Olivia’s POV


    Alexander was standing under the shade of a big tree, talking on the phone. His face was calm, but his eyes flickered when he noticed me standing a few feet away.


    I pressed my fingers to my forehead, feeling like aplete fool. What was I even doing here?


    When he ended the call, I forced a smile and took a slow step forward. “Mr. Green,” I said, my voice small, “you’re right. I underperformed in some situations, and I probably wasn’t ready for this. I apologize for bothering you.”


    Alexander raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. “Are you following me just to prove you don’t fit in?” he asked, his tone calm but his words cutting.


    His words got me. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My face felt hot. I ended up giving him a weak, awk- ward smile and dropped the act. “Honestly? I dide over to try and convince you,” I said. “But I know I’ve made a bad impression. Today was… not my best. Since you’ve already decided not to hire me, I’ll leave early so I don’t em- barrass myself again.”


    Alexander studied me for a long moment, his eyes cool. “Do you really think I rejected you just because of what hap- pened today?” he asked.


    I blinked. “What else could it be?”


    He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he tilted his head slightly and said, “Look at what you’re wearing, Olivia. If I agreed to hire you now, everyone would think I’m shallow.”


    He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a low, almost amused tone. “And even if I am shallow,” he murmured, “I don’t want the whole world to know it.”


    I felt my face go red. My ears were burning. I didn’t even bother defending myself. “Thank you for telling me,” I said quickly. “I’ll leave now. Goodbye.”


    Before he could say another word, I turned on my heel and all but ran out of those trees.


    When I got home, I stripped off the golf outfit and tossed it into theundry basket. My reflection in the mirror looked tired and hollow. Am I really nothing without the Hawthrone Group? Without Ethan? The question sat heavy in my chest.


    I let out a shaky breath, then sat down at my dresser. For a minute, I just sat there, staring at my reflection, then I picked up my phone, ready to text Rose an apology.


    That’s when I saw the missed calls. A bunch from Ethan. A few from Rose. I ignored Ethan’s calls and tapped on Rose’s number instead,


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    When she picked up, I said softly, “I’m sorry, Rose. I wasn’t feeling well. My blood sugar crashed or something, and I had to leave without saying goodbye.”


    There was a pause on her end. “Liv, I’m the one who should be sorry. I dragged you into that. You didn’t have to go through all this for me.”


    I shook my head even though she couldn’t see me. “It’s okay, Rose. You’ve done so much for me.”


    Rose let out a soft sigh. “I exined everything to Alexander,” she said. “About the outfit, the job. But he didn’t say anything in response.”


    She continued after a small pause, “I asked Paul for Alexander’s phone number. If you want to try again, I…”


    “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 nket 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 nket a little to look at my neck. His eyes searched for something—maybe a mark, maybe a clue. When he found nothing, he rxed slightly. “So… did you go out today?”


    I pulled the nket up to my chin. “No,” I said tly. “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.


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    I squeezed my eyes shut and willed myself to sleep. Let Ethan y 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 ss. 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 ss and took a slow sip. “Show me the list.”


    Mike brought over his tablet and ced 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 justpetent 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 ofpanies 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 exin 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.