Marked By the Pureblood Alpha (Deanna and Luis) novel Chapter 36

Chapter 36 Let’s Pretend Last Night Never Happened

Deanna’s POV:

I was lost in thought and didn’t notice the wall in front of me.

Suddenly, a warm hand slipped around my waist.

I flinched, snapping back to reality. When I looked up, Luis was staring at me with a teasing glint in his eyes.

“W–what’s wrong?” My voice sounded shaky.

“What were you thinking about? You almost walked into the wall.”

I glanced at the wall just a few feet away, and my cheeks heated. “Thanks,” I mumbled.

He raised a brow. “You think you can drive?”

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His hand was still resting on my waist, the warmth seeping through my thin blouse. A car rolled past in the parking lot, making me even more aware of how close we were. I instinctively stepped back, putting space between us.

I hesitated, then gathered my courage and looked at him.

“Luis, last night was an accident. We’re both adults. Let’s just pretend it didn’t happen.”

The moment the words left my mouth, his expression darkened.

“So what you’re saying is… last night was just a one–night stand?”

His tone carried no emotion, but the weight of it pressed down on me until my chest tightened.

I couldn’t bring myself to meet his eyes. I dropped my gaze in silence.

Luis let out a sharp laugh. “Figures. Once you put your clothes on, you act like you don’t know me–that’s just your style.”

My lips parted; I wanted to rebuke him, but no words came out. All I could do was watch as he turned and walked away, his back cold and unyielding.

By the time I got to the mall for inspections, I still couldn’t shake the angry look on Luis’s face. The thought left me both frustrated and upset.

Why did I say that? Things had just started to get better between us.

“Ms. Wiley? Ms. Wiley?” Kylie’s voice jolted me out of my thoughts.

“Hmm? What is it?”

She handed me a cup of hot coffee and lowered her voice.

“Ms. Pope said this store isn’t performing well. It’s dragging down the mall’s numbers. She wants to know if headquarters is willing to end the contract instead of renewing it.”

I looked at the storefront of Muses. It was a brand selling women’s apparel.

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1:43 am D

Chapter 36 Let’s Pretend Last Night Never Happened

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I remembered this brand.

When Cloudview Mall first opened twenty years ago, they were one of the very first tenants.

Because of the rise of online shopping, this women’s clothing brand had slipped into a gray area–not well–known, but not obscure

either.

Their prices were high, and the customer base was small. Inevitably, sales had dropped year after year.

I pulled my eyes from the storefront and turned to Trina Pope. My voice stayed calm. “Ms. Pope, what’s your personal view?”

She cleared her throat. “Their contract ends at the end of this year. Even though Muses‘ distributor says they want to renew, their revenue keeps falling. They’re dragging the whole mall down. My advice? Cut them.”

I lifted my gaze, letting it rest on her with meaning.

“Ms. Pope, as the operations director of Cloudview Mall, did you try to help them through this slump? For example, did the mall promote Muses during events?”

Her eyes flickered.

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