Eloise followed Ainsley into a jewelry store with simple decor. It seemed unremarkable at first glance, with its modest layout and unassuming atmosphere. However, as soon as she stepped inside, she realized that this was no ordinary craft workshop.The interior of the store exuded a sense of artistry. The walls were lined with elegant displays, each housing an array of accessories that seemed to shimmer under the soft glow of the ambient lighting. On both sides of the store, there were a variety of jewelry pieces, each with a unique and intricate design. Some bore the hallmarks of classic elegance, while others had an avant-garde touch, as though they had been crafted by a visionary artist ahead of their time.She couldn't help but exclaim, "This must be some big artist's side business, right? Who owns it?"It might have been true that Ainsley could erase her identity and her past, but he couldn't alter her taste. She had been raised by the old Alpha of the Golden Moon Pack since chil
Eloise still remembered that moment three years ago when she stood in front of that door, looking at Richard through it.Today, she appeared serious and determined. Her steps were slow but firm.As they entered, all eyes were on them.Ainsley was born to attract attention; no one could ignore him. But today, the focus was on Eloise.With a touch of makeup, it was easier for people to recognize her."Is that... Eloise?""Why is she here?""Why is she with Alpha Williams?""I thought she had disappeared.""That was a long time ago. Didn't you know? I heard from Gloria Hill that Eloise had become a shy woman. She's not like she used to be."Whispers spread among the guests as they observed Eloise and Ainsley.Richard and Gary were conversing with the guests when they suddenly noticed Eloise. Their expressions darkened."Why is this woman here? Did you invite her?" Gary asked fiercely.Richard quickly explained, "Dad, I haven't seen her in a long time. Besides, she came with Ainsley."A th
Eloise’s mind cleared after the initial wave of despair. She understood that Pamela had already made her stance clear the moment she said, “I’ll visit you another time.”“Pamela, do you still consider it a kind gesture to visit me?” Eloise asked, her voice laced with cold detachment.Pamela reached for Eloise’s arm, gripping it tightly as if trying to hold onto something already slipping away. But Eloise wasn’t having it. She pushed Pamela’s hand away and took a step back.“Excuse me? Pamela, I’m busy,” she said curtly, her patience worn thin.Without another glance at Pamela, Eloise turned on her heels and walked away, her steps slightly awkward due to the high heels she wore. She headed towards Ainsley, her decision firm.Meanwhile, Gary and Richard stood not far away, observing the scene. When they realized Eloise was not coming toward them, they let out a breath of relief. But before they could fully calm down, a new wave of anxiety struck them.“Why is she heading towards Alpha Wi
Eloise clenched her fists as she voiced her theory, desperately controlling herself for fear that she might lunge forward and strike the man she had called Dad for over twenty years.Her heart ached, a deep, relentless pain that seemed to gnaw at her very soul.The people around her knew that Moonlight Group was nothing more than an empty shell now, but many of them were still interested, continuing to bid with unwavering enthusiasm. Their voices calling out for bids echoed in the grand hall, filling the space with an almost surreal energy.Eloise hated that she couldn't do anything but stand there and watch. She clenched her fists even tighter, her nails digging into her palms, the pain grounding her, keeping her from breaking down completely.Ainsley, standing beside her, studied her with unreadable eyes. “You have run Moonlight Group too well,” he said, his voice carrying an undertone of something she couldn’t quite place. He reached out and gently unclenched her fists, his touch b
Eloise had been shaking with anger, but after Richard spoke those words, she felt herself calming down. Her breath was still heavy, but the storm inside her began to settle. Slowly, she raised her head and looked at the young, handsome face before her, studying every detail as if she were seeing him for the first time. Then, suddenly, a laugh escaped her lips, a bitter, knowing laugh.“I never knew you were so jealous of me, Richard,” she said, her voice laced with quiet amusement. "Grandpa raised me. He taught me everything I knew. Do you think he favored me? Do you think he took your place and handed it to me? Alpha Anthony, do you truly believe I stole everything that should have been yours?”A wave of realization washed over her. She suddenly felt as though she had never truly understood the so-called "family" she had spent the past twenty years with.“Grandpa gave me an opportunity,” she continued, her voice gaining strength. “But he also gave you one. Do you remember that summer
Gary sneered. “You still have the nerve to bring up Grandpa? The Anthony family is ashamed of you! A murderer like you is not one of us!”Eloise bit her lip hard, her whole body trembling.Murderer!The words echoed in her mind, crashing over her like a tidal wave. It crushed her, breaking her from the inside out.She had heard it before. She had been called that before. But today... today, it hurt more than ever.She took a shaky breath. “You call me a murderer?” Her voice was soft, almost too quiet to hear. “Did you see me kill anyone with your own eyes?”She had held this question in her heart for so long. Years of silence. Years of pain. And still, no one believed her.Would they ever?People only saw Eloise's calm face, but they didn't know that she was crying inside. She stood there, her body rigid, her breath measured, but the weight of accusations crushed her from within.Ainsley stood out. This incomparably dazzling man, the embodiment of dominance and command, almost stopped
