Ethan P. O. V
“Did she ever meet Lucy?” Chen Lien suddenly threw that question at me. Naturally, I replied with a yes.
When I probed him about it, he shot me a smile laced with anger, which sparked another question in my mind.
“Why’s that?”
“You’re being too reckless.”
“What do you mean by that?”
He looked at me like I had committed some major blunder, and it seemed to disappoint him more than anything. Usually, no matter how poorly I perform, Chen Lien always finds something nice to say. But right now, everything just feels off.
“Now look at her; she’s probably super jealous, which could mess up our whole plan.
“Jealous? Why would he even feel that way? That’s ridiculous.”
“If I’m just rambling, then why did he rush to his room? He didn’t say a word to you, did he?”
“Can you just drop it? I don’t want to hear this.”
“But you need to consider it if you want to get what you’re after, right? Just remember to be nice to him first.” He said as he strolled off.
Seeing Chen Lien walk away made me let out a sigh. Maybe he was onto something for some reason, but I should be more congenial with Claire. But if I had to do more than that, it would mean giving her more attention, and honestly, that’s not something I wanted to do.
I followed in Chen Lien’s footsteps. When he swung open the door to my study at the end of the hallway, I found him lounging with one leg propped up on the table. His back was to hers, and she had let her hair down.
“Man, I’ve got to hand it to you, you’re a genius at everything-women, business, conflict, and leadership. But when it comes to choosing your words, you really drop the ball.”
“I’m the Alpha. No one can control me.”
It doesn’t really matter if you’re an Alpha or a king. What counts is that you can engage in things that pique her interest.
“She’s already interested.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“If you can’t keep yourself in check, she’ll take control.”
I couldn’t help but smirk a bit at that. Claire Halle has a way of getting under my skin, even though I usually don’t let anyone have that kind of power over me. Not anyone, not even Claire, despite knowing she’s my destined mate.
I took my time responding to Chen Lien’s question. The room was filled with a table stacked with perfectly arranged wine bottles and glasses. As I poured myself a drink, Chen Lien reached out, also wanting a glass for herself.
Honestly, this guy is the one person I just can’t say no to. It’s funny because he doesn’t hold any actual status in this Pack, but I cannot deny any of his wishes. Chen Lien has become a key player here; she’s not just about the cash and influence. She’s given me so much more.
So, when he asked for a glass of wine, I handed it over right away, and we ended up sitting across from each other.
“It’s just not going to happen, even if she’s my fated mate.”
“What the-”
“Yeah, I realized it the moment we met there. She just showed up at the building where you told me the deal was happening.”
“Did you figure that out right away?”
“Absolutely. I could totally pick up on her pheromones; they were super strong and hit me hard the first day we crossed paths. The more I tried to deny it, the more I knew she was the one the moon goddess had chosen for me.”
“Does Lucy know about this?”
I shook my head and slowly sipped my wine before replying. “Nope. She only learned that Claire is the last descendant of Jacob Wensiker, and if Christopher Gale finds out she’s here, I have no doubt they’ll come after me eventually.”
“That’s why you need me?”
“To get what you want, you need to help me earn Claire Halle’s trust too.”
I said this while glancing at Chen Lien, who looked worn out. He was holding his wine glass, gently shaking it, and the ice cubes clinked loudly in the otherwise silent room.
“I really believe she’s too innocent to be treated like this, Ethan.”
“Do you really think I have the luxury of time for that?”
“You might want to try to win her over a bit, so she doesn’t dislike you as much as you think. After all, isn’t she supposed to be your fated mate?” Chen Lien slammed back his drink and pulled a USB drive, placing it before me.
“Check this out. You’ll really dig what I’ve got for you.
“Is this what you mentioned on the phone earlier?”
Chen Lien nodded, confirming my suspicion. I was intrigued by what he had said the other day about a new kind of medicine I was interested in.
Honestly, I might not be that keen. Still, if this thing gets developed, it could turn into a hot new medicine that everyone will want and sell for a pretty penny.
I picked up the flash drive and headed to my desk to power the computer. A smile spread when I checked out what was on the flash. Everything looked just like I had envisioned, and the drug development was nearly eighty percent complete.
“How much will they sell that to me?”
“You can just ask them yourself.” Chen Lien replied to all my questions with a pretty indifferent tone.
It was clear he was upset with me. Even though I understood why he felt that way, I tried not to let it bother me and stayed focused on what I wanted.
“When was the last time you meet up with them about this?”
“I can’t recall,” he said again, standing up, setting his empty wine glass down, and walking away.
“Our chat isn’t finished yet. Where do you think you’re going?” I asked, trying to keep him from leaving the room.
But Chen Lien, who never listened to me, just shook her head as she pulled on the door handle, her expression unchanged since she called me heartless. Isn’t that just who I am?
“I’ll catch you later after I get some sleep,” he said, stepping through the door and leaving me alone as he shut it firmly behind him.
I just let out a sigh and leaned back in my chair. No matter how long Chen Lien and I had been friends, it felt like I could never really understand what was happening in her head. We might as well have been strangers.
“What if I don’t treat her as we are mate?” I muttered, staring up at the ceiling with another deep sigh.