After One Night with the Alpha (Brad and Elle) novel Chapter 152

Chapter 152

Elle’s POV

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The morning after our night at the hotel, I woke up to find Brad already dressed in a fresh suit,.

“Good morning,” he said softly, his eyes still holding traces of the tenderness from the night before. “I’ve

ordered breakfast. We should eat before I take you back

The ride back was quiet, filled with an odd tension that hadn’t been there the night before. Brad’s hands gripped the steering wheel a little too tightly, and I found myself stealing glances at his profile, wondering what he was thinking. When we arrived at the Blair estate’s gates, he walked me to the door but didn’t

come inside.

“Take care of yourself,” he said, his voice formal again. Then he was gone.

That was two days ago. Two days of complete silence.

No calls, no texts, no unexpected visits. It was as if that night at the hotel had been a dream.

I tried to convince myself I was relieved. After everything with Mira, after that disastrous scene at the restaurant, maybe some distance was exactly what we both needed. But if I was being honest with myself,

the silence hurt more than I wanted to admit.

So when Sophia suggested going out for lunch today, I was grateful for the distraction.

I gently closed the prenatal education book and set it on the small table beside my chair. The afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows of the Blair estate’s sitting room, casting a warm glow over the pages I’d just finished reading aloud.

“You know, Elle,” Sophia said from across the room, where she was sorting through some paperwork, “I have to admire your dedication. Reading to your belly every day like that… it’s actually kind of sweet, but

also seems like a lot of work.”

I smiled and placed my hand on my growing bump, feeling the gentle movements inside. “The doctor said that talking to the baby regularly helps with development. They can actually hear us, you know.” My voice was soft as I spoke to my unborn child, something that had become as natural as breathing over the past

few weeks.

Sophia looked up from her papers and studied my face with concern. “You’ve seemed a little down lately

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Chapter 152

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though. How about we go out for lunch? There’s this great place in the center of Moon Lake City. We could

both use some fresh air and good food.”

The suggestion actually sounded appealing. I’d been spending too much time indoors, lost in my thoughts about everything that had happened. “That sounds nice Let me just grab my purse.”

As we were preparing to leave, both of our phones chimed simultaneously with incoming messages. Sophia and I exchanged glances and reached for our devices at the same time.

“What the hell?” I muttered, staring at my screen. It was a message about a reservation confirmation for an upscale restaurant in the city center, complete with a VIP dining voucher.

“I didn’t make any reservation,” I said, looking at Sophia. “This… did they send this to the wrong person?”

Sophia’s brow furrowed as she stared at her own phone. “I didn’t make one either! This is bizarre.”

Before we could process the first message, both phones chimed again. Another voucher, this time for a

cinema.

Sophia’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute. This place… I mentioned wanting to go here just a few days ago.

How would they know that?”

A chill ran down my spine. Someone would have had to know both of our phone numbers, our schedules, and somehow even our casual conversations. The list of people with that kind of access was very, very

short.

“Maybe we shouldn’t go,” I said hesitantly. “This feels too strange.”

But Sophia was already grabbing her coat. “Look, we already have the reservations confirmed. If someone made a mistake, we can always compensate them afterward. And honestly? I’m curious now. Besides, we

both could use a nice meal out.”

I couldn’t argue with that logic, even though something felt off about the whole situation.

The restaurant was even more elegant than I’d expected. When we approached the hostess, she smiled warmly and confirmed that yes, our reservation was val.

“Your private dining room is ready,” she said. “Right this way, please.”

Sophia and I followed her through the main dining are past tables of well-dressed patrons, toward the back of the restaurant. My mind was racing, trying to figure out who could have orchestrated this.

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Chapter 152

Someone with access to both of our phone numbers, someone who knew our habits well enough to time

this perfectly…

The hostess stopped at an ornate wooden door and turned the handle. Here we are. Enjoy your meal.

As the door swung open, my heart nearly stopped.

There, sitting calmly at the elegantly set table as if he owned the place, was Brad,

I saw the faintest hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.. The sight of him made my pulse

quicken, despite everything that had happened between us.

“What…” I started to say, but no other words came out.

Sophia didn’t seem nearly as surprised as I was. In fact, she looked almost like she’d been expecting this.

Brad stood gracefully and gestured to the empty chairs. I heard you two were planning to go out for lunch today. I happened to have some business matters to discuss, so I thought we could call it a fortunate

coincidence.”

A fortunate coincidence. Right.

Before I could respond, there was another knock at the door. My stomach dropped as I realized who it must be. Sure enough, Mira Collins swept into the room, her face bright with excitement that quickly shifted to

shock when she saw Sophia and me.

“Brad, I thought-” she began, then stopped as her gaze darted between us.

I noticed that the injury on her forehead had healed completely.

“Since everyone’s here,” Brad said with that same calm tone, as if this was all perfectly normal, “we might

as well have lunch together.”

Sophia reacted first, gently taking my arm and guiding the toward the table. “Well,” she said quietly, no

point in wasting good food.”

Mira’s expression shifted from excitement to something much more complicated as she realized this wasn’t the intimate lunch she’d probably been expecting. But she followed us into the room anyway, clearly

unwilling to leave Brad alone with me.

The four of us stood there for a moment, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. Then Mira, with a

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Chapter 152

determined set to her jaw, quickly moved to claim the seat directly beside Brad.

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I couldn’t help but smile a little at her obvious territoriality. Instead of competing for position, I simply

took the chair directly across from Brad, where I could see his face clearly.

As I settled into my seat, I caught Brad’s eye and wondered what exactly he was trying to accomplish with

this little arrangement. Whatever his plan was, this was certainly going to be an interesting lunch.

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After One Night with the Alpha