Chapter7
The moment the assistant strides in with his entourage, the air in the ballroom crackles with a mix of awe and envy.
Each of them carries gifts fit for a Luna – a necklace adorned with rare pink diamonds that seem to pulse with their own inner light, ancient oil paintings that carry the faint, lingering scents of the long – dead artists, and a scroll containing the deed to a private island.
Gasps ripple through the crowd.
“These are from Alpha Finn?”
Another wolf snarls under their breath, “I heard he’s been buying every single thing Stephnie laid eyes on!”
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I can feel their pitying gazes like hot coals on my skin.
I set down my glass champagne.
Without a word, I turn and make my way to the terrace.
I take a deep breath, filling my lungs with the scent of the enchanted gardens below.
But before I can savor the peace, a voice like honey–coated venom drips from behind me.
“Sister, what are you doing out here all alone?”
I turn to find Stephnie.
“Did you know, Father told me you’re engaged to that… defective alpha,” she purrs,
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I can feel their pitying gazes like hot coals on my skin.
I set down my glass champagne.
Without a word, I turn and make my way to the terrace.
I take a deep breath, filling my lungs with the scent of the enchanted gardens below.
But before I can savor the peace, a voice like honey–coated venom drips from behind me.
“Sister, what are you doing out here all alone?”
I turn to find Stephnie.
“Did you know, Father told me you’re engaged to that… defective alpha,” she purrs,
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her lips curling into a cruel smile.
“How pitiful. Your mother couldn’t beat mine, and now look at you – you’re just as much of a failure.”
“Say that again”
“I said,” she steps closer,
“your mother deserved to die from that depression. She was-” SMACK!
The sound of the slap echoes through the night, but it’s not my hand that struck her.
To my shock, Stephnie slaps herself across the face, her eyes immediately welling up with crocodile tears.
She stumbles backward, falling right into Frank’s waiting arms.
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“Don’t blame sister,” she sobs.
“I provoked her…”
In an instant, Father and the other guests rush out.
“Stella!” Father booms.
“Have you no shame?”
“How cruel, on her birthday of all days.”
“No wonder, with no mother to teach her
manners…”
I stride forward.
The force of it makes her head whip to the side, and I smash my champagne glass on the ground, the shards reflecting the
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shocked faces around me.
“That, I snarl, “is from me.”
As I turn to leave, I catch a glimpse of Frank.
I storm down the garden path. But before I can reach my car, a vice – like grip seizes my wrist.
I look up to see Frank. “Stella,” he growls.
I sneer, yanking my arm back. “Are you going to give me lashes for one slap, just like you did last time?”
“You have everything. Why do you insist on tormenting Stephnie?” I laugh, the sound bitter and broken.
“What do I have? Her mother killed mine, leaving me motherless. She stole my room,
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my toys,, my father’s love and my Lov… shehe took everything from me!”
For the first time, I see a flicker of somethingng other than coldness in his eyes. But it’s gone e in an instant.
Just as I’m about to get into my car, he calls out,
“I’d like to request a few days off.”
“Do as you please,” I snap,, slamming the car door shut.
But as the car pulls away, a sudden urge takes hold of me.
“Turn around, I command the driver
We follow Frank at a distance, and soom,, we stop in front of a high–end tattoo parlor.
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Through the window, I watch in horror as Frank unbuttons his shirt, revealing his chiseled chest.
The tattoo artist asks him a question, and he points to the left side of his chest, right over his heart.
I can read his lips clearly – he says two words: Stephnie.
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