99 Times for Alpha’s Bestie novel Chapter 77

My hands burned with pain, making driving myself impossible. Not to mention, I really didn’t have the time to spare to travel to my home and collect my car.

I had no choice but to take a cab to Moonves in loaned hospital scrubs, since my old ones from yesterday were torn and stained in blood.

The moment I entered the office, barely settling into my chair, a colleague knocked sharply on my desk. I could see the judgment at the sight of my bandaged arm and hospital blue scrubs for attire.

“Ms. Taylor demands to see you. Immediately.”

I drew a deep breath, gritting my teeth before walking over and knocking on Queenie’s door.

Inside, Queenie stood arms crossed, her gaze sweeping over me. A mocking smirk curled her lips as she sneered.

“Oh? Weren’t you just bragging about fieldwork yesterday? Now you’re playing hooky? You even tried to dress the part for sympathy. How pathetic. Listen here, Claire, don’t bite off more than you can chew. You should just quit now instead of embarrassing yourself here. Understood?”

I replied flatly, “I’m not faking. It’s a real injury. Technically, this qualifies as a workplace injury.”

“Workplace injury, oh please?” Queenie leaped up like her chair was electrified, slamming her palm onto the desk with a thunderous bang. Her eyes bulged with rage. “Have you no dignity at all? Trying to scam the company on your second day? That desperate for a handout? You’re utterly shameless!”

The office door stood wide open, and Queenie’s shrill tirade echoed through the entire design department.

When door burst open with a resounding crash, Liam shouldered through, sending it against the wall.

Queenie, mid-tirade, jolted at the noise and shrieked.

“What the f**k? Can’t you see I’m in the middle of-” Her voice died abruptly.

Queenie froze instantly, her face cycling between ghostly white and mottled red.

This was the very man she’d pined after for years, whose photo even adorned her bedside.

“L-Liam? H-how did you end up here?” The shrewish screeching evaporated into a sickly-sweet baby voice in a heartbeat.

I turned slightly at the sound, my gaze landing on Liam standing rigid by the doorway with one hand in his pocket.

“Just passing by,” he said.

I knew this was a lie. I suspected that Liam found my hospital room empty after he played doting boyfriend to Breanne and tracked me down.

Queenie’s smiled with glee at the idea that Liam was visiting her.

“Liam, you really didn’t have to check on me. I forgive you for standing me up last night. I know you’re busy -I get it. I’m a career woman too.” Two unseemly splotches of rouge bloomed on her cheeks as she simpered forward.

At this, a flicker of a sardonic smile touched my lips.

That subtle mockery ignited Queenie’s humiliation. She immediately rounded on me.

“Claire! What’s so funny? Jealous that Liam came to see me now that you’ve bored him to no end and rejected your incompetent ass, is that it?”

“She reports to you?” Liam asked.

Queenie nodded frantically, “Oh, Liam, she’s a complete disaster, ruined her arm in one day! Good riddance when you rejected her. This worthless trash could never measure up to you. Breanne and I always said you deserved better than this. We made it our mission to remind her of that each time we saw her, too. I can’t believe that the Goddess would match someone as perfect as you with someone as lowly as her”

I realized that Queenie was misreading the reactions of Liam.

She was convinced Liam loathed me, and she piled on the vitriol, desperate for his approval.

Liam’s eyes darkened, “So after you dragged her in here straight from the hospital, where she endured documented surgery on her injury, preventing her from even going home to shower yesterday’s blood off and change out of these loaned hospital scrubs, you decided that humiliating her in front of the entire department was an appropriate response as her supervisor?”

Queenie faltered under his glacial stare. Mistaking his fury for disdain, she backpedaled frantically.

“Exactly! Late on her second day, utterly unprofessional. The hospital claim was a mere excuse to play hooky. Liam, I know she disgusts you. I’ll have her out the door this instant.” Her voice spiked to a shrill shriek as she jabbed a finger toward the exit.

“Claire! Out-now! Consider yourself fired!”

I forced down the rising bile and turned to leave, only for Liam to block my path with unshakable authority.

His glare pinned Queenie where she stood.

“You’re dismissing her?”

“Liam, trash like her isn’t worth-”

“My attention,” he cut in, “Since when do you decide my mate’s worth?” It was Liam’s wolf asking this time, not Liam.

Before anyone breathed, he seized my wrist, interlacing our fingers with possessive certainty. Our clasped hands landed like an invisible slap across Queenie’s face.

Queenie’s makeup stood garish against her sudden pallor. “L-Liam? Claire’s just-”

“My mate,” he declared, steel in every syllable. His scathing glance reduced her to gutter filth. “Always has been. Always will be.”

The words hit Queenie like a sledgehammer. Her knees gave way, vision swimming. “You-you can’t mean

Liam advanced, the air around him turning oppressive. “You pitied me?” His laugh was a blade. “You dare pity me?”

The department froze, silence swallowing the room.

“No!” Queenie gasped, hate-filled eyes darting to me, “She’s conned you. That pathetic act is all fake.”

“News flash, Queenie, I was the one who rushed her into the hospital. Her injuries are not fake, but you are!

Liam and Queenie seemed to be locked in a staredown. One searching for a reason, the other dominant and angry.

After maintaining my silence throughout the confrontation, I finally raised my eyes, meeting Queenie’s gaze with a calm yet frostily mocking tone.

“Ms. Taylor, I’ve recorded every word of your baseless accusations. Fabricate one more lie about me, and my lawyer will file a lawsuit before you can blink.”

That was the last straw. Queenie’s face turned deathly pale, her expression crumbling into pure terror.

Liam didn’t grant her another glance, as though she were beneath his notice.

“My mate,” he stated, tightening his grip on my hand, his voice low and deliberate, each word heavy with warning, “isn’t someone you can insult. Try this again, and I promise you will regret it.”

Without sparing another moment on the ashen-faced Queenie, he turned sharply, marching out while pulling me limply along.

“Alpha Sterling! What an unexpected honour to have you visit Moonves-my sincerest apologies for not greeting you properly!”

Just as we turned, the CEO, Merlin White, materialized at the department entrance, all smiles and fawning gestures.

I jerked my hand away as if scalded, my face twisting in discomfort. The one thing I had fought to keep hidden was my connection to the Sterling. Thanks to Liam trying to play white knight, it was now public knowledge around the office.

“Mr. White…”

Liam levelled his gaze at the man, his voice laced with something unreadable as his eyes narrowed slightly. “When did Moonves start employing my mate without my knowledge?”