Chapter 8

Loretta's POV

It was Zane.

Back when he demoted me, the only reason I still forced myself to come to work despite everyone laughing at me was just to catch a glimpse of him around the office.

But over the past few months, I’d barely seen him. Even when our paths crossed by chance, all I ever got from him was indifference.

I never expected to run into him today.

He had just stepped out of his car. His perfectly tailored dark suit accentuated his broad shoulders and trim waist, making him impossible to miss.

His sharply defined, handsome face always radiated a fierce, commanding aura.

And yet, such a cold, ruthless Alpha gave all of his tenderness and devotion to another she-wolf.

A bitter ache suddenly stabbed through my chest.

I quickly lowered my eyes and obediently stepped aside to clear his path. "Alpha Zane," I greeted.

As usual, Zane treated me like I wasn't even there.

Taking long strides, he swept right past me without bothering to throw a single glance my way.

It wasn't until his tall figure disappeared completely into the executive elevator that I finally let out the breath I'd been holding.

Gripping the lunchbox tightly in my hand, I headed toward the crowded employee elevator on the other side.

Josephine was as rude to me as usual when she assigned someone to handle the handover with me.

But I couldn't care less about her attitude. All I wanted was to finish the handover and get the hell out of there.

When my morning shift ended, I glanced out the window.

The weather looked nice, so I decided to take my lunch downstairs and get some fresh air while I was at it.

As I reached the lobby, I ran into two men walking in. One of them was Luca. The man beside him was tall and debonair, with an impressive presence. It looked like he was another friend of Zane's, though I hadn't seen him before.

I had no intention of greeting them, so I lowered my head and tried to walk past them toward the entrance.

But Luca spotted me the moment he entered.

Maybe my heavy, pregnant frame was just too hard to miss.

He strode over and blocked my path.

I froze and looked up at him, only to see pure disgust plastered across his face. "What, are you blind or something? Why didn't you greet me?"

Back when I was just Zane's assistant, Luca had always been polite to me. But now, in his eyes, I was nothing more than an ugly, overweight, delusional Omega who didn't know her place.

I lowered my head and murmured softly, "Mr. Wilson."

Luca scoffed. "What's with the attitude? You really think you're a big cheese now just because you're mated with Zane?"

My fingers tightened around the lunchbox, embarrassment washing over me.

I turned sideways and tried to walk around him, but he stuck out his long leg.

Caught off guard, I tripped and crashed to my knees on the hard floor with a heavy thud. My face instantly went pale. My teeth chattered from the pain, and the lunchbox flew out of my hand, spilling the food all over the floor.

Luca's friend strode over, reaching out to help me up, but Luca stopped him. "Ezra, don't bother. She deserves it."

The man named Ezra still helped me to my feet. "Are you okay?" he asked.

I was in too much pain to speak. Without looking up at him, I just shook my head and limped over to the spilled lunchbox.

Ezra frowned. "Can't you see she's pregnant? This is Zane's company. What if something happens to her and the baby?"

Watching my back, Luca sneered. "She's perfectly fine now, isn't she? Besides, maybe losing the baby would be for the best."

I stiffened at those words. My heart clenched painfully in my chest.

If Luca could say something like that so casually, then the only explanation was that Zane didn't want this baby either.

I noticed Ezra frowned even deeper.

Right then, a bright, cheerful voice rang out. "Ezra."

I looked up and saw Pandora running toward Ezra.

She was wearing a beret, a high-quality wool sweater paired with a pleated skirt, and sleek white boots on her slim legs, looking young, radiant, and effortlessly beautiful.

Zane was right behind her, her coat draped over his arm. His eyes were filled with unmistakable affection as he gazed at her.

"Why are you running so fast? You might trip and fall," Ezra lectured her.

Pandora hooked her arm through Ezra's, acting cute. "I'm not a baby. I'm not gonna fall that easily."

Luca walked over and joked, "If you did fall, Zane would probably tear the whole building down."

Pandora snorted, her cheeks flushed. "Stop kidding."

Zane walked up to them. "Let's go get some food."

Apparently, Luca and Ezra had come here to meet up with Zane and Pandora.

Pandora let go of Ezra and reached out to take Zane's hand. He laced his fingers through hers.

As the group headed toward the entrance together, they saw me struggling to bend down and pick up the lunchbox.

Zane's face remained completely expressionless, his gaze indifferent.

Pandora instinctively glanced at him before quickly looking away.

None of them stopped to help.

The cars slowly pulled up outside.

A security guard stepped forward to open the door.

Zane carefully helped Pandora into the car.

The two cars sped away.

Holding the lunchbox, I awkwardly turned around and dragged my feet toward the elevators.

When I returned to my desk, I had zero appetite left.

I just sat there frozen, completely motionless. Deep down, I really didn't wanna cry or feel sorry for myself. My pride never allowed me to show my vulnerable side to anyone.

But right now, I really wanted to burst into tears to vent my frustration.