Defy The Alpha(s) novel Chapter 439

Chapter 439: The Cornered Animal

The restaurant was all polished woods, velvet chairs, and had the kind of silence that said important people ate here. In one word, it had all the warmth of a graveyard. And seated at the head of the table like a king in his den was President Roy.

Except there was one person Jameson hadn’t mentioned would be present.

Natalie froze, the breath knocked from her lungs like a sucker punch at the sight of her.

Kate.

Her stepmother.

Kate was seated beside her father and looked up the second she sensed her arrival.

"Oh, look who finally showed up," Kate said, smiling far too brightly as she peered over the rim of her glass.

But Natalie didn’t move, she stood there like a deer caught in headlights.

"What are you standing there for? That’s President Roy. Greet him," Jameson nudged her with an elbow, snapping her out of it.

President Roy didn’t look like a president, at least not in the stiff, boring way most imagined. He was in his early fifties, but age sat lightly on him.

His red hair, brushed back with a touch of silver at the temples, gave him a graceful, striking edge. Dressed in a crisp navy shirt with rolled sleeves and dark trousers, President Roy looked relaxed, in control, and deceptively approachable. Fit, tall, and confident, he wore power without needing to flaunt it.

"Hello, Mr. President," Natalie greeted, her voice breathy like someone who’d just sprinted a mile.

"Hello, Natalie. How long has it been? Last year?" He asked, his green eyed studying her.

"Two years ago, sir," she replied politely.

"Oh," Roy was taken aback. "How quickly time flies."

"Indeed," said David, Natalie’s father, gesturing to the chair. "The kids grow up so fast these days. What are the both of you waiting for? Sit already."

Natalie and Principal Jameson slid into their seats, directly opposite David Avax and his wife, Kate. At once, uniformed waiters approached them and began to serve the first course: rosemary butter scallops, a bowl of pumpkin soup with smoked cream for Jameson, and grilled seabass fillet with a side of truffle risotto for Natalie.

"I saw your interview," Kate said to her, slicing through the silence like one of the steak knives on the table. "You did well."

Natalie’s fingers tensed slightly against her napkin. She didn’t look at her when she said, "Thank you."

And that was all. There was no warmth, nor any follow-up to her words.

David let out a dry chuckle. "That’s more than you’ve said to your mother in two years."

President Roy, already lifting his glass, paused mid-air. "Two years?" he asked, clearly surprised.

Kate let out a small laugh. "Natalie hardly comes home. When school closes, she sails off to wherever she pleases, anywhere but home."

Natalie picked up her water glass and took a slow sip. This? All of this? It was her nightmare come to life.

"I’ve seen them most of my life," she said casually, setting the glass down. "I’d like to explore the rest of the world now."

That earned a genuine chuckle from the president.

"Well, I won’t fault her for that one. I was just like you when I was younger, always on the move. Well, until I met my wife."

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