<b>Chapter </b><b>49 </b>
Reba’s POV
?
<b>63 </b>
The number hit me like a physical blow. My vision actually blurred for a moment, my breath catching. “Two hundred -I choked out, raising my hand instinctively. “Are you out of your mind? How could you be so stupid?”
Before my hand could connect, my mother appeared between us, grabbing my wrist. “Ba, don’t! He’s just made <b>a </b>mistake. Please forgive him, just this once.”
I stared at her in disbelief, then at Jason, who had the audacity to look wounded, his eyes wide and pleading. The familiar pattern of my mother enabling Jason’s irresponsibility made my blood pound in my ears.
“A mistake?” I echoed incredulously, my voice rising despite my effort to control it. “Two hundred thousand dors isn’t a mistake, Mom. It’s a catastrophe. And it’s not the first time he’s done something like this.”
Jason’s expression hardened. “Not all of us have rich boyfriends to bail us out, Ba.”
Thement stung, my cheeks flushing hot with shame and anger. “I earned every penny I have,” I retorted, the lie burning my throat like acid. In reality, I had made a deal with Dominic. But even that had been my choice, my sacrifice. “And I can’t help you, Jason. I don’t have money.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, his tone suddenly evasive. “I’ve already called William. He said he’d help.”
The words knocked the air from my lungs. For a moment, I couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe. “You did what?” I finally gasped, my voice a strangled whisper. “Jason, William and I broke up. You had no right to contact him!”
Jason looked genuinely confused, his brow furrowing. “Broke up? But he’s rich and powerful… Can’t you just get back together with him? Say some nice things, and then we won’t have to pay back anything.”
The casual cruelty of his suggestion left me stunned, a cold emptiness spreading through my chest. Before I could respond, Jason’s phone rang. He pulled it out, nced at the screen, and then held it out to me with a strange mixture of relief and apprehension. “It’s William. He wants to talk to you.”
I stared at the phone, my heart hammering against my ribs. Dominic’s warning about not contacting William echoed in my mind, the intensity in his blue eyes when he’d told me to stay away from my ex. But the phone kept ringing, insistent, demanding.
‘Ba,‘ William’s cold voice came through the speaker when I finally answered, my hand trembling. “I’m in the hospital lobby, Come down and see me.”
My throat constricted with panic. “I can’t-”
“Either youe down now,” William cut me off, his tone menacing, “or I’ll make sure your dear brother ends <b>up </b><b>in </b><b>prison</b>. Your choice, Ba.”
<b>12:06 </b>Mon, Sep <b>22 </b>
C63 <b>? </b>
The call ended abruptly. I handed the phone back to Jason<b>, </b>my fingertips numb. Going to see William meant defying Dominic, risking his anger. But refusing meant potentially sending my brother to jail, however deserving he might <ol><li>be. </li></ol>
“What did he say?” Jason asked anxiously, shifting his weight from foot to foot.
“He wants to meet me in the lobby,” I replied mechanically, already walking toward the elevator. “Stay with Mom and
Dad.”
The ride down to the lobby felt endless. My stomach churned with anxiety, sweat beading at my hairline despite the cool air conditioning. My hands trembled as I stepped out of the elevator, scanning the area for William.
I spotted him near the main entrance, immacte in an expensive suit, his golden hair perfectly styled. Even from a distance, I could see the smug smile ying on his lips, the predatory gleam in his eyes.
I approached cautiously, keeping my arms crossed over my chest, maintaining a safe distance between us. “William.”
“Reba,” he greeted, his eyes traveling over me in a way that made my skin crawl. “Seems like your new Alpha isn’t as familiar with your family’s problems as I was.”
Chapter Comments
2
Write Comments
<SHARE
<b>12:06 </b><b>Mon</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>22 </b>
Mated by Contract to the Alpha