide eyes.
“Me neither,” I said. “I mean, I knew that they weren’t squeaky clean by any means, but I had no idea that Ethan’s dad had a mistress overseas and an illegitimate child. I wonder if Ethan knows about any of this?”
Ava snorted and crossed her arms. “Honestly, Chloe doesn’t even have to do anything to destroy the Hawthrone family. Soon, they will burn themselves down from the inside with all of their lies and drama.”
“You’re probably right about that,” I agreed and picked up my empty beer bottle. I started to rip off the sticker on the front as I thought about Chloe’s fake pregnancy. “I wonder if Ethan knows that Chloe is faking her pregnancy?”
Ava’s eyes squinted as she mulled this over. Then, she slowly shook her head. “No. I don’t think that’s the case. Ethan pissed off a lot of people when he messed with the Windsor family and didn’t marry Chloe.”
“Yes, but I think that was more of a business strategy,” I pointed out. “Ethan knew that the Windsor family had much more to lose than him.”
Even as I said those words, I knew that things were different now. Chloe’s unstable moods were just growing more out of control. She was like a tornado, and she would destroy anything that dared get into her path. Soon, she would expose that Ethan’s dad had a ‘bastard’ child who could threaten the Hawthrone way of life. That information would set off a chain reaction to ruin the whole family. I wondered if Ethan was going to marry Chloe just to appease her and ensure she didn’t expose his family’s dirty laundry.
When I brought this up to Ava, I also pointed out that she might be right. “Ethan may just simply believe that Chloe is pregnant,” I allowed. “He’s always wanted to have a big family.”
My heart panged just a little bit with my words, but I ignored the emotion until it went away.
“I can’t believe how deceitful the Hawthrone family is,” Ava said, and her nose crinkled in disgust. “You dodged a bullet by getting out of that marriage.”
I stood up and grabbed two more beers from the fridge. But I didn’t sit back down when I got back to the living room. As I sipped on my beer,
I paced the carpet, as I created a new plan on how to find evidence of all of Chloe’s wrongdoings.
Who would help me? I needed a person who was well-connected and who also wanted Chloe to ultimately be put behind bars like I did.
Then, it came to me.
Amelia Hawthrone.
*Author*
The next morning, Amelia Hawthrone was in her mansion alone. This was highly unusual since there was usually her cook, assistant, or a number of maids to oversee, but Ameila had sent them away as soon as she opened the package that had been sitting by her front door when she woke up this morning.
The package had been light. At first, Ameila had thought that it was a prank and that there was nothing within the package. But when she opened it, she gasped at what she discovered.
Now, she had all of the paper spread across her white marble kitchen island. As Amelia gripped her hot coffee mug, she stared at a picture of a boy who looked to be around seventeen years old. Another document was a police report of when the boy, Russell Lewis, had gone missing.
When Amelia had read the name of the last person Russell had been seen with, she dropped her coffee mug in shock. The cup shattered onto the floor, making a mess of porcelain and hot liquid all over her shiny kitchen floor.
Ignoring the mess, Amelia leaned down and stared at the name, Chloe Windsor.
Amelia’s face went white as she considered the thought that Chloe- the girl that her son was engaged to-might have killed one of her classmates when she was in high school. The older woman put a shaking hand to her mouth. Her heart was slamming against her chest as she considered the fact that her son might be engaged to not only a liar but a murderer.
That thought made the room spin around her, and she grabbed onto the cool kitchen counter so that she couldn’t fall over in shock. Then, Chloe’s words from last night ran through her mind. ‘You should be careful with who you threaten. You might have a little…accident.’
Was that Chloe threatening to kill her like she had killed that boy?
It was all too much for Ameila. Her whole body shook as she fell to her knees. She cried out in pain when a shard from her smashed coffee cup sliced her leg. Her stomach turned as she watched her blood tickle onto the floor.
Her housekeeper ran into the kitchen. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Windsor. I know that you said to leave, but I was gathering my things when I just heard you cry out in pain.”
“I’m fine, Mary,” Amelia snapped at the other woman and rose to her feet, although her legs were trembling. “Leave me alone!”
Mary’s cheeks went pink, and she rushed out of the room.