Then, she turned back to Gary, her voice unwavering. “I want to get back what belongs to me. I offer fifty million.”A pin-drop silence filled the room. Her words were a declaration of war.Gary's face paled. He was caught between two impossible choices. Moonlight Group had already been sold to Theodore, but now, with Ainsley standing behind Eloise, the power dynamic had shifted.Not just Gary but the entire room was left reeling. They had assumed Ainsley had brought Eloise here to break her up. Yet now, she stood, challenging everything they believed.Just when they thought they had figured out the game, the board had changed entirely.Gary glanced at the people around him, feeling a wave of irritation wash over him. The curious stares, the hushed whispers, the way everyone seemed to be waiting for his response. It was suffocating. His fingers curled into fists at his sides. This was supposed to be his night; a moment of triumph, yet Eloise had managed to turn it into something else en
As soon as Lucian left the room, the people who had been simmering with anger but had not dared to voice their feelings suddenly erupted into hushed, bitter curses. Lucian ignored them. He turned, his sharp gaze lingering on the door for a moment before he pulled a cigarette from his pocket. He lit it, inhaling deeply, letting the smoke curl in the dim light. Then, with a flick of his fingers, the cigarette fell silently to the floor. He ground it beneath the polished leather of his shoe, crushing it methodically from side to side, as if trying to extinguish something far more than just the embers.His jaw tightened as he turned to the window, staring out into the night, his expression grim and unreadable. A moment later, he lifted his foot, stepped over the crumpled cigarette, and strode outside. The car tore down the road at an almost reckless speed, the night air whipping against the windshield. But Lucian didn't seem to notice. His hands gripped the wheel tightly,
Ainsley returned to work after resting for a few more days. When Jacob called him……………Ainsley didn’t hesitate. He glanced at Ellison, who looked back at him curiously.“You don’t mind, do you?” Ainsley asked, already picking up the phone before Ellison could even respond. But Ainsley knew this call wasn’t from Jacob.His chest tightened. His voice remained calm, but every nerve in his body stood on edge, waiting and wanting.Then……..“Let the Anthony Group go,” her voice came, stiff, emotion coiled tightly beneath the surface.Ainsley leaned back in his chair. His grip on the phone tightened. It was her. That damn voice, he hadn’t heard it in days, and yet the second she spoke, his entire world tilted.He smiled slowly and coldly, and said in a voice that burned with longing masked as mockery, “Are you begging me now, Eloise? Or is that just your way of dressing up pride in pretty words?”Ellison's blood ran cold.Eloise! The name slammed into his chest like a fist. He stared at Ains
The conference room turned thick with tension as people were afraid Ainsley would make a comeback. If so, they would suffer.Ainsley sat still, the usual fire in his gaze dulled. No color touched his cheeks; he looked neither angry nor defeated.“Ainsley,” one of the shareholders snapped, almost too quickly. “It’s done. Step down from your position. You’re no longer CEO of the Williams Group.”Another chimed in, his voice tremulous but thrilled, “Yes. You heard the board, get the hell out of the building.”Chairs scraped, papers rustled. Tension rolled like a wave about to crash.But then, a voice rang out, cutting clean through the noise. It was steady, almost too steady.“Who said the final vote had been cast, or have I suddenly been removed from the shareholders? Because the last time I checked I happened to be one of the shareholders.”The room fell into a shocked hush, people’s heads snapped toward the source. Gasps rippled across the boardroom. Faces turned pale.Ellison’s brows
Eloise’s brow twitched slightly. Her calm gaze faltered for a second.Jacob caught it. That tiny flicker of emotion sent a surge of rage through him. He threw the apple aside.“Aren’t you worried? "Don’t you care what could’ve happened to him?” he snapped, his eyes burning into her face.Eloise turned her head away. “I didn’t ask him to.”Jacob stood. His voice was firm, serious. “No, you didn’t. But maybe you should’ve. You could hate him, you could curse his name. But don’t act like you don’t care. Because when you collapse, your body answers what your mouth refuses to say. The only treatment you responded to was his touch.”She clenched her jaw. “He locked me in that place. I don’t care how long he sat by my bed.”Jacob stared at her. “Then tell him that. Not to me. "You keep telling everyone you don’t care, but your hands were shaking when he touched you.”She didn’t answer.“During the years you were gone, Ainsley searched for you like a possessed man,” he added, his voice sharp
