99 Times for Alpha’s Bestie novel Chapter 164

“Moonbeam, your father’s hiking accident-I have always felt something was terribly wrong about it.”

My grandmother’s lips trembled violently as she spoke.

“The timing was too convenient. Just days before it happened, your uncles came to my house screaming about the Reese Group’s shares and dividends. And then, just days later-your father-he was gone. The rogues suspected, they were found mutilated a week later.”

“Grandma, are you saying-?”

I watched as my grandmother squeezed her eyes shut.

She gave a single nod that carried the weight of a lifetime’s betrayals.

“I accused them, but they-they banished me to that remote rural area on the outskirts as if it were a prison. There were beatings and curses. They monitored my every move like I was a criminal.”

Her gnarled fingers scrabbled at her threadbare sleeve.

“It was not just those ungrateful sons of mine. The spoiled pups they raised forgot who nurtured them. After all my sacrifices, not one of them remembered this dying old woman.”

“When your father died, they stole everything from us- everything, except for this one thing.” Her fingers spasmed with pent-up emotion. “You need to cut it open, Moonbeam.”

My heart hammered against my ribs as I fought back the tempest of grief and fury churning inside me.

I sprang up to fetch a pair of scissors.

Holding my breath, I precisely cut along the frayed edges of the patch that had concealed my grandmother’s secret for over a decade.

There, nestled within the hidden layer of fabric, lay a delicate golden key, tiny but intricately wrought.

“Grandma, what is this?” I gasped, pinching the little key between my fingers.

“It is the spare key to your father’s chest,” Grandma whispered. “Your dad had a chest that held his most precious belongings. He hid this spare key with me for safekeeping, just in case something ever happened.”

Her gnarled hands shook as she pressed the key into my open palm.

“Your mother took that chest when she fled with you. All these years, I lied to your uncles. I told them I was the one who hid it to shield you both from their cruelty. That is why-why they treated me so terribly.”

Her entire frame convulsed with remembered terror.

“But now that you are here, and now that you hold this key, I am finally at peace. This is my redemption, for your father and for myself.”

Her words dissolved into uncontrollable sobs.

I stared at the key, so small yet weighing like lead in my palm.

All this time, I had wondered why my wicked uncles and cruel cousins had never pursued me in Edmonton.

Now I understood that my grandmother had been my living shield, enduring unspeakable suffering in my stead.

Clutching each other tightly, we’re sobbing unrestrainedly in the hushed hospital room, our tears washing away years of buried sorrow, rage, and longing.

***LUCIEN POV***

“Mrs. Reese,” I asked, my voice suddenly hoarse, “what did you just say? An arranged mating? That can’t be true. My mother was against them; she wanted me to have true love.”

She chuckled lightly. “And what do you think the shooting stars were a sign of what was to come? The Goddess recognized a mismatch for you both separately, and blessed the union.”

Her gaze drifted pointedly to the rare Patek Philippe watch gleaming at my wrist. She nudged her chin toward it.

“That watch? Your parents brought you to Calgary to meet Claire when she was just born. After both families agreed to the betrothal, her father took it right off his own wrist and gave it to you. Surely you must have known about this?”

Every muscle in my body locked.

That watch-I had found it buried in his mother’s most private safe after her passing.

It was a man’s design, and I had always assumed it was an intended coming-of-age gift from her. It was priceless to me, not for its monetary value, but as my last tangible connection to her.

So this was not my mother’s keepsake after all, but an engagement token from Claire’s father?

I could see that Claire was equally stunned.

Her fingers rose to touch the smooth jade pendant at her throat. “And Grandma told me your parents gave me this when I was born.”

Our eyes turned toward each other simultaneously. For one electric moment, a spark seemed to pass

between us, and then we both quickly looked away, visibly flustered.

I leaned forward urgently and took Claire’s grandmother’s thin wrist in my hand. My voice dropped to an urgent whisper. “Mrs. Reese,” I asked, “can you tell me exactly how close my parents were with Claire’s?”