เข้าสู่ระบบPatience's POV
I fell silent.
Unless I could truly bear to see that $1.2 million rare book thrown into the trash, I had no choice but to agree.
And he had pinpointed my interests accurately. I was indeed fascinated by the book market.
"Alright," I said.
Two days later, Cyrus took me to the book market.
As he had said, there were indeed many rare books here, including some that were out of print.
I browsed with great interest, occasionally picking up books to flip through.
Cyrus followed behind me, his cedar scent steadily enveloping us like an invisible barrier, shutting out the noisy surroundings.
I even bought two books that caught my eye, my fingers caressing the yellowed pages, feeling quite pleased.
During a break, we went to the restaurant on the top floor of the mall.
"I'm going to the restroom," I said.
But the restroom on the top floor was out of order, so I had to go to the one downstairs.<
Patience's POVI returned to Ironclaw and saw Kelsey already sitting on the living room sofa, waiting for me with a dark expression."Patience, do you really want to divorce me that badly?" he opened the conversation, a flicker of resentment in his voice."There's no reason for our mating to continue," I stood in the center of the room, keeping a distance. My tone was calm but firm."You're going to break your oath before the Moon Goddess over these trivial things? What do you even think a mating bond is?" Kelsey's voice rose, clearly irritated."What Madison and Hattie did to me—is that trivial? Your relationship with Hazel—is that trivial?""They've already paid the price. Isn't that enough?" he immediately countered.I found his logic laughable. Just because the aggressors paid a price, the victim must forgive them?The whole idea was absurd."And besides, Hazel and I are just friends! I never slept with h
Patience's POVHow did Leonard get here?My eyes landed on him. It took me a moment to process the situation.He quickly walked up to me and gently pulled down my hand, which was still hovering in the air.I had completely forgotten to pull back my arm after grabbing Cyrus's collar."Yvette told me you were here, so I came to pick you up. Did you return the clothes?""Uh... yeah, I did," I nodded."Let's go then." Leonard took my hand.He turned to face Cyrus directly, his voice firm. "If you really have the guts to come after me, Mr. Gross, and treat me like your little game, then go ahead and try."I saw Cyrus frown, his gaze darkening.He didn't say anything, but his eyes lingered on my hand clasped in Leonard's for a few seconds."Nothing is ever absolute in this world. You might think you're the hunter, but you could easily become the prey without even noticing."With that, Leonard didn't spare
Patience's POV"Just call it paying me back for the clothes by hanging out for a bit."I pursed my lips, hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded. "Fine. How many rounds?""Let's do five rounds, ten shots each," he said.The moment he finished speaking, a staff member quickly walked over, carrying the guns, ammo, and ear defenders.I expertly checked the gun, loaded the magazine, and put on the ear protection.Even though I hadn't touched a gun since leaving the Royal Legion, the movements were etched into my muscle memory; I performed them flawlessly.I raised the gun toward the target in the distance, locked my sight on the bullseye, and took a deep breath.Aim, shoot!I could feel Cyrus's gaze on me, but I ignored it, focusing only on the target sheet.The first round ended quickly. I lowered the gun and adjusted my breathing slightly.Then came the second, the third...Cyrus and I took turns shooting. Each time the scores were reported, we were neck and neck, with no major differe
Patience's POVI finished packing my bags and put a small suitcase in the trunk.Just one small suitcase.I had been Kelsey's mate for three years, and yet I owned so pitifully little.It felt like I had always been just a visitor in this pack.Yvette leaned against the car, smiling as she spoke. "I thought you'd ask Leonard to help you move out of here.""It's just this little bit of stuff. No need to bother him," I said casually, opening the car door.Leonard had definitely offered to help me move anytime."He'll probably feel left out again, and maybe throw a tantrum," Yvette teased, opening her door and sliding into the driver's seat."A tantrum?" I raised an eyebrow, looking at her in surprise. "He's how old? He still throws tantrums?"Yvette started the car, her tone filled with a reminiscent laugh. "When you mated with Kelsey and he found out at the party, he cried his eyes out right there! He kept asking how you could fall for a guy like Kelsey!"I paused, my hand still on the
Third Person's POVEveryone went quiet. Leonard had absolutely no reason to make up a story like that about Patience.Kelsey was completely humiliated. Leonard's statement basically announced to the entire room that Hoffman Tech's success was all because of Patience.He wanted to push back, but the words totally jammed in his throat.Memories of working side-by-side with Patience suddenly flooded his mind.Whenever he was stuck on a huge decision, Patience always had the key insight. Plus, Patience was the one who personally spearheaded most of the biggest deals.He'd always just assumed he was lucky to have her, and that was why those projects worked out.But what if... that wasn't luck at all?What if it was all purely Patience's talent?A cold dread washed over him, and he broke out in a sweat.Leonard scoffed. "Kelsey, you should just be thankful Patience stuck with you for three years. She's got awful judgmen
Third Person's POVCold sweat beaded on Kelsey's forehead.He knew Leonard was an Alpha, but even though he was also an Alpha, the aura Leonard exerted chilled him to the bone."How can the dead be compared to the living?"Suddenly, Lionel spoke. "Hazel's mother sprained her ankle. It could have been serious or minor. Kelsey was just being a good samaritan!"A sharp, cold light burst from Leonard's eyes. The chilling aura of a high-ranking Alpha suddenly exploded around him.The air was icy, wrapping the entire room in an invisible, bone-cutting blade.Kelsey instinctively tensed his back and his breathing deepened.The serving staff nearby, who hadn't been involved in the dispute, shrank their shoulders, afraid to look up.Leonard stood up and walked directly to Lionel. Gray wolf hairs faintly sprouted on his knuckles. His nails silently lengthened and sharpened, gleaming with a hard, cold sheen.He demanded fier