Once Amelia was sure she was alone, she studied the papers, theorizing that they had been sent to her from an old friend of Russell Lewis who was seeking revenge against Chloe.
With that thought, a vindictive smile crossed Amelia’s face. These papers would help her get rid of Chloe. And she must act fast, or the Hawthrone reputation will be in jeopardy. Chloe was unstable and dangerous.
Knowing that she needed help. Amelia had Mary come back. First, she ordered the maid to clean up the mess on the ground. Then, she tasked her with finding the address and phone number on the package.
Amelia was going to get in contact with the sender. She was going to take down Chloe Windsor once and for all before she could sink her sharp claws any further into her son and ruin the Hawthrone name that Amelia had spent her entire married life protecting.
*Olivia*
As I waited for the elevator in front of my apartment, I studied my reflection on the steel surface.
There were bags under my eyes, and my white silk top was untucked from my black skirt. I had barely gotten any sleep last night since Ava and I were up until three in the morning gathering the paperwork to send to Amelia. Hopefully, she will contact me soon.
When the elevator dinged and the door smoothly slid open, my pulse quickened when I saw Alexander standing there, looking handsome in a black suit and tie. His eyes darkened as they studied my body. I flushed as I remembered Alexander’s hard body against mine in this elevator. Goosebumps raised across my skin when I recalled his warm breath as he whispered in my ear.
“Good morning,” I muttered.
I hurried into the elevator, clutching my phone in my sweaty palm. waiting for Amelia to message or call me. It took me longer than it should have to notice that Gai was in the clevator, too, since I was so caught up in Alexander’s appearance.
“I came here to ride with Alexander to work since we have a big meeting today.” Gai explained. Her eyes lowered to my phone, which I was gripping to my chest. “New phone?”
“Yeah, um, I just got it. My screen broke on my old one.”
Gai nodded and adjusted her grip on her purse. “Do you want to ride to the office with us?” she asked.
A lump developed in my throat as I thought about yesterday morning and the drama that followed because Korbin had seen Alexander and I arrive at work in the same car. Besides, I didn’t want to be around other people when Amelia contacted me.
“No, thank you,” I said smoothly. Thankfully, I was getting better at lying. “I’m going to grab a bite to eat on my walk over.
Gai nodded, seemingly buying my excuse, but Alexander narrowed his eyes and studied my face.
I shifted my feet, not wanting to be caught in a lie. I could feel the heat radiating off of his body, and his good looks were making my heart rate spike.
Thankfully, the elevator doors opened, and I rushed out of the building ahead of them, not caring if I seemed odd at that moment.
Gratefully, I inhaled the fresh air-well, as fresh as the air in New York could be, I started to trek down the busy sidewalk. My stomach was grumbling, so I stopped for a breakfast sandwich and a large hot coffee with two extra shots of espresso. I needed the extra caffeine.
Right before I arrived at work, my cell phone rang. My stomach flipped as I stared at the unknown number on my display screen. This must be Amelia!
“Hello,” I answered cautiously, trying to disguise my voice in case Ethan’s mom recognized it.
“I received a package from you this morning,” Amelia said, her voice clipped. “I want to know why you sent it.”
“I want justice for my old classmate, Russell Lewis,” I explained, sticking with the cover story that Ava and I had come up with last night.
I heard Amelia quietly sigh in relief. “That’s what I was hoping you were going to say. I want to help. As you probably know, I have a lot of resources and money at my disposal. What do you need me to do?”
I gripped my phone even tighter as my heart raced with excitement. “I need help with locating the boy’s body. We need a way to prove that Chloe had killed him and we can’t do that without a body. No body, no crime, as the old saying goes. You should have all the information you need to complete this task in the paperwork I’ve entrusted you with.”
“I can do that,” Amelia promised. “I’ll contact you as soon as I have any information to share.”
Without a goodbye, Ethan’s mother hung up.
I looked down at my phone in surprise. During our whole conversation, she hadn’t even asked me for my name. When I thought about it further, that made sense. Amelia only wanted to be rid of Chloe. If Amelia Hawthorne had her mind set on something, she was laser focused and didn’t rest until she achieved it.
That was why she was the perfect person to find where Chloe and her corrupt family had hidden Russell Lewis’s body.
