“Celina is out again today,” came the steady voice of the stalker I’d arranged. “She went to your old high school and then to a high-end community called Lantern Garden. The security there is very strict; visitors can’t enter without prior authorization from residents.”
“Has she been inside?”
“Yes, she has. It must have been approved by a resident.”
My brows knitted together, and my voice turned icy. “Send me the address. Keep watching her.”
I ended the call and stood by the window, clenching my fists tightly.
How could she go there? The high school? Lantern Garden? Didn’t she say she’d moved on?
Who was she meeting?
I hated this feeling-being out of control, uncertain, as if she no longer belonged to me.
She is mine. The marriage certificate still exists. Her name, her ring, her past-all mine. I can make mistakes and stray, but she cannot. She must only look at me, surround me, belong to me alone.
I turned around, and Cira pressed herself against me, wrapping her arms around my waist like a clingy octopus.
“Why do you keep staring at her?” she murmured, dissatisfied and coquettish. “You don’t love her anymore, right?”
I yanked her hand away and glared.
“Redo the proposal. Take it seriously. If you don’t understand, ask the department head.”
She blinked in shock. “You want me to ask… them?”
I sneered. “They know better than you.”
Celina
Back in the quiet solitude of my new apartment, I carefully placed the time capsule on a shelf. There was no reason to destroy it-not when it held so much more than just memories of Xavien. My life had always been bigger than him, and it would continue to be.
Suddenly, my phone buzzed. Xavien’s name lit up the screen.
Had he somehow sensed the inevitable collapse of our marriage? Was this his last desperate attempt to keep the flame alive before it flickered out completely?
I let the call ring, neither answering nor declining. When it finally stopped, a new message notification popped up.
I rolled my eyes and unlocked the phone-only to find it wasn’t from Xavien at all. It was Lian. He had finally replied.
Had Sebastian Black at last made up his mind about what he wanted from me?
My fingers trembled slightly as I opened Lian’s message.
“Alpha Sebastian will be meeting a client at the Amanson Hotel this Friday. Perhaps you could deliver the suit there, Celina.”
What?
I stared at the screen, my mind swirling with question marks. Sebastian wanted to see me again? At a hotel? And not just any hotel-the Amanson was so secluded that if you screamed for help, no one would hear you.
What exactly was this powerful Alpha planning?
I didn’t dare jump to conclusions. It wasn’t that I lacked courage to seize an opportunity placed right in front of me; rather, I simply couldn’t decipher this enigmatic man’s true intentions. All I wanted was to focus on my career, not get tangled in more complications.
After several minutes of careful thought, I decided to treat him the same way he treated me-coldly. I chose not to respond.
Two hours later, I was driving out of my apartment complex.
As I pulled through the gate, my heart skipped a beat when I spotted a familiar Ferrari parked nearby.
I slammed on the brakes immediately.
Inside the car, Xavien leaned back in the passenger seat, a cigarette curling smoke around his gloomy face.
Taking a deep breath, I quickly ran through all possible ways to handle this encounter in my mind. Then, gathering my resolve, I pulled up beside him, stepped out, opened the passenger door, and slid into the seat.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice icy, eyes locked onto his. “Are you following me?”
He said nothing. Instead, he reached over to the dashboard, grabbed his phone, and tossed it into my lap.
I looked down and saw the registration form for residents of the Lantern Garden Community.
So, he had come prepared to confront me.
I felt no emotional surge-only a calm resolve as I handed the phone back to him. My tone was as neutral as if we were discussing the weather. “I’ve worked hard for years and bought my own house. Is that a problem?”
His eyes turned as cold as ice. “Why did you hide it from me?”
“I don’t owe you an explanation,” I replied evenly. “I paid the down payment myself. Not a single penny came from you.”
He let out a cold laugh, as if I’d just told the most ridiculous joke. A mocking sneer flickered beneath his eyes. “When have I ever been stingy with money? Which piece of jewelry I gave you isn’t worth more than that house?”
I didn’t answer.
Because he never understood that those jewels were never what I truly wanted.
Then, without a word, he pulled out his wallet, extracted several black and platinum credit cards, and scattered them across my lap like playing cards. The cold metal pressed against my skirt.
“Want to buy a house? Go ahead. They’re all in your name. Buy as many as you want. Just be happy.”
I laughed, but there was no warmth in it.
“Thank you, Alpha Xavien, for your generosity.”
Maybe I should have accepted this “compensation,” continued playing the part of the carefree woman who spends money without a second thought, numb and obedient-a beautiful toy under his control.
It sounded so easy.
But I wasn’t willing to surrender.
One by one, I picked up the cards and gently but firmly slipped them back into his wallet.
“I don’t need a house right now. I’ll talk about it if I ever do.”
I placed my own wallet softly on his lap, as if quietly returning the relationship itself.
He was momentarily speechless, clearly confused about what exactly I was angry about.
I was about to open the door and leave when suddenly he grabbed my hand. His eyes locked onto mine, sharp and intense like a hawk’s.
“You don’t believe me anymore?”
A bitter smile tugged at the corner of my lips.
Are you only realizing this now?
I withdrew my hand, my smile bright but edged with bitterness.
“It doesn’t matter if you believe it or not. Just be happy.”
At that moment, my phone rang again.
I froze-was it Lian? Another message?
Xavien’s face darkened as he noticed my reaction.
“You don’t answer my calls or texts, but when someone else reaches out, you respond quickly.”
Slowly, I pulled out my phone.
The screen displayed the name: “Mrs. Grant.”
Seeing this, he exhaled sharply, relief washing over his features.
“Take it,” he said.
I pressed the answer button. “I’m with your son. Would you like to speak to him first?”
There was a pause on the other end before he regained his composure.
“No need. I just wanted to ask if you still want the bag you looked at earlier.”
“Absolutely,” I replied briskly. “I’ve been sending my bags for laundry lately, and I’m missing one.”
“Okay, let’s get it.”
The call ended.
Xavien frowned. “When did you become so close with her?”
“Don’t you want me to argue less with your mother?” I asked. “Or would you rather we stay at odds?”
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