The car reeked of blood. It was the only smell Ainsley could register; thick, metallic, and heavy in his nose and mouth. He stirred with a low groan, his body aching as if it had been crushed from the inside out. Pain throbbed behind his bandaged head, spreading like wildfire through his skull and down his spine.He tried to move.“Don’t move,” Jacob snapped from the front seat, spinning around. His voice cut through the air like a blade. “You scared the hell out of me, Ainsley. What the fuck were you thinking?”Ainsley winced. His hand reached for the door handle, but it slipped off weakly. His head dropped back, the world spinning.“I passed out again, didn’t I?” he muttered.Jacob’s hands clenched the steering wheel, so tightly his knuckles turned white. “You did more than that. You nearly fucking died. You collapsed in front of a hundred people like your damn soul left your body.”He turned fully to face him, his eyes blazing like fire. “Do you understand what that looked like? Yo
Suddenly, Ellison stood up and pushed Ainsley hard. He said, “Let her go. You’re so selfish! Didn’t you hear her? Eloise has no intention of going with you!”Ainsley, caught off guard, stumbled backward. His usually fierce and commanding presence, like a true Alpha, was broken at an unexpected moment. He collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.Gasps echoed through the crowd, the people’s eyes widened in shock. Even the air seemed to stand still.Jacob’s face darkened. Without hesitation, he rushed forward and knelt beside Ainsley. “Ainsley, are you okay?” His voice cracked with concern as he reached to cradle his head. But his palm came out wet. Jacob looked down and froze. His fingers were stained red.“What is this?” he whispered, stunned.Blood!A sharp silence followed. Ellison, noticing the shift, stepped forward instinctively, but Hank had already rushed past him, panic flashing in his eyes. “Alpha Ainsley?”Eloise’s eyes widened. Her body stiffened, and for a moment, she see
Ellison stood frozen on the stairs, halfway down, his hands clenched tightly on the railing. He’d come down to stop Ainsley, to intervene, but when he saw the fire in Eloise’s eyes, the way she held herself back from launching another object, he couldn't move. Not yet.Ainsley’s cold voice echoed through the tension-filled room. “What else do you want to throw at me? I’ll get it for you.”Ellison stepped forward, breaking the thick silence. “No need to bother you, Ainsley. I’m free right now, and I’ll help her.”Hank took a step, ready to intervene, but Kelly subtly blocked him with a glance.As Ellison reached the floor, he picked up a broom lying nearby. The scrape of the handle against the tiled floor felt too loud in the quiet. He offered it to her with a calm face, but sarcasm glinted in his eyes.“Ma’am, here you go.”Eloise looked at the broom, then at him, her brows furrowed in confusion. “A broom?”He nodded once, the corner of his lips lifting in a crooked smile.“Ma'am, flu
Lucian, unfazed, threw his jacket to the ground in front of Ainsley. “Fine. Let’s see what happens,” he said before he turned and left.Ainsley stayed where he was, watching Lucian’s departure with steely eyes. The tension still hung in the air, thick and unresolved.“We’re going to Waikiki Beach this afternoon,” Ainsley said after a long pause. “I’m sure she’s there. I need to find her.”Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, Eloise paced restlessly in her room, her nerves fraying with each passing moment. Her thoughts spiraled. She had been hiding, but it was all falling apart now. Ainsley was coming for her.No, she told herself. I can’t let him find me. Not again.Then, just as the wind picked up, a familiar warmth brushed against her.Her body stiffened, her breath caught in her throat. She didn’t have to turn to know he was there. The scent of him, so unmistakable, overwhelmed her senses.Ainsley stood behind her, his presence enveloping her. His arms wrapped around her alm
In the car, Ainsley gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white as he sped toward the airport. His mind was spinning. Without thinking, he reached out to Jacob through their mind link. His voice was sharp, his words clipped with urgency.“Do you know Remmy?” Ainsley asked, his tone barely contained as anxiety surged through him.Jacob’s voice crackled through the link, his confusion evident. “Why are you looking for her?” He didn’t fully understand the gravity of the situation.Ainsley’s voice hardened, desperation creeping into his words. “She knows where Eloise is.”Jacob didn’t hesitate. “Understood,” he said, his voice steady despite the tense situation. “I’ll handle it. Do you need me to book you a flight?”“No need,” Ainsley replied immediately, his tone resolute. “I’m heading to the airport now.”As Ainsley disconnected the link, he pushed the accelerator harder, the engine roaring as he raced back home to grab his ID. Every second felt like an eternity, the pressure mountin
“Ellison! "I don’t want to bet anymore!” Eloise shouted at the stage, her voice rough and hoarse, like a desperate cry.“It’s too late,” Ellison’s lips moved, his words like ice. He’d made a decision. Instead of leaving, he wanted to win the bet. More than that, he wanted her.Memories flooded Eloise’s mind, sharp and vivid. In her eyes, Ellison at that moment seemed just like her in the past, lost, defiant, and broken.But Ellison didn’t deserve it! Not after everything.She walked toward the center of the stage, her steps deliberate, her heart pounding with emotion. She bent down and picked up the white shirt from the floor. Her fingers brushed against the fabric, and then she reached for Ellison’s hand, which rested on the zipper of his suit pants. Her voice was low but commanding, “Come with me.”Ellison stood frozen, stunned by the sudden seriousness of her expression. His heart skipped a beat.The audience below the stage began to murmur, their annoyance growing louder. “Who are