HIS DOE, HIS DAMNATION (An Erotic Billionaire Romance) novel Chapter 93

Meadow’s POV:

All afternoon and even into the evening, I couldn’t get Yvonne’s words out of my mind. The moment I got home, I decided to distract myself with some school preparations. I connected with another girl who was also going to attend the online classes and we went back and forth with discussions.

But still, Yvonne and Alaric lingered in my mind.

This shouldn’t have been affecting me this much, but I was tired of ignoring and denying the fact that I was deeply affected by my husband. And that I wanted him to be mine and mine alone.

Not Yvonne’s. Or Clarissa’s.

Just… mine.

I couldn’t question him about his time spent with Clarissa in Vegas, because I wasn’t supposed to know that. I wasn’t supposed to know Clarissa the way I did, so it would just be suspicious to him.

All I could do was act out.

Which was why I was asking Mel for Alaric’s phone number.

She looked at me like I had just said something crazy–which I had. Because how on earth did I not have Alaric’s phone number?

“You don’t have your own husband’s contact?” She teased. “This has to be the first I’ve ever heard of it.”

I shrugged. “Well, I’ve never really felt like I needed it.” Except yesterday when I wanted to go see my sick best friend and I couldn’t call my husband to dismiss his bodyguards.

My cheeks still burned with humiliation whenever I thought about it.

She handed me her phone and stood back while I typed the numbers into my own phone. “By the way.

Cami hasn’t been here in a while. Is she okay?”

Mel grinned. “Perfect. She’s been so booked lately, I’m even starting to get worried that she doesn’t have time for herself.” She paused, tilting her head. “Although, now that I think of it, Mr. Ashford must’ve had something to do with that.”

I slid her phone across the counter to her. Why do you think he had something to do with it?” I asked, brows drawing together in confusion.

Mel heaved a sigh. “He’s offered to get a studio for her before, you know, so she can have her clients come in and she won’t have to be on the move all the time, but Cami, stubborn as she is, adamantly refused his help.”

I let out a chuckle as Mel shook her head. “Though, I don’t blame her. Mr. Ashford has done so much for us already, and I fear she feels like she owes him. But so do I.”

My shoulders fell. Mel had said this a few weeks back when I first moved in here. It still wasn’t in my place to ask what he did, but the curiosity nagged me.

Mel laughed lightly. “But when he sets his mind to something, he’s going to do it, one way or another. And he may have held off on the studio, but something tells me he’s the reason Cami’s so busy–and loving it.”

“That’s…nice.” Something tugged at my heart strings and I looked away, blinking. I was still mad at him, but now I just… I wanted to fall into his arms.

“Are you alright, honey?”

I exhaled sharply before looking back at Mel. There was so much concern and worry in her eyes, and no one had ever looked at me the way she did right now. With so much compassion.

Not even my own mother.

I had never ever done something like that before. That was a fucking risky text, and I had no idea how he was going to react to it.

But then, I remembered the cameras, and my breath hitched. If Alaric noticed that I was nervous, that would elicit a different reaction from him–maybe.

But wasn’t that what I wanted? For him to keep seeing me as the innocent, vulnerable girl he thought I was?

I waited for a full minute before picking my phone from the bed. He hadn’t replied yet. Maybe he was busy? Maybe he was in a meeting…

But he couldn’t be in a meeting. It was already late, almost 8pm. And right as I was about to drop the phone again, it buzzed in my hand.

Only, it wasn’t a text.

Alaric. Was. Calling. Me.

Mt heart flew to my throat, my breath hitching as I swiped right to answer and raised the phone to my ear.

And when Alaric spoke, all the reasons I was mad at him just… floated away.

“Distracting me while I’m at work?” he asked. His voice was deep and smooth as butter as it sounded through the speaker. A dark chuckle rumbled in his throat. “How very naughty of you, Doe.”