Hayden’s POV (Earlier with Alpha Edward) I didn’t know how Abby did it, but somehow, Edward seemed convinced. The way he said he’d have a rethink? That was a hit. A damn good one. He said something to Abby about fries…sounded like some inside joke or weird jargon to me, but she laughed. Not just a small chuckle. She laughed with her whole chest, like they’d known each other for years just exactly the same way I’ve met them earlier. I was still reeling from that when Edward shook my hand, hugged Abby, and left. I turned my head and looked at her. She still had the laughter lingering on her face, like it hadn’t fully faded yet. I don’t know what came over me, but I couldn’t look away. I kept staring, too long, too hard, and before I could stop myself, I started leaning in closer. Her smile slowly faded. Completely. She closed her eyes. And for a few seconds, I just stood there, frozen. What the hell was I doing? That weird throb on my chest from last night came again, muted,
Abby's POV“What were you thinking?”My eyes blinked open instantly at his deep voice. He’d straightened up, looking at me like I was some fool.My heart dropped. Not in the poetic way. No. it dropped like a stone. I felt it settle in my stomach.“What?” I asked instead, my throat suddenly dry.He went blunt again with something like mockery in his tone. “You thought I was going to kiss you?”Goddess. My face flushed hot with embarrassment.“Hell no,” I stuttered, too fast, too defensive.His piercing blue eyes stayed fixed on mine, unreadable. Then he raised a brow. “So why did you close your eyes?”Why did I…? I blinked again, completely thrown off. My teeth clicked together from clenching too hard.“Alpha, we’re ready,” Alex’s voice cut through the air like a blessing. I was indeed glad for his interruptions.“Let’s go,” Hayden said simply and turned away.I clutched the purse in my hand like I was clenching his head. You’ll agree with me this man is crazy, right?My body trembled
Abby's POVI was nervous when Alex told me I’d be speaking with Alpha Edward after the summit. Elder Leo and Seraphina had trained me well, and even Alex had given me some useful lines to fall back on. But I was still nervous. But when I actually approached Alpha Edward, everything I’d rehearsed vanished. The conversation flowed easily, naturally. What caught his attention wasn’t just my father’s old connection with him, it was the fact that I spoke his wife’s dialect fluently.He’d married a foreigner, and as it turned out, I’d been lucky enough to learn her language. I loved the language so much that, back when things were still good, Father hired a tutor to help me master it.I don’t remember how we got from talking about business to food, but somehow, we landed there. I made a joke about how people judge me for dipping fries in vanilla ice cream.Edward froze for a second, then leaned in with a wide grin. “You do that too? Everyone thinks I’m insane!”I grinned back. “They say it
Hayden's POVA moment later, I stepped into the elevator and rode it down.When I reached the lobby, I spotted her standing at the front desk, speaking to one of the staff.I stayed back, watching from behind one of the pillars. A second later, she turned and walked back to the elevator, disappearing inside.I looked up at the blinking elevator lights. Still heading up. Then I stepped forward and walked over to the desk.“Good morning,” I said calmly.The receptionist looked up, all smiles. “Good morning, Mr. Roche.”I nodded toward the elevator. “The woman who just left. My wife. What did she want?”“Oh! I didn’t realize she was your wife,” she said. “She called earlier this morning. Said the AC in her suite wasn’t working. We told her we’d send someone up, but she came down to follow up herself.”“I see,” I murmured, then raised a brow. “So, what’s being done about it?”“Our technician is on the way up to handle it now,” she replied.I gave a short nod. “Good.”Then I turned and wal
Hayden’s POV “I’ll take my wife from here,” I said, gently wrapping a hand around Abby’s waist as I guided her toward the elevator that led to the VIP floor, where we were lodged. It took every ounce of discipline not to rip that bastard’s heart out. The only reason he was still standing was because this was human territory and most guests here were human. Once we stepped off the elevator to our private floor, I let go of her waist. “I don’t want to see you around that bastard again,” I said flatly and turned, heading toward my suite. But her voice stopped me. “Why?” she snapped. “Why do you get to dictate who I talk to and who I don’t? Is that part of the damn deal too?” I didn’t turn around. “You obey what I say.” “And what if I didn’t?” I turned to face her now, studying her for a moment just to be sure I hadn’t dragged the wrong person from the lobby. The Abby I remembered was quiet. Timid. She wouldn’t have dared talk back like this. Or maybe… I never really knew her at a
Abby’s POV My mouth opened and closed for a few seconds. “Uhm. Six years,” I stammered.He only nodded and said nothing more. The rest of the ride was silent until we reached the hotel. Lucious and Alex pulled in behind us.I got out of the car and quietly headed to my room. I must’ve sighed a hundred times, but I still couldn’t pin down exactly what I was feeling. I cleaned off my makeup, took a shower, slipped into a nightgown, and lay on the bed. But sleep wouldn’t come.I sat up and wandered to the private balcony, hoping the night air would help. It didn’t. So I came back inside.That’s when my eyes caught a glossy flyer on the bedside table having an image of the rooftop lounge. It looked calm. Peaceful. Almost like an escape.I picked it up. “Maybe I should give it a try,” I muttered.I changed into something casual and headed out. A hotel staff pointed me in the right direction, and I took the elevator up.The night air kissed my skin as I stepped onto the rooftop. It was wel