99 Times for Alpha’s Bestie novel Chapter 156

CLAIRE POV

Sensing that the car must be ready by now, I turned back toward it. Out of nowhere, I felt an unfamiliar gaze glued to me.

I looked up in confusion.

There stood John-the same John who usually trailed behind Lucien with a stiff, copied expression-now beaming with a mouth full of brilliantly white teeth, waving at me like an i***t.

“Ms. Reese!” His voice was so warm it could melt glaciers. “From now on, whatever you need, just say the word! I, John, will do anything you want without hesitation!”

“Uh?” I blinked, completely thrown by the sudden enthusiasm. “John, you—”

I paused, unable to think of a better word, and blurted, “You’ve… grown up.”

Grown up? Why would I say that?

It’s so lame. Honestly, I imagine working with someone like Lucien would age anyone well past the standard rate. He was a hard man to love, and even worse, an Alpha to work under.

I had no idea of the storm raging in John’s mind, but I could see it just beyond the surface of his sage green eyes.

I turned my eyes away and glanced at the time on my watch; it was already past eight in the morning. Less than twelve hours remained until tonight’s award banquet.

A cold knot formed in my stomach.

For some reason, I had a bad hunch.

I would be receiving my award under the name Seere. But I had heard that my cousin, Bob, would be one of the presenters. Bob was slightly less obnoxiously arrogant than Jack, but the difference was so slight that it was barely noticeable.

Out of all my cousins, Bob, the chosen heir of the second branch, was the most cunning and calculating.

I had won the grand prize in furniture design, and given the Reese family’s influence in Calgary, it was highly likely Bob himself would hand me the trophy.

‘Well, that should be eventful. I thought bitterly.

My fingers clenched into a fist, nails digging deep into my palm, a sheen of cold sweat forming.

After tonight, Seere would be a name people in design couldn’t ignore. And I knew better than anyone what that truly meant-the storm had only just begun.

The car fixed, Lucien and I headed back to town. He left to handle his business; Liyah and I dove into prep for the award. Time slipped away and, before I knew it, evening had come.

The ballroom at Calgary’s top hotel glittered under crystal chandeliers.

I wore a smoky-blue satin gown, cleanly tailored; my hair pinned in a neat bun that showed the line of my neck. Liyah wore a bold crimson dress and looped her arm through mine.

We stepped in and dozens of heads turned. Not all those looks were friendly.

“Well, well, look who it is. Don’t you look familiar-”

The mocking voice came from ahead.

I lifted my eyes to find my cousin Jack and cousin Hale standing in my way, wine glasses in hand.

Jack wore his usual mask of false warmth. Those words had come from him. Hale, meanwhile, glared at me with undisguised hostility, no trace of kinship after years apart-only loathing.

“So it really is you. Just set foot in Calgary and already making trouble. You haven’t even paid for bullying your own family, and now you’ve got the nerve to show up here? You, who can’t even touch the threshold of furniture design, think you deserve to bask in the spotlight?”

Jack sipped his wine and gave me a cold look.

“I heard you rejected that pathetic Alpha wannabe and stirred up a storm in Edmonton. What now? Couldn’t survive there, so you came crawling back to the Reese family, begging for scraps? If you want to return, first learn to bow your head. I have a few important clients tonight. Be smart; help me drink on their behalf. Maybe then I’ll be kind enough to find you a desperate mate willing to accept used goods.”

I showed no trace of shame. Instead, I smiled, meeting Jack’s eyes.

“Drink for you? I’d sooner throw a glass in your face. I know why I’m here, and it has nothing to do with either of you.”

“You-!” Hale nearly jabbed his finger at my face, fury blazing.

“Well, well, Claire! All these years and you’re still the same stubborn mule! Dare to offend us here in our territory?You must have a death wish. Security! Security! Get this eyesore out of here!”

His roar silenced nearby conversations, curious glances gathering at once.

Liyah, who was seething, stepped forward to lash out when I lightly pressed my hand down on her arm, stopping her.

Jack feigned restraint, playing peacemaker.

“Calm down, Hale. We’re family, after all. Making a scene would only show that the Reese family can’t tolerate one weak woman. Claire,” he turned to me with patronizing benevolence, “take my advice. Slip out the back door now while it’s still quiet. Better that than being seated only to be dragged out later. That would be humiliating beyond repair.”

At that, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“If I’m standing here, it’s because I was invited. Not only will I not leave, but later, I’ll let you both enjoy quite the show.”

“A show? From you?” Hale barked a laugh, as if I had told the funniest joke in the world.

“What-watching you get tossed out like garbage? Stop dreaming, Claire! The designers here are all masters. What are you? You’re nothing but a discarded woman that the trash man wouldn’t even pick up!”

“Oh really?” Liyah cut him off with a cold laugh, voice not loud but sharp enough to slice through the hall. “You’re standing here saying that Claire is nothing? Maybe you should look in the mirror first. Wearing a knockoff of a limited-edition suit, and you dare question her talent? You’re the fraud here-the one who deserves to be thrown out.”

Hale, long crippled by gambling debts, had patched up his life with the Reese name. The suit he wore was indeed a counterfeit. Being exposed in public left him red-faced and choking like a strangled duck, unable to utter a word.

Jack’s eyes hardened as he shot Liyah a warning glare.

“And who are you supposed to be? If Claire doesn’t deserve to stay, then you have even less right! Get out now before you regret my next actions!”