Fated To Three, Betrayed By All… Until She Rose novel Chapter 40

**Healing Slowly But Surely**
**By R. Joseph**
**Two Presents.**

Leilani.

“Snap back to earth, Sweetcakes!” The sharp sound of fingers snapping, punctuated by that playful yet insistent voice, jolted me back to the present. I blinked rapidly, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment as I realized I had been standing motionless in front of my car, keys clutched tightly in my hand, completely lost in my thoughts. How much time had slipped away?

What the hell just happened?

I quickly glanced over my shoulder, relief flooding through me when I noticed my father had moved on. A heavy sigh escaped my lips, a mix of anxiety and relief washing over me.

“You looked like you’d just seen a ghost and needed a little nudge to wake up.” Jarek’s voice was animated, brimming with mischief. When I didn’t respond immediately, he narrowed his eyes at me, leaning closer as he whispered conspiratorially, “You did see someone, didn’t you?”

A smile crept onto my face at that. I shook my head, turning to unlock my door, but he was quicker than I remembered. Damn it, sometimes I forget just how fast he can be, being an Alpha and all.

In a flash, his large hands wrapped around my wrist, and before I could even process what was happening, he had snatched the keys from my fingers, holding them aloft with a triumphant grin. He released my wrist, crossing his arms over his chest, his tone shifting to something more serious as he asked, “Who was it? Was it one of those ridiculous Alpha triplets… or your sister? Who the hell came here to interrupt you?”

“My father,” I replied simply.

At that revelation, he froze in place, his eyes widening in disbelief. “W-what?” he stammered, clearly taken aback.

“Yes, my father,” I reiterated, a playful smile dancing on my lips. “He stopped by to tell me that Chalice applied for a job here last week and how desperately she needs it. He wants me to put in a good word for her so she can get accepted here…”

He scoffed loudly, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “As if!”

“What do you mean, ‘as if’?” I asked, genuinely confused.

“As if I would ever let her work here and cause more chaos for you than she already has in the past,” he replied without a moment’s hesitation. A strange warmth surged through me at his protectiveness, a feeling that always made me smile.

Whenever Jarek displayed this fierce sense of guardianship, a mix of fear and affection bubbled within me. It left me pondering how different my life might have been if I had received even a fraction of this kind of love from my own family.

“I found her résumé…” I drawled, a teasing grin forming, “…and I tossed it straight into the trash!”

“You did what?” Jarek burst into laughter, the sound so genuine that it lit up his face. The corners of his eyes crinkled with mirth, and soon, tears of laughter began to form.

Holding his stomach with one hand while the other patted my back, he gasped, “You really did that?”

“Yeah,” I admitted, lowering my gaze to hide my blush of embarrassment. “I know it’s not right, but I also know how bratty she can be. I just couldn’t imagine the kind of disruption she’d bring to this place if she got the job, so I got rid of her résumé before it even reached the vetting stage.”

Jarek erupted into laughter again, and this time, I couldn’t help but join him, our shared amusement echoing in the air. Just as suddenly, he turned serious, looking at me with a sly smirk.

“That means she submitted her résumé multiple times.”

I frowned, puzzled. “What do you mean by that?”

With a mischievous glint in his eyes, he winked at me. “I tossed her résumé the first time I found it,” he explained, causing my jaw to drop in shock. “Then, when I noticed she submitted another one, I tossed that one too, thinking it was just a fluke. I had no idea she had submitted it three times! What a persistent woman!”

His sarcasm made me grin like an idiot. Laughter bubbled up again, and I found it impossible to stop.

Jarek.

I finally ceased my laughter when Leilani’s laughter filled the air. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to laugh; rather, I wanted to capture that sound, to lock it away like a precious gift in the recesses of my mind. I wanted to revisit it every night before sleep, until it became a permanent part of me, etched into my very soul.

As I gazed at her, really gazed at her, my heart ached with a longing I couldn’t quite articulate.

Goddess, how I craved her. I needed her like a wolf needs its fur in the cold.

A slow smile spread across my face as she playfully slapped my arm, her eyes sparkling with delight as she exclaimed, “You’re just as bad as me, if not worse!”

“Oh, darling, you’re definitely worse!” I teased back, “Because you look so innocent, no one would ever believe you’re capable of such mischief.”

Her laughter rang out again, more vibrant this time, wrapping around me like a warm embrace.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify