<h4>Chapter 77: Chapter 77 Caught Red-Handed</h4>


    Cecilia’s pov


    My smile froze on my face as my scalp prickled with dread.


    Complete and utter despair washed over me.


    I was doomed.


    His reaction, plus those dark circles under his eyes fromck of sleep, told me everything I needed to know... He. Had. Seen. My. Message!


    I couldn’t meet his gaze, dropping my eyes as I cleared my throat awkwardly. "...I slept okay. Mostly because I had some winest night."


    "I was really out of it—seeing double, you know? Haha." Theugh sounded hollow even to my ears.


    Alpha Sebastian’s expression turned cold.


    The smile vanishedpletely.


    A peculiar light gleamed in his eyes as he spoke. "Alcohol isn’t an excuse."


    "Really," I insisted, desperately searching for the right words.


    "When I drink, my vision gets terrible and my fingerspletely lose control, like they’re... like they’re..." I fumbled for an appropriateparison. "Like they’re possessed!"


    Alpha Sebastian let out a derisive snort. "Keep making excuses."


    I fell silent, mortified.


    My expression turned earnest as I tried again, practically bearing my soul,"It really was just a slip of the finger!"


    Even half-asleep, I would never have deliberately called him "baby." There was only one exnation—my brain and fingers weren’t coordinating properly.


    Alpha Sebastian seemed tired of my excuses. "Enough. If you’re brave enough for a finger slip now, next time it’ll be a tongue slip. Own up to your actions, Cecilia."


    His stare used me of being some sort of shameless woman who wouldn’t take responsibility after getting what she wanted.


    I nearly had a heart attack right there.


    Wait... did he actually think I’d done it on purpose?


    Did he seriously believe I had the guts to flirt with him like that?


    Was he questioning my will to live?


    Both Beta Sawyer and Liam looked utterly confused.


    They couldn’t make sense of our conversation at all.


    Alpha Sebastian wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Cecilia, you didn’te up here just to say good morning and exin your... finger slip, did you?"


    As he spoke, he ced his hand near his phone, long fingers tapping lightly on the table.


    The rhythmic tapping made my heart race erratically.


    Did he know I was here to destroy the evidence?


    I set down the strawberry mousse cake I’d been nervously clutching.


    "This cake is delicious. I’m here to bring you guys a cake.I don’t have anything else to discuss. Goodbye."


    I turned to leave immediately.


    "Where do you think you’re going?" Alpha Sebastian called after me. "Since you’re already here,e back."


    I froze mid-step.


    Turning around, I reluctantly walked back.


    Alpha Sebastian asked Liam to open the cake box and bring it over.


    He took a small bite, then pulled out his phone and started taking photos.


    After a moment, he clicked his tongue. "Cecilia,e help me take some pictures."


    Beta Sawyer and Liam looked even more confused now.


    I sensed he was up to something.


    I could practically smell the devious intentions radiating from the alpha capitalist’s core.


    The moment I took his phone, divine inspiration struck—wasn’t this the perfect opportunity to destroy the evidence?


    Once there was no proof, I could deny ever sending that message until my dying breath.


    I quickly opened his WhatsApp.


    A soft, deceptively gentle voice that made my skin crawl came from beside me,"Be careful, Cecilia. Don’t identally delete anything with another slip of your fingers."


    I stiffened. "...Yes, of course."


    I obediently agreed, then proceeded to delete the message without batting an eye.


    One finger slip or two finger slips—what’s the difference?


    They’re all finger slips.


    After deleting that horrifying chat history, I felt somewhat calmer.


    I took a few random photos and handed the phone back. "All done."


    Alpha Sebastian took it back.


    Suddenly Beta Sawyer looked like he’d just seen a ghost.


    I wondered why Beta Sawyer looked like death warmed over.


    "What’s wrong?" I asked.


    Beta Sawyer covered his face with one hand, as if unable to bear the sight, and extended his phone toward me. "See for yourself."


    When I saw it, I was rendered speechless.


    Alpha Sebastian had posted a grid of nine strawberry cake photos without any caption, but he’d added an emoji... a little yellow face with closed eyes and a shy smile...


    Normally, it was a perfectly ordinary emoji, buting from Alpha Sebastian... it waspletely incongruous!


    What on earth was he being shy about??


    Alpha Sebastian stood up. "Let’s go to the office."


    He walked out.


    Beta Sawyer and I followed.


    In the elevator, I stood behind Alpha Sebastian, staring at his back.


    I realized my understanding of my new boss was too rigid, shallow, and limited. When he wasn’t being cold and aloof... he could be quite theedian.


    And he had absolutely no regard for other people’s sanity.


    Beta Sawyer was still troubled by that emoji and couldn’t help leaning close to Alpha Sebastian’s ear in the elevator. "Alpha Sebastian, I think you might have used the wrong emoji. That one means SHY."


    Afraid the Alpha Sebastian wasn’t clear, he added, "Like, girlish shyness."


    Then, as if he genuinely couldn’t care less, Alpha Sebastian replied, "Is that so? Must’ve slipped."


    My eyes widened in disbelief.


    Excuse me?


    Must’ve slipped?


    No way. No. Absolutely not.


    He did that on purpose.


    He’d been waiting for me to see it.


    He was—he was—


    Unhinged.


    Beta Sawyer tried again. His voice lower now.


    "I can help you change it. If you want."


    Alpha Sebastian,"I don’t need to change it."


    Beta Sawyer’s mouth opened—then shut immediately as the Alpha gave him a look sharp enough to cut steel.


    By this point, I was pretty sure my soul had exited my body.


    He was absolutely insane.


    Truly,pletely insane!


    Author’s pov


    On the way to the office, Cecilia and Beta Sawyer were dead silent—like passengers in a getaway car.


    Meanwhile, Alpha Sebastian’s social media post was causing mass hysteria.


    The man never posted. Ever.


    So when he suddenly shared a photo of strawberry cakeplete with a shy-face emoji?


    People lost their damn minds.


    Thements blew up.


    DMs poured in.


    His phone wouldn’t stop buzzing, lighting up like a Christmas tree.


    Especially from his brothers and sisters.


    "Bro. If you’ve been kidnapped, type 1."


    "If you’re dating someone, type 2."


    "If you’vepletely lost it, type 3."


    Alpha Sebastian blocked them all and put his phone on silent.


    ...


    At the Silver Peak Pack residence, Alpha Yardley was just getting into his car when Luna Regina caught him by the sleeve.


    "We need to talk about our son."


    Alpha Yardley froze. Her tone wasn’t yful.


    "...What is it? Did he finally run off with that Locke boy?"


    Luna Regina gave him a look and swatted his arm. "Oh, stop. Get your mind out of the gutter."


    She pulled out her phone and tapped the screen. "Look."


    She held it up.


    A photo of a strawberry cake—perfectly ted, bright pink icing, and a shy smile emoji in the caption.


    She let the implication hang.


    Alpha Yardley squinted. "Did he bake that?"


    "No," Luna Regina said, eyes gleaming. "But he posted it. With a shy smile emoji.Sebastian doesn’t do hearts. I’m telling you, a girl made him do it. And if he’s willing to post it..."


    Alpha Yardley blinked. "A girl, huh?"


    He leaned back against the car door, lips twitching.


    "Well. That’s... shockingly hetero."


    He tried to sound casual, but the relief in his voice was obvious.


    Not that he would’ve minded if Alpha Sebastian dated a guy—who cared anymore?


    But after years of zero emotional attachment and nothing but work, seeing any sign of romance was practically a miracle.


    "I wonder who she could be..." Luna Regina mused, scrolling the post again.


    "Do you think it’s the girl who called him the other day?"


    "Nah, I don’t think so. That was Cecilia’s friend," Alpha Yardley replied, then suddenly paused.


    His smile faded as a thought clicked into ce.


    [Cecilia Moore. That name again.


    Regina didn’t know much about her—just that she was Sebastian’s new secretary.


    She didn’t know about the Sebastian’s injury.


    She didn’t know Sebastian had stood between her and the Shadow Pack


    She didn’t know the cake in that photo was clearly taken in the penthouse—and that only Cecilia had been there recently.


    Damn.


    It all fit.]


    "What are you thinking about?" Luna Regina asked, noticing his sudden silence.


    Alpha Yardley blinked. "Nothing important," he said quickly. "We might be reading too much into this. Let’s not jump to conclusions."


    "You just mentioned Secretary Cecilia," she said, eyeing him.


    He cleared his throat. "Did I? Must’ve been a slip."


    She gave him a look.