<h4>Chapter 134: Chapter 134 Midnight Confusion</h4>


    Cecilia’s pov


    I fought desperately to maintain myposure.


    But the memory that suddenly popped into my head left me breathless - eyes unfocused, cheeks flushed,pletely undone.


    Damn brain, what are you doing to me?!


    "A-Anyway, you really shouldn’t drink that," I stammered, my tongue tripping over itself.


    Alpha Sebastian didn’t call me out on my obvious difort. Instead, he obediently set the wine ss down and spoke with gentlepliance. "Alright, no drinking. Whatever you say."


    His soft voice was like an electrified hook... gently tugging at my heartstrings.


    I felt my expression falter for a moment.Heat rushed to my face.


    Alpha Sebastian noticed my strange reaction. "You haven’t had anything to drink, Cecilia, yet you look utterly captivated. Face this red - you’re noting down with something, are you?"


    He used the back of his hand to check the temperature of my forehead and cheeks.


    As he leaned closer, his overwhelmingly seductive masculine scent enveloped mepletely.


    I stood frozen in ce.


    My eyes flicked to his lips.


    Then lower - to the sharp edge of his jaw, the subtle shift of his throat when he swallowed, the exposed line of his corbone beneath his shirt.


    I was staring.


    God, I was staring.


    I liked to think of myself asposed. Rational. Not the kind of girl who melted at the sight of a well-cut jawline.


    But he needed to stop looking like that.


    Like temptation in human form.


    I was one second away from doing something incredibly reckless.


    "I’m fine!" I blurted, stumbling back like I’d been caught doing something illegal.


    The air felt too thick. My skin too warm.


    I pressed a hand to my forehead and exhaled slowly.


    This wasn’t me.


    This was clearly... hormonal sabotage.


    I silently recited a mental cleansing mantra to myself.


    "Are you really alright, Cecilia?" Alpha Sebastian moved closer from behind.


    I jerked away with startled awareness. "Fine, fine, just... a little thunderstruck."


    Quickly changing the subject, I said, "Alpha, didn’t you say if I won, you’d tell me where Nicole’s grandmother went? You can tell me now."


    "Let’s sit down and talk," Alpha Sebastian walked to the couch and sat down.


    I didn’t join him, choosing instead to perch on a barstool near the liquor cab.


    Alpha Sebastian looked at me, positioned what felt like miles away from him. "...Cecilia, why don’t you just sit by the bathroom door to chat with me? Don’t forget to bring a megaphone."


    I was speechless.


    Reluctantly, I got up and moved closer, sitting at the very edge of the couch.


    These days, I wasn’t just afraid of him - I was afraid of myself.


    Alpha Sebastian watched me silently for a moment before speaking seriously, "You want to know if Nicole’s grandmother is still alive, still at home, right?"


    I didn’t hide my concerns.


    "I smelled something putrid in her house. Tang said it was cats, but I wondered if maybe there was something else..."


    "Like the old woman?" he finished my sentence.


    "...Is that... true?" My voice was barely a whisper.


    "Of course not. Don’t let your imagination run so wild."


    "So where did her grandmother go?"


    "She passed awayst week."


    I paused, feeling an unexpected wave of sadness.


    So the grandmother really had died.


    Alpha Sebastian softened his voice: "Nicole doesn’t have an uncle, only an aunt. We did visit her family’s old house, but the woman who received us was an elderlydy who lives next door. Nicole paid her 500 dors to pretend."


    "But they didn’t have enough time to clean thoroughly, which is why the yard was messy and the windowsills were dusty."


    I nodded. "What about her parents?"


    Alpha Sebastian continued, "Her parents divorced. Her mother remarried, and her father died in an ident two years ago. Last year when her grandmother fell ill, she was taken in by her aunt."


    Everything made sense now.


    A person already in a fragile mental state, who had lost her loved ones one after another.


    I thought her excitement when we mentioned treating her face was genuine.


    Now I realize it was just a desperate person’s disguise.


    Perhaps from the moment we appeared, Nicole realized her chance for revenge had arrived.


    When she saw the clues we provided, she guessed where Cici was talking about.


    At the time, she didn’t know Cici wasing too, so she used us as bait to lure her there, not knowing Cici was already on her way.


    Cici was cruel, vicious and also arrogant. She never took Nicole seriously, never took her words to heart - otherwise she wouldn’t have been so careless.


    "Thank you, Alpha."


    "No need for thanks. I happened to hear about it from a local friend during dinner, and thought you might be interested, so I asked a few more questions." Alpha Sebastian spoke casually.


    "Why did you... go to that vige today?" I asked cautiously, though I already had my suspicions.


