40

~Lira’s POV 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

I don’t know why I still get shocked anymore. Maybe I’m foolish. Maybe I just keep expecting things to go my way, even when life keeps showing me it won’t.

But the moment I stepped into that boutique...

the moment I saw Elara standing in the center like she owned the whole damn place...

my blood actually heated.

"Of course," I muttered under my breath. "Of course she’s here. Of course she has money suddenly."

The boutique wasn’t just expensive. It was the kind of place where even the air felt rich.

Bright chandeliers. Glass displays. Dresses that cost more than my monthly salary.

Dinner that evening only made everything worse.

I swear, from the moment Alpha Darlon walked into that restaurant, I could already feel my blood simmering. The lights were soft, the servers moving around with fake smiles, my parents talking about business figures like they were discussing the weather... and all I could do was watch him.

And he didn’t even try to pretend he wasn’t distracted.

His eyes kept drifting. His fingers tapped the table. He looked like a man who had somewhere more important to be.

Which, apparently, he did.

"I need to get back home soon. My wife is waiting," he said, barely five minutes after sitting down.

My jaw tightened so hard I felt a small ache in my temple.

"We just started, your Majesty" I said, trying not to sound desperate, trying not to sound like what I felt: forgotten.

He gave a small shrug. "I don’t like her staying alone at night."

He said it like a fact. Like something that didn’t need apology or explanation.

I stared at him and he stared back.

He spent the rest of his five damn minutes talking about her. My parents nodded, and his Beta seemed entertained by the whole thing. By the time Alpha Darlon stood up and said, "I’ll see you all another time," I didn’t even bother pretending to smile.

I was fuming.

The ride home was quiet, tense, suffocating. And the moment I stepped inside, something inside me snapped.

I threw my bag at the sofa.

It bounced, knocked over a vase, and the crash was loud, sharp, satisfying.

Finally, something in the room reacted to me.

I paced the living room, my heels clicking like angry punctuation marks on the floor. I was still pacing when Stella walked in.

"Your Highness, welcome. Should I make something for you? Maybe..."

"I don’t want food," I snapped before she even finished.

She blinked, startled. "Okay... should I bring..."

"No!" I yelled, louder than I planned. "Do something useful for once. Find a way to get that niece of yours to leave my man alone."

"My... niece?" she whispered. "Elara?"

"Who else?" I hissed. "Your saint of a niece who suddenly shops at boutiques she can’t afford. Tell her to stay away from my man. Or I’ll make her."

Stella’s lips trembled.

It irritated me more than it should have.

"Lira..." she murmured, voice soft with hurt I didn’t want to see.

"I don’t care," I cut in, lifting a hand sharply. "Fix it."

Then I stormed upstairs and locked myself in my room. The door clicked behind me, and suddenly, the quiet was deafening. It was the kind of quiet that presses against your skull and makes every thought echo, especially the angry ones. I flopped onto the bed, my arms crossed over my chest, and stared at the ceiling. I didn’t come out all night. Not even for water.

By the next morning, I wasn’t calmer. Not at all. I just felt... emptied. Drained. I dressed quickly for work, shoving my hair back with one hand and pulling on my blazer with the other. I didn’t bother with makeup or a mirror. I just wanted to get out of the house. The drive itself was mechanical, my mind replaying the previous evening, Darlon’s words echoing in my head, and the way he made it clear that all his attention was elsewhere. A headache throbbed behind my eyes, relentless and pulsing like a drum.

When I reached the office, I went straight to my desk and collapsed into my chair, burying my face in my hands. I didn’t notice anything at first, the murmurs in the hallway, the typing of the assistants, or the quiet shuffle of papers. I was lost in my thoughts, imagining the look on Darlon’s face when he saw me again, wondering if he even noticed I existed in the ways that mattered.

"Good morning, Lira."

I startled, my head snapping up. Ronan stood there, holding a brown file. His tie was crooked, which made my chest tighten, not in a good way. My irritation rose immediately.

"What?" I said sharply, more out of instinct than politeness.

He walked forward and placed the file on my table carefully. "The new collaboration," he said. "With Alpha Darlon’s company. For their upcoming fashion gala."

I blinked, lifting my head a little. "Fashion gala?"

"Yes," he replied, his voice neutral, almost tentative. "They want our designs featured."

For a moment, I tried not to smile, tried to maintain my composure. But the thought of stepping into Alpha Darlon’s building, of walking into his office, seeing him again... it stirred something inside me. A mixture of excitement and dread. A small, secret thrill that I’d get his attention. That I’d make him look at me, really look at me, and maybe notice that I exist on my own terms.

"Good," I said softly, the corners of my lips tugging up just slightly. "At least I have a reason to visit."

Ronan cleared his throat, shifting slightly, and I felt my patience thin immediately.

"Lira... can I ask you something?"

"No," I interrupted, already exhaling through my nose.

He hesitated, then ignored me. "Is it true? That our relationship... it ended?"

I scoffed, tilting my head back, letting the air carry my irritation. "I don’t roll with losers," I said, sharp and cold. The words hit harder than I intended, but I couldn’t help it.

He flinched at my tone. For a second, I almost felt bad, but I shoved the guilt down. I couldn’t let it reach me. I couldn’t let anything show weakness today.

"If you ask me," I added, leaning back in my chair and letting my voice slip into a mix of condescension and amusement, "you should focus on finding someone like you."

"Someone like me?" he echoed, confused, his jaw tightening.

"Yes," I said without hesitation, smirking slightly. "A loser like you. Like Elara. You two should get back together so I can get my man back."

Ronan’s mouth opened, trying to argue. "Elara and I are not..."

"I don’t care," I cut him off again, standing suddenly, my heels clicking sharply against the office floor. "Are you coming or not? We have a meeting with Alpha Darlon, and I don’t have time to babysit your indecision."

He swallowed hard, looking a little defeated. "Yes... yes, I’m coming," he muttered.

I grabbed my bag, pushed past him, and walked out of the office with my heart beating faster.

I was humming softly as I walked toward my car, letting the tune fill the small frustration I still carried from the office.

"Ronan! Hurry up, will you? I don’t have all day!" I called over my shoulder.

He hurried, legs almost tripping over themselves, juggling his bag and the file I’d insisted he carry. "Yes, yes! I’m coming!"

I rolled my eyes, but didn’t slow my pace.