Chapter 0005

“Don’t worry. I won’t leak anything,” I assured Andrew.

He smiled.

“Thank you. I don’t give my personal number out to just anybody, so I’m trusting you here.”

“Your trust is well placed.”

“I know.”

I could have sworn that he winked at me, but it was probably just my imagination.

 

---

 

Later that night, I returned to the apartment I shared with Lily—at least, I had shared it with her until recently, when she got married. Now, I had the place all to myself, so long as I paid the rent.

That night, though, Lily was coming over to pick up some stuff she had forgotten in the move and to spend the night. She needed a girl’s night, she claimed, before the honeymoon and birth. I wasn’t about to deny her that.

After my prison release, Lily had been the only friend to stick by me. No one would hire me—despite my prestigious university degree and entrepreneurial experience—and no friend would spend time with me, let alone lend me a hundred bucks. As my once luxurious life lay in shambles around me and I was driven to the edge of despair, Lily invited me into her home and gave me a job.

I owed her everything.

I entered the apartment just as a notification appeared on my phone. As I fumbled with the lights, I checked the notification and saw that Andrew had friended me on social media. I grinned and giggled like a schoolgirl.

Lily knocked on the door just as I set my purse on the couch. I rushed to let her inside.

“Come in, come in! I have something to tell you,” I said as I pulled her in by the arm.

Lily laughed as she stumbled through the door. Even though it was still early in her pregnancy and she was barely showing, she glowed with the light of an expectant mother.

“All right, all right! I haven’t seen you this excited in a long time.”

Her eyes twinkled mischievously.

“Is it about a guy?”

“Actually,” I said as I pulled her onto the couch, “it is. A very nice, charming, incredibly sexy man just friended me on social media.”

“Oh? And who is this magnificent man?”

I blushed and hesitated.

“Well, it’s Andrew Dubois.”

Lily’s smile disappeared.

“Andrew Dubois, as in the Alpha King and Bob’s future father-in-law?”

I nodded.

“Are you sure that’s such a good idea? Not only are you planning his daughter’s—and your ex’s—wedding, but, again, he’s the Alpha King, and he…”

She didn’t need to finish that sentence for me to catch what she was referencing. She was worried about the rumors regarding his past three Lunas. I still couldn’t bring myself to believe that the man I spoke with that day could do what everyone accused him of.

“Don’t worry, Lily,” I said, placing my hand over hers. “I can handle it. All of it.”

Lily stared at me for a moment, then sighed.

“All right, I trust you.”

A few minutes of silence passed before I said, “But I’m still going to investigate the truth behind my company’s bankruptcy. I don’t think that Bob told me the truth, or at least all of it.”

“Oh! That reminds me. I actually know someone who could help you with that, if you’re interested.”

It took all of my self-control to not leap at Lily and hug her before getting the information.

“Of course I’m interested!”

“It’s my cousin, Noah.” She pulled a business card out of her purse and handed it to me. “Here’s his contact information.”

This time, I did leap at Lily and hug her.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Lily laughed.

“Okay, okay. Don’t crush the pregnant woman.”

 

* *

 

I immediately called Noah and arranged to meet him at a café near the bridal shop after work the next day. I wore a long red dress with a jeweled turtleneck neckline, much like I had seen other women wear the day of my release, and my iconic bright gold earrings. As I looked in the rearview mirror, checking my makeup one last time, I could see my turquoise eyes burning with the flame of revenge.

I was more than ready for this.

I stepped out of the Honda Civic—borrowed from Lily—and strutted my way towards one of the café’s outdoor tables, where sat a man who looked like the picture Lily had shown me of Noah: 29 years old, my height, mousy hair and brown eyes, and dressed in an old-fashioned black suit and tie. He hunched over in his chair until he saw me approaching. Then he suddenly sat up straight and waved me over.

“Crystal?” he called out.

“Noah?” I replied, smiling broadly.

He flushed, which made me smile wider.

“Woah,” he breathed. “You look just like your picture. Beautiful.”

His eyes widened behind his spectacles.

“What I mean is…by ‘beautiful,’ I mean—”

“It’s okay. I appreciate the compliment.”

I laughed, and he seemed to relax a little, but only a little.

“So, you wanted to investigate the bankruptcy of your company?” Noah asked as I sat down across the table from him.

“Yes, I do. Do you think you can help?”

He nodded enthusiastically.

“I will do everything in my power to help you.”

Our eyes met.

“Eighty,” Susan said.

I was taken aback. We had just met and already he liked me that much?

Yes, the man outside the prison had a liking rating of 88, but that had been purely sexual. This felt…different. Deeper, more emotional.

“He’s smitten with you,” Susan continued. “Trust me, he’s willing to do anything for us.”

“He’s a good man. Unfortunately…”

I sighed.

“Unfortunately, he’s not Bob’s goddess-damned future father-in-law,” Susan finished for me.

I didn’t want to admit it, but Susan was right. I wasn’t sure how yet, but I knew that seducing Bob’s future father-in-law would be to my advantage. Besides, I wanted to know for sure if Andrew really was my mate, and I did not have enough information for that—yet.

 

* *

 

Susan was right. Noah was willing to do anything for me. It made my heart hurt to drag him along like that, but if it helped motivate him to find out what happened to my company, then I was going to let his crush go on for as long as needed.

Our meeting finished after an hour, and the rest of the night was mine. Just as I got into the Civic, I got a call from Andrew. My heart raced.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Crystal?”

“Yes?”

“Hi, this is Andrew. I was wondering if you could meet me at the presidential suite on the top floor of the Lexington Hotel at nine o’clock.”

I chewed on my lower lip. The Lexington Hotel was the most luxurious hotel in the entire city. Andrew wanted to meet me there…at the presidential suite…

“Okay. I’ll see you there at nine.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you then.”

After I hung up, I glanced at the clock. 6:30. That gave me two-and-a-half hours to go home, get changed, and get to the hotel.

I had to hurry.