Cecilia
I fled Sebastian’s office like a started deer, my heart hammering in my chest as I wobbled down the hallway.
My heels clacked against the polished floor, every step more unsteady than the last-as if I’d downed an entire bottle of whiskey.
My treacherous Jimmy Choos finally decided they’d had enough of my reckless escape and exacted their revenge.
My ankle twisted violently beneath me.
“Shit!” I hissed, pain shooting up my leg as 1 grabbed the wall for support.
Limped back to my office, leaning heavily against anything that would hold me upright.
Fantastic. One run-in with Alpha “Emotionally Unavailable and Inconveniently Gorgeous”and I was already falling apart.
Note to self: Women should weld their hearts shut. With industrial-grade steel. And maybe a padlock. Or three.
By afternoon, I’d swapped the heels for flats, iced the ankle into submission, and downgraded from tragic lurch to mildly pathetic shuffle.
I planned to visit a sports therapy clinic after work-the one where my dad used to go for his tennis injuries.
The weekend was creeping in, and I’d already called my parents to let them know I was crashing at their place.
Because my apartment?
Yeah. It had officially earned “cursed zone”status.
As the workday neared its end, Beta Sawyer appeared at my desk with news that made my stomach drop.
“Next Saturday, the Alpha is heading to the London branch, he announced casually.
My brain short-circuited.
“Can l… not go?”blurted out stupidly.
Beta Sawyer chuckled, his eyes sympathetic. “What do you think? Not only are we going, but the Alpha’s selecting additional staff to accompany us. London’s operation is bigger than Denver’s. You should rest up this weekend-it won’t be easy.”
felt the blood drain from my face as my mind catalogued the impending disasters: my partially functional ankle, the gala I was supposed to attend next Friday, and then this trip the very next day.
But what terrified me most was the prospect of being in close proximity to Sebastian for days on end.
At least in the office, work hours provided some semblance of safety and structure.
But business trips…
The memories of our previous trips flashed through my mind, along with our recently “evolved” relationship.
My vision started tunneling.
“Cecilia? Are you alright?”Beta Sawyer’s concerned voice broke through my panic.
He looked genuinely worried as he took in my expression.
Poor Beta-caught between his loyalty to his Alpha and his friendship with me.
Sometimes forced to be an unwitting accomplice in Sebastian’s games.
“I’m fine,” I managed, regaining my composure. “Just twisted my ankle earlier. It’s a bit sore.”
His eyebrows shot up. “You hurt your ankle? Did you damage the bone?
You should get it checked out!”
“ll go after work.”
“No, go now,” he insisted, straightening his shoulders. “Don’t wait. If the Alpha asks, I’ll handle it.”
Gratitude washed over me. “Sawyer, you really are my battle buddy in all this.”
He looked away, a flicker of guilt crossing his features. “It’s nothing, really.”
..except when I occasionally defect to the enemy side, his expression seemed to say.
I left work early, grateful my left ankle didn’t affect my driving.
I headed to Mountain Peak Sports Therapy-a clinic my father had frequented whenever he’d pulled something during his weekend games.
Back in high school, my parents had moved closer to my school, and this place had become our go-to for muscle strains and sprains.
The moment I walked in, Dr. Han, the owner and chief therapist, recognized me. “If it isn’t Professor Moore’s daughter! Cecilia, right?”
I nodded with a smile. “You remember me, Dr. Han.”
‘How could I forget? Every time you came with your father, those boys /from the barbershop next door would wander over. Your dad guarded you like you were the Crown Jewels.”
“He was so overprotective.”
“Not at all! If I had a daughter as beautiful as you, l’d chase away any guy who came within thirty feet of her.”
His comment made me laugh, dispelling some of the tension I’d been carrying. We chatted for a few more minutes before I explained my ankle situation.
I settled into the treatment chair while he examined me.


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