THE ALPHA’S PUBLIC REJECTION のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 181 - チャプター 190

DRAKE POVI threw myself into work. Piles of boarder reports, trade ledgers, construction permits—anything to fill my mind and stop the images. The look on Lucas’s face. The cold feel of the balcony rail. Lillian’s small, lonely figure in the distance.Someone knocked at my office door. And I ignored it.The person knocked again, harder.“I am busy,” I growled without looking up.The door flew open. Andre stood in the door way, with his eyes blazing.“We need to talk,” he said tightly.“If this is about Elara, save your breath,” I said as I scribbled violently on the report. “My private life is my own. I believe I made that clear.”Andre laughed out bitterly. “No, Drake. It is not about you and Elara. It is about you and Lillian.” My head snapped up and the pen froze in my hand. “What did you say?”Andre strode into the room and slammed the door behind him. “Look at you. You are a shell. you are snapping at everyone. You disappear for hours. You are pushing us away. And it is not bec

ANDRE POVI left Drake’s office, with the bitter taste of our argument still in my mouth. A shell. You are a shell. He was right. And I had just watched my Alpha and brother break in front of me. I could not fix it. I needed air. I needed to see something good. I needed Lillian.The thought of our dinner later was the only steady thing in my spinning world. But I could not wait. I stopped at a florist in the city, buying a dozen deep red roses. Her favorite.At the hospital, a young nurse smiled when she saw the flowers. “For Dr. Stewart? She is in her office. End of the hall.”“Thank you,” I replied with a stiff smile on my face.I walked down the wuiet hallway, as the scent of the roses mixed with antiseptic. I could already picture her face lighting up with joy. A moment of peace. A reminder of what I was fighting for.I reached her door, my heart feeling lighter for the first time all day. Then I pushed it open.“Lillian, I thought we could—”And then I saw him.Baron. Leaning a

LILLIAN POVThe door clicked shut behind Andre and the silence that fell in my office became louder than our shouting of earlier.I sank into my with trembling hands and stared at the roses he had brought. They were beautiful. A peace offering that had turned into a weapon.I hated myself. I hated that Baron’s smug face was the last thing between us before he left.He had showed him what button to push.I could not sit here. I could not breathe in this room that smelled like expensive cologne and rage. I needed to fix this. And to fix it, I needed to see Wanni.I stood up, with shaky legs and walked out into the hallway. The hospital buzzed with its usual calm efficiency. It felt like a mockery.I found Salome in the main lobby. She was kneeling beside an elderly man in a wheelchair, showing him how to use a new inhaler. Her voice was patient and kind.I waited impatiently behind her and tapped my foot continuously on the tile.Salome finished, and patted the man’s shoulder. When she

LILLIAN POVBack at the mansion, I found Salome and Lydia in the living room. Salome was reading, and Lydia was painting her nails with a sharp shade of purple.“Well?” Salome asked, and put her book down. “How did it go with Wanni?”I sank into an armchair as I finally allowed the days tension to leave my shoulders. “She apologized. Profusely. Said she would talk to Baron tonight and make it clear he would never contact me again. She seemed genuinely sorry.”Lydia blew air on her nails. “I do not get her. She looks and sound like someone you should trust. She is smart, she is fun, and she had helped you with that awful patient……but still…..”“Still, something in us is begging to be careful,” Salome finished with a serious expression on her face. “My gut says she is a friend. My head says she is a question mark.”“Exactly,” I sighed. “But she gave her word. What more can I do?”“Nothing, for now,” Salome said. “Just saw aware. Anyway. Let us focus on something better. Your dinner with

DRAKE POVThe dining hall was quiet that morning. Just me, picking at my breakfast, as I tried to ignore the empty feeling in my chest. Then Andte walked in. He looked….different. Lighter. There was a softness around his eyes, a slight, unconscious smile playing on his lips. He moved with a relaxed energy I had not seen in him for months.Lucas followed him in, and gave me a brief, small nod. Our truce was holding, but it was still new and fragile.Andre filled his plate and sat down across from me. “Morning.”“Morning,” I said, watching him closely. “You seem….good.”He shrugged, but his smile widened fully. “I am.”“How did last night go?” I asked, forcing my voice to be casual. “With Lillian.”Andre took a sip of juice, as his expression softened further. “It was good. Really good. We talked. We…..cleared the air.” He glanced down at his plate, but the happiness was plain. “It felt like a new start.” “That is good,” I said, the words tasting like sawdust in my mouth. I was glad f