Alpha's Private Plaything (Elsa and Drake Stone) novel Chapter 232

Chapter 232

Elsa

As she reached under the counter, a commotion erupted behind me.

The automatic doors slid open with a whoosh, and a medical team

rushed in, surrounding a gurney. A doctor shouted orders as they

pushed through the lobby toward the emergency department.

“Clear the way! Cardiac arrest, we need to move!”

Someone pushed me roughly aside as the team rushed past. I

stumbled, nearly falling on my ass, my phone slipping from my gra

and hitting the floor with a sickening crack. When I picked it up, the

screen was shattered, spider–web cracks spreading across the display.

It refused to turn on no matter how many times I jabbed at the power

button.

“Goddammit!” I hissed, staring at the useless device.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” A young nurse who had accidentally

shoved me looked horrified. “Your phone–I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s okay,” I assured her, though my heart sank at the sight of my

ruined phone. I took a deep breath, forcing my shoulders to relax.

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“The phone can be fixed. That patient needs your help more.”

She gave me a grateful smile before rushing after the emergency

team.

Great. Just fucking great. Now I was completely cut off. No way to

contact Drake, no way to call for help if I needed it. I was

contemplating my options, chewing anxiously on my lower lip, when

a familiar voice called my name.

“Elsa? What are you doing here?”

I turned to find Miranda, approaching me with a concerned

expression. Elegant as always in a tailored navy suit, she looked

perfectly put together despite the early hour–not a hair out of place

while I probably looked like I’d been dragged backward through hell.

“Miranda,” I greeted her, surprised. My hand instinctively tried to

smooth my rumpled clothes. “I