    Alpha Sebastian remained nonchnt. "After finishing business, my friend took me to his friend’s home for a country-style meal. We happened to run into you all, and I happened to learn a few things."


    He paused, long enough that I thought maybe he was deciding whether or not to ruin my night.


    Then: "You know that guy you’ve been asking about? Turns out he and Nicole were... close."


    I squinted. "Close like... shared-a-lunchbox close or slept-in-each-other’s-beds close?"


    "They were from the same hometown," he said, ignoring my tone. "Same elite boarding school. And just for fun, guess who our host tonight is?"


    I didn’t guess. I just stared at him.


    "His uncle," Alpha Sebastian said, like he was dropping a plot twist in a soap opera.


    I blinked.


    Well, that exined Nicole acting like she’d seen a ghost on the way out.


    "And," he added, "the uncle knows what you’re digging into. Asked me to set up a meeting. Says he might have answers."


    Warmth bloomed in my chest - sharp and unexpected.


    This wasn’t chance. He’d been pulling strings. For me.


    Why?


    "Why so quiet?" Alpha Sebastian asked, tone lighter now. "Second thoughts?"


    "No, I want to meet him," I said quickly - too quickly.


    He smiled faintly. "You’ve looked a little drunk all night."


    I opened my mouth, then shut it.


    I wanted to thank him. Or ask why he cared. But the words jammed in my throat.


    Before I could untangle myself, he stood. "You should head back to your room. Or you’ll miss your window."


    "What window?"


    He gestured to the wine. "Technically, I didn’t lose. And if I’m right, the doorbell’s about to ring again."


    My eyes narrowed. "...You think Alpha Xavier sent it?"


    He shrugged. "Midnight wine with no note? ssic Alpha Xavier move."


    "Maybe it was Miss Hazel. Maybe she’s trying to test you."


    He raised a brow. "Still thinking about Miss Hazel? That’s cute."


    I stared at him dryly.


    Not as cute as you thinking about Alpha Xavier at midnight.


    I didn’t say it. Just took a slow sip of wine.


    Author’s pov


    Meanwhile, in another room.


    The hotel staff member who delivered the wine stood at the door reporting, " Alpha Sebastian epted the wine. There was indeed a woman in his room - the one in the photo you showed me."


    Alpha Xavier’s expression darkened to an extreme.


    Although he had suspected they were together, deep down he couldn’t believe she would ept another man so quickly.


    But now the evidence was undeniable - she was in his roomte at night.


    Imagining what the two might be doing inside, he was furious enough to explode.


    Fifteen minutester.


    "Ding dong - "


    The doorbell to Alpha Sebastian’s room rang again.


    But no one was inside anymore. Alpha Xavier, thinking they were avoiding him, paced angrily outside the door.


    Cecilia’s pov


    At thekeside park walkway.


    "See, Sawyer just sent this photo. I told you I was right," Alpha Sebastian said.


    Looking at the image of Alpha Xavier standing with his hands on his hips and a gloomy expression in the hallway, I felt utterly speechless.


    Seriously, what was wrong with his brain?


    Shouldn’t he be at the hospital right now?


    He was my ex-husband - what right did he have to interfere?


    I awkwardly returned the phone to him. "I’m sorry for getting you involved in this."


    Alpha Sebastian chuckled lightly. "It’s fine. I did say if you lost, you’d have to take a walk with me."


    I quickly agreed. "Yes, walking is nice."


    After walking for a while, I said enthusiastically, "Alpha, are you tired? There’s a bench here - you should sit down. There’s a convenience store over there; I’ll go get you some water."


    Before he could respond, I dashed off.


    In the convenience store, I grabbed random drinks, snacks, and tissues off the shelves while calling Harper.


    "Harper, that psycho Xavier is waiting outside Sebastian’s room for me. Thankfully we left early. Can you get security to drive him away?"


    Harper’s eye-roll was practically audible through the phone. "Why don’t I just call a mental hospital and have him taken away? We’ll even pay for his treatment. This is ridiculous."


    "That sounds like a n," I said, cing my overflowing basket on the checkout counter before stepping aside to continue. "Anyway, whatever method you use, get him away from there. I can’t let him hurt Alpha Sebastian..."


    After finishing the call, I returned to pay.


    The cashier was a cute, delicate-looking young man whose face flushed as he sneaked nces at me, his hand trembling slightly as he scanned my items.


    I wondered: Did I look that intimidating?


    I returned to thekeside with arge bag and ced it on the bench. "Alpha, see what you’d like to drink. There’s food too."


    Alpha Sebastian was about to decline.


    His eyes nced casually at the bag, then paused and looked again.


    He looked at me with bewildered eyes. "...Cecilia, what exactly are you nning to do?"