After One Night with the Alpha (Brad and Elle) novel Chapter 187

Chapter 187

Elle’s POV

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We stepped out onto the street.

Sophia let out a low whistle. “Your grandmother has quite the presence.”

Abigail nodded emphatically. “I’ve never felt that kind … intensity before”

1 let out a bitter laugh. “Yeah, well, when you’ve been practicing witchcraft for decades, I guess you develop that kind of aura.” I shook my head, still processing everything Eleanor had told us.

“Are you seriously considering going back to the Blair family?” Abigail asked gently, studying my face with

concern.

I shook my head firmly. “No.”

“You know what?” I said, surprising myself with how light I suddenly felt. “I just want to have this baby peacefully and stay out of all the drama. No more family politics, no more ancient prophecies, no more of

this shit.”

Sophia and Abigail exchanged a look, but they both smiled.

“That sounds perfectly reasonable,” Sophia said. “So, what do you say we grab some food? I’m starving, and

you need to eat for two.”

I grinned. “Yes! Let me show you guys some of the local specialties. There are places here I could never afford when I was just a regular human.”

We strolled along the tree-lined streets with our small security detail trailing at a respectful distance.

Twenty minutes later, I led them to a restaurant with large windows overlooking the distant mountains. “This place used to be completely out of my budget,” I admitted as we approached the hostess stand. “But the the food is amazing.”

**

After the meal.

I was actually starting to relax for the first time in days when my phone rang.

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Chapter 187

Susan’s name flashed on the screen.

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“Hey, Mom, I answered, but immediately noticed the panic in her voice.

‘Elle, honey, I don’t know what’s happening, but there are police officers here. Several of them.”

My stomach dropped. “Police? What do they want?”

“They’re asking questions. Something about… I think they said your grandmother had some kind of

incident. They mentioned hearing shouting and arguments.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. Sophia and Abigail were watching me with growing concern.

“What kind of incident?” I managed to ask.

“I don’t know all the details yet, but Elle…” Susan’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I think something

happened to Tony.”

My hands started shaking. “What do you mean something happened to Tony?”

“The officers are still talking to the neighbors. All I know is that someone called about loud arguing and fighting coming from Grace’s place.”

I was already standing up, my heart pounding. “We’re coming back right now.”

I hung up and turned to Sophia and Abigail. “We need to leave. Now.”

Sophia immediately signaled to our security detail while Abigail went to handle the bill. When she came back, she looked confused.

“That’s weird. They said someone already paid for our table.”

Under normal circumstances, I would have been curious about who had covered our meal, but right now I couldn’t think about anything except getting home to Susan.

The taxi ride back felt like an eternity. When we finally pulled up to Susan’s house, I could see two police cars parked outside and neighbors gathered on their porches, whispering among themselves.

A uniformed officer approached as we got out of the car He showed his badge and looked directly at me.

“Are you Elle West?”

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Chapter 187

“Yes.”

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“I need to ask you some questions about Tony West. When was the last time you saw him?”

My throat felt tight. “Last month, I think? Why? What happened to him?”

The officer’s expression was grim. “I’m sorry to inform you that Tony West was found deceased earlier this

afternoon. He was pushed during an altercation and fell onto broken glass on the floor. A shard punctured

his carotid artery.”

The world seemed to tilt sideways. “Dead? Tony’s dead?

“We received a call about thirty minutes ago reporting a domestic disturbance. When officers arrived, Mr.

West had already bled out. The suspected perpetrators are his wife and mother-one has fled the scene, the

other is in custody.”

Wife? not

Susan. Of course he’d married another woman.

I sank onto Susan’s front steps, my mind reeling. “What.. what were they fighting about?”

“According to witnesses, there was a dispute over a large sum of money. Grace West apparently came into possession of approximately twenty thousand dollars, and the three family members were arguing over who had the right to it. During the altercation, Mr. West was pushed and fell onto a broken glass bottle.”

Twenty thousand dollars. The exact amount I’d given to Grace.

The money I’d given her to had become Tony’s death sentence.

“The money,” I whispered. “Did it come from me?”

“We need to verify that with you, yes. Did you recently give Mrs. Grace West a significant amount of cash?”

I nodded numbly. “I gave her twenty thousand to tell me something.”

The officer made notes. “We’ll need witness statements to that effect. Right now, Grace West is our primary suspect, though we’re still looking for her. Tony’s body as been taken to the morgue.”

“Will Grace be charged?” I asked.

“If we apprehend her, she’ll face charges. Whether it’s manslaughter or murder will depend on the investigation, but either way, she’ll be held responsible for Mr. West’s death.”

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Chapter 187

After the police finished their questions and left, Susan and I sat in her living room in stunned silence.

“The West family is just… gone,” Susan finally said, her voice hollow. “All of it, destroyed.”

I put my arm around her shoulders. “Mom, their problems were never our responsibility. We just need to

focus on taking care of ourselves now.”

Susan nodded, but I could see the sadness in her eyes.

Despite everything Grace and Tony had put her through this was still the end of the only family she’d

known for years.

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19:27 Wed, Dec 31

After One Night with the Alpha