99 Times for Alpha’s Bestie novel Chapter 82

Outside the door, Liam fixed me in place with a glare. Great, I think to myself as I roll my eyes in annoyance at his arrival.

Before I could speak, he shouldered his way in, scanning the room like a threat assessment.

The scene was chaos incarnate.

There Lucien lounged, shirt gaping open, trousers slung low on his hips.

Meanwhile, I stood flushed and flustered, hair dishevelled, clutching a mysterious tube of gel like a guilty secret.

I knew exactly where Liam’s head was taking this scene before him.

In a flash, Liam shoved past me and lunged at the sofa, seizing Lucien’s collar with a knuckle-whitening grip.

“You soulless snake,” Liam spat through gritted teeth. “To pull this s**t in broad daylight, how dare you-”

“Patience, foolish Alpha. Claire and I have barely started.” Lucien lifted his lids a fraction.

I could see that the offhand remark confirmed Liam’s worst fears.

“When I really begin, like any great master of art, I never rush perfection. That is how you sort out the boys from the men.” Lucien smirked.

I moved to intervene until that outrageous line slithered into my ears.

My face burned crimson from ears to collarbone, every explanation dying in my throat.

Stop it, Claire! I reprimanded myself. I was acting like some foolish schoolgirl with a crush. Why now? I’d never had feelings for Lucien before.

Did I?

I was naively claiming it a friendship bond or a pseudo-sibling bond, because of our parents’ staged marriage in the end. By then, Lucien was no longer himself, and I was pushed away. Maybe that was why I never had a clear understanding of my affection towards him?

No! Focus!

“Save your bragging for someone who cares,” Liam roared, veins bulging at his temples. “You took her from the restaurant, claiming that this was business! What kind of f****d-up business involves-”

Lucien met Liam’s glare with unflinching directness.

“Business was, the plan. Then our adorable interactions got in the way. But why do you care, Mr. Ex-mate? Isn’t Breanne out there in the mean streets of her own dramatics needing a hero?”

Liam saw red, his fists clenching.

I knew that that single word, ex-mate, hit him like a gut punch, robbing his accusations of their force.

“This absolutely concerns me,” Liam bulldozed on, desperate to prove his point. “I was negotiating with her when you hijacked the deal. Our mating bond was fine until you showed up and poisoned everything. You’re a manipulative snake, Lucien, you are nothing but a filthy homewrecker.”

“And?”

“Get out of Claire’s place now.” Liam stabbed a finger at the door. “Cancel all your deals with her. I won’t let

=her near a toxic bastard like you.”

I glared at Liam as he laid out a slew of insults in the true hypocritical fashion of a Sterling member.

It was the sound of fabric rustling as Lucien stretched lazily that snapped my attention back to him. I gasped, but he didn’t flinch.

“Claire, you have to decide now. Choose between us, who stays?” Liam demanded expectantly.

“You! I never invited you in and to be frank, I don’t respect how you have already attempted to hold power over me and my job. It’s pathetic. Now leave.” I said to Liam without missing a beat.

He stared, utterly floored, fingers curling into white-knuckled fists. “You’re throwing me out? After everything, Claire?”

Lucien’s smirk deepened, as if he’d predicted this. “We were-interrupted earlier,” he murmured. “Shall we resume?”

The phrasing was clinical, but something about it made my ears burn. I exhaled sharply.

“Fine. Let’s finish this.”

Liam gaped like a fish out of water. “Finish? Claire, no! Finish what? Explain, or I’m not moving.”

He threw himself onto the opposite couch.

Lucien sat up, the sudden movement causing his freshly cleaned wound to begin bleeding again.

I couldn’t bear to watch. Dismissing Liam’s unreasonable interference, I grabbed the ointment and stepped forward urgently.

“Same plan as before. I’m on top, you handle the bottom. We’re wasting time; this wound could get infected.”

“Fine. You on top, I’m on bottom,” Lucien complied, lying back obediently.

My face burned. For a second, I forgot how to speak. Why’d he have to tease like this? It wasn’t how I meant it, and now- it was all I could think about.

I squeezed out the gel. Wordlessly, Lucien scooped a portion from my palm as I did the same, oddly enough, we worked in perfect sync effortlessly.

After applying the gel, I secured fresh gauze over the wound, finishing with a meticulous bow at his chest.

Though Liam sat mere feet away, he might as well have been invisible.

The truth must have by now dawned on him. There was nothing scandalous that had occurred. I was simply tending to Lucien’s injury.

Yet the realization seemed only to deepen his confusion. It made no sense.

Liam glared at Lucien with enough venom to freeze lava. But Lucien never bothered to look up.

I could see the tension lift from Lucien’s facial features. The ache in his chest eased under my gentle touch, replaced by a cooling relief that dulled the pain. The chill would have numbed the stinging ache that had been gnawing on his nerves for days.

A faint smirk curled his lips as his mood lifted unexpectedly.

Lucien’s gaze drifted toward the kitchen, as if a stray thought popped into his head.

I could almost instantly guess what he was thinking. He wasn’t fooling me. I was finally figuring this newer version of Lucien out.

“Lucien, do you want me to cook you some of my spaghetti again?” My eyes sparkled playfully as I tilted my head.

Lucien didn’t hesitate. He nodded, and my face lit up.

“Coming right up!”

Liam’s jaw tightened as I walked away. “Hey, I want spaghetti too!”

But I was already gone, throwing back over my shoulder. “Only if you mop the floor first. You brought in nothing but filth; it’s staining the floors.”