Filed to story: Watch Me Win Alpha (Olivia & Ethan)
“It’s okay,” I interrupted gently. “Honestly, I don’t think it’s meant to be. Just forget it.”
Rose didn’t push back. “Alright,” she said softly. “I respect your decision.”
After we hung up, I put the phone down and just sat in the quiet of my room. My head hurt from all the running around and pretending. My back still throbbed from the strain of the past few days.
Finally, I crawled into bed, pulling the blanket up to my chin. I didn’t want to think about jobs or Ethan or Alexander or anything else.
I just wanted to sleep.
As I was half asleep, I heard the door open. I rolled over, half-opening my eyes, and caught the familiar scent of cedar and spice. Ethan was here. He sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at me.
He spoke softly. “Have you been home all day?”
I didn’t answer. Why was he pretending to care now? He’d been gone for days, busy with Chole or his so-called work. Why did it matter to him where I’d been?
Ethan cleared his throat. “I thought I saw you at the golf course earlier. A woman there… her back looked like yours.”
My eyes snapped open in surprise. I hadn’t known Ethan was at the golf course. What was he doing there? For a mo- ment, I wanted to admit I’d been there, just to see his reaction. But I didn’t want to drag Rose into this mess.
So I said nothing. Just stared at him, expressionless.
Ethan leaned closer, pulling back the blanket a little to look at my neck. His eyes searched for something-maybe a mark, maybe a clue. When he found nothing, he relaxed slightly. “So… did you go out today?”
I pulled the blanket up to my chin. “No,” I said flatly. “I cleaned up the yard this afternoon. Now I’m tired, and I want to go to sleep. Please leave.”
Being near him made my skin crawl. I wanted him out of my life. Out of my head. Out of my heart.
He was convinced with my response and left soon after that. And even if he wasn’t, I was done trying to convince him of anything. I’d given up on that long ago.
I squeezed my eyes shut and willed myself to sleep. Let Ethan play his games with Chole. I didn’t care anymore.
Alexander’s POV
I sat at the table, cutting into my steak while Mike poured the wine into my glass. Mike’s always been more than a housekeeper-he’s my beta and takes care of work with my Gamma, Gai.
I looked at him. “Any news?”
Mike adjusted his tic. “Gai just sent over a new list of candidates for the chief secretary position,” he said. “I looked through it. Ms. Whitmore was on it: The one your car rear-ended.”
I nodded, not surprised. I picked up my glass and took a slow sip. “Show me the list.”
Mike brought over his tablet and placed it in front of me. I flicked through the list. None of the other names meant anything to me.
I’ve been through dozens of these lists already. None of the candidates were what I needed. I need someone who’s not just competent on paper. I need someone who is good looking, can manage people, and knows how to handle things without me having to say it twice. Someone who won’t crumble under pressure.
I paused at Olivia’s name.
Mike spoke again, his voice calm. “Ms. Whitmore is young, but she’s got a solid track record. In four years, she went from an entry-level spot to Director of Programs. The Hawthrone Group’s growth in recent years has a lot to do with her work.”
I didn’t say anything, just kept reading.
Mike went on, “A lot of companies have tried to poach her, but she stayed with the Hawthrone Group. Because of Ethan.”
I set the tablet down, my mind turning over the pieces. Ethan. The rumors about him and the Windsor pack’s fourth child. That might explain why Olivia resigned.
Mike added quietly, “She’s tough, Alpha Alexander. Not just smart-she knows how to survive in a tough environ- ment.”
I thought back to that day at the golf course. She’d been embarrassed. Frustrated. And yet she’d still tried to keep her dignity. I’d seen the fire in her eyes, even when she was trying to hide it.
I wondered if I’d been too hard on her.
Olivia’s POV
I got a text from Mike in the evening. I’d almost forgotten I’d even asked him about Alexander’s suit size weeks ago, and he never responded. But this time, he sent a couple of numbers: height, chest, waist, sleeve length.
The text was short. “Mr. Green asked me to pass this along so you could purchase a new suit to replace the one you damaged.”
I stared at the message for a long moment. For a second, I wondered if Alexander had changed his mind-maybe he wanted to give me a chance at the job. But then I shook my head. That was a stupid hope.
No. Alexander probably just wanted to close the loop, get the damn suit replaced, and never see me again.
I didn’t want to look desperate or weak. So I texted back politely, “Got it. I’ll buy the suit and send it to Mr. Green as soon as possible.”
The next morning, I left the house early. I felt like I was on a mission-like I had to get this done quickly and proper- ly, so I wouldn’t have to think about it anymore. As soon as I stepped out, I noticed a black car idling across the street. I didn’t recognize the driver, but I knew it wasn’t a coincidence.
I ignored it and went to the mall. I spent hours going from one shop to another, searching for a smoky gray suit that was even close to the one I’d ruined. My legs started to ache, and my stomach growled. But nothing I found was quite right. The material felt cheap. The cut was wrong. Alexander’s suit had been subtle but so well-made, it made me feel like I’d never find anything close.
I finally sat down on a bench in the middle of the mall, feeling like an idiot. What was I doing? Did it even matter if the suit matched exactly? Alexander probably wouldn’t care-he’d probably toss it out the minute it arrived. He didn’t want to see me again.
I pushed myself to my feet and went back to a store I’d passed earlier. They had a decent smoky gray suit-good fab- ric, clean lines. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best I’d found. I gave the clerk the measurements. She looked at them and raised her eyebrows.
“Your husband must have the build of a model,” she said with a little smile.
I felt my chest tighten. “He’s not my husband,” I said quietly. Alexander would be so pissed if he heard this.
The clerk didn’t say anything else. She just rang it up and handed me the garment bag.
I left the store with the suit in my hand. I was going to drop it off right away, but I didn’t have an address for Mr. Green. I texted Mike asking for it, but he didn’t reply. I waited for a while, checking my phone every minute. Still nothing.
Finally, I gave up and went home.
I dropped the suit bag on the couch and went upstairs and took a shower.
Afterward, I started packing up my things-boxes for the kitchen, the bedroom, the study. I’d lived here for years. I’d decorated it myself, even picked out the nursery furniture when I thought Ethan and I would start a family.
Now it all felt like a lie.
In my study, I found an old USB drive tucked in a drawer. I plugged it into my laptop and saw pictures I hadn’t looked at in years. Ethan and me, in college. We were so young-smiling, our arms around each other, like we’d nev- er imagined things could fall apart.’
I felt something twist in my chest.
“Goodbye,” I whispered. “Goodbye to the girl who thought she’d grow old with you.”
I closed the laptop, shut the box, and leaned back in my chair, feeling nostalgic and pissed at the same time.
Ethan’s POV
I’ve just come back from a meeting, but my mind keeps going back to what I saw at the golf course yesterday. I couldn’t stand it once I thought she left me.
I can’t accept it. She’s my wife, my Luna. She can only have me in her eyes, in her heart. Even if she’s angry, she’s still mine.
I sent someone to follow her. I wanted to know exactly what she was doing every day since she left the office. It’s not about control-it’s about making sure she doesn’t make a fool of herself. Of us.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?