KESTER.
I exhaled slowly. “So let me get this straight. This pathetic excuse of a stepsister not only has support from other Alphas, but her mate is one of the big names on the list?”
My father didn’t answer, but his silence said enough.
It was all coming together. Alpha Wes and Kex were acquaintances. And Wes was rumored to have gotten his mate just recently. I didn’t know it was Karina all along.
So, Kex wasn’t the only one who wanted to see my company crumble. Karina was pulling strings behind the curtains.
Fuck.
Who would have thought?
I was beginning to see more reasons why I should take the Alpha King position. I swear to fuck, I was tempted. Because that would be the only way I’d shut these bastards up for good.
I clenched my jaw, shoving my hands deeper into my pockets. “So let me guess,” I said in a tight, mocking voice, “You knew this whole time, didn’t you?”
Still, nothing.
“Of course you did.” I scoffed, shaking my head. “How does it feel, old man?” I asked, my voice dripping with mock sympathy. “Knowing the very problem you created is the one that’s fucking you over the most?”
My father shot up from his seat, his glass hitting the counter with a dull clink. “Karina is also my daughter, Kester!” His face went red with rage. “Even though her mother wasn’t my wife! Stop making me feel like I am wrong for having a heart toward her! I am her father!”
Finally. Some fight.
“Is that why she is set to inherit half your wealth and properties?” My stepmother spoke up, and at last, some truths began to fly around: “Not a single mention of Kasmine in your will? I thought she was your daughter, too.” She let out a bitter laugh. “Besides, you told me Karina was dead. You never spoke about her. And now she’s out there threatening my daughter?”
My spine stiffened.
What. The. Fuck?
Karina? Threatening Kasmine?
My pulse hammered, my fists curling at my sides. “What the fuck did she say?” I asked, my tone eerily calm, the storm inside me brewing into something lethal.
Jorja’s lips pressed together before she spoke. “She said Kasmine is always too nosy. And if she ever sticks her nose where it doesn’t belong, she won’t hesitate to take her out of the picture.”
A chilling silence followed. My blood ran ice-cold.
That bitch.
Speaking of Kasmine.
Where the fuck was she?
I straightened, scanning the room. My gut twisted.
“Where is Kasmine?” I asked, abandoning the information Jorja had just spewed moments ago. We’ll deal with inheritance later.
Besides, Karina won’t live long enough to see my father die, let alone lay a single fucking finger on what he owned.
Jorja hesitated. “She stepped out just a moment-”
I didn’t let her finish.
Fuck! She never listens!
“Did she say where she was headed?” My patience was wearing thin, a raw edge creeping into my voice.
Jorja shook her head, and that was all it took for something dark and cold to settle in my chest.
Karina had already crossed the line.
But if she so much as touched Kasmine?
***
What the fuck was the app doing taking me toward Leropita Hospital? I wondered, turning the steering in the direction either way. Even though I knew Kasmine had no business being there.
I glanced at the app again, the little red dot blinking in the same spot.
Why was she just standing on the premises? Or was she with someone?
I tried calling her for the eleventh time and she was still not answering her phone.
I gritted my teeth, shoving down the spike of panic clawing at my chest.
It was past 4 pm already, and she was still not home, nor was she reachable.
I tightened my grip on the wheel, my jaw locking as my mind spun through possibilities, and none of them were good.
I didn’t want to panic. Fuck. I couldn’t panic.
But my gut was screaming at me, telling me something was wrong.
The red dot on the app moved, and so did my heart. It almost jumped out of my chest.
Where the fuck was she going?
I slammed my foot against the accelerator, pushing the car faster than I should. The hospital was just ahead, but I was still too fucking far. The tracker showed her shifting positions too rapidly, which meant-
She wasn’t just walking.
She was either walking faster than she should, or she was running… She was in danger.
I sincerely hoped the former was what it was and that I wasn’t being paranoid.
I cursed under my breath, weaving through the sparse afternoon traffic. My pulse was like a hammer against my ribs, my grip iron-tight on the steering wheel. The moment I turned into Leropita Hospital’s parking lot, my eyes darted to the map.
The red dot had stopped.
She was here.
I barely put the car in park before I was out, the door slamming shut behind me. The soles of my black Berluti Oxfords struck the pavement hard, my long strides eating up the distance.
The parking lot was nearly deserted, save for a few scattered cars.
And then, I stopped as soon as my gaze fell on her, standing behind a dark Sedan, partially hidden from sight.
But she wasn’t alone.
A figure stood too fucking close to her, and I’d be damned if I didn’t recognize him-even in a drunken haze, even in the darkest fucking pit of hell.
Every muscle in my body coiled tight, my fingers twitching at my sides. The urge to rip him apart was a wildfire in my chest.
He had his hands in his pockets, standing too relaxed and too at ease.
“What the fuck are you doing with her?” I asked, and he turned to face me with those dead, Hazel eyes of his that held zero curiosity.
But his lips twitched, amusement ghosting over his face as he spoke.
“Hello, Kester. Glad you could join us.”