Alpha's Private Plaything (Elsa and Drake Stone) novel Chapter 188

Chapter 188

Elsa

Another noon, I sat quietly at the corner of the table in Peak

Restaurant, my eyes fixed on my plate as Luke droned on about the

mining project’s cost analysis.

berately

The private dining room buzzed with conversation, but I barely

registered the words, focusing instead on carefully selecting only

food that had already been sampled by others. My fork

hovered over the dishes that Luke or Drake had already taken from,

avoiding anything untouched like it might fucking bite me.

“The extraction costs are projected to exceed initial estimates by at

least fifteen percent,” Luke said, gesturing with his chopsticks. “The

terrain is proving more challenging than our preliminary surveys

indicated.”

“That’s unacceptable,” Aiden’s voice cut through the room. My new

boss’s cold tone made me tense, my shoulders automatically

hunching forward. “We can’t justify a fifteen percent increase to our

investors.”

Drake, seated directly across from me, remained silent, his golden

eyes occasionally flicking in my direction. I could feel his gaze

Chapter 188

burning into my skin, assessing my unusual behavior, but I refused to

meet it. Fuck off with your staring, I thought, clenching my jaw as I

took another tiny bite.

“What about alternative extraction methods?” Jason asked, reaching

for the sautéed vegetables.

I delicately speared a piece of fish from the plate Luke had already

served himself from, ignoring the strange look Ava gave me from

across the table. My stomach churned with anxiety, and I had to force

each bite down my suddenly tight throat.

“The engineers insist this is the most efficient approach given the

mineral composition,” Luke replied with a shrug.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I glanced at the screen and my

stomach dropped like a fucking elevator with cut cables when I saw

the number. Shit. Not now. Not here. I excused myself quietly,

slipping away from the table with my head down, fingers trembling

slightly as I clutched my phone.

“I need to take this call,” I murmured, not waiting for a response, nearly knocking my chair over in my haste to escape.

As I left, I didn’t see Drake’s eyes narrow at Aiden, who had casually

reached for my water glass.

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In the hallway outside the private dining room, I leaned against the

wall, staring at the still–vibrating phone in my hand. My father’s

number. The same number that had called seventeen times in the

past three days. The same voice that had left increasingly threatening

messages about needing money, about family obligations, about how

I was a “useless omega bitch” who owed him for raising me.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I whispered, my knuckles turning white around the

phone. My heart hammered against my ribs like it was trying to

escape my chest.

A server passed by, a young wolf with kind eyes. I made

decision, grabbing his arm perhaps a bit too forcefully.

plit–second

“Excuse me,” I called softly, forcing my voice to remain steady. When

he approached, I held out my phone. “Could you answer this for me?

Tell whoever it is that Elsa Hale has been taken to the police station

for questioning.”

The server looked confused but took the phone. “Miss, are you sure?”

“Please,” I said, my voice cracking slightly, nails digging into my palm. “It’s important. I’ll owe you one, seriously.”

He nodded and answered the call. “Hello? No, Miss Hale isn’t

available. She’s been taken to the central police station for

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questioning regarding a… situation.” He paused, listening. “I don’t

have any details, sir. I’m just a server.”

I watched as the server’s expression shifted, his eyebrows rising as

what I assumed were profanities poured from the other end. Then,

abruptly, the call ended.

“He hung up very quickly after hearing about the police,” the server

said, returning my phone with a concerned look.

“Thank you,” I said, relief washing over me as I snatched back the

phone. “That was exactly what I needed. You’re a lifesa..”

I slipped into the ladies‘ room and locked myself in a stall, slumping

against the door and taking a moment to collect myself. My hands

were still shaking as I dialed another number–my former senior from

college who now worked as an engineer at Silver Enterprises.

“Elsa! I was just about to call you,” Mina’s cheerful voice answered.

“I’ve been looking at those site plans you sent over.”

“What did you find?” I asked, my voice low, pacing the tiny stall

space.

“I think I can help you reduce costs by five to ten percent,” she said.

“The current excavation approach is unnecessarily aggressive. If you

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adjust the angle of extraction and implement a phased development plan, you’ll significantly reduce equipment and labor requirements.”

My heart leaped so violently I pressed a hand to my chest. “Holy shit,

that would be perfect. Can you send me the modifications?”

“Already working on it. I’ll email you detailed plans and schematics

within the hour. Your mining engineering minor is finally coming in

handy, huh?”

I smiled weakly, running a hand through my hair. “More than I ever

thought it would. Thank you, Mina. I owe you big time.

“Just buy me dinner next time you’re free. And Elsa? Take care of

yourself. You sound exhausted.”

After ending the call, I splashed cold water on my face and took a

deep breath, staring at my reflection. Pull yourself together, for fuck’s

sake. I pinched my cheeks for color, reapplied my lipstick with

slightly unsteady hands, and squared my shoulders before returning

to the dining room. As I approached the table, I noticed Drake’s eyes

fixed on my water glass, a strange expression on his face that made

my wolf senses howl in warning.

“Ah, Elsa, you’re back just in time!” Aiden exclaimed as I slid into my

seat. “I was about to propose a toast to our successful collaboration.”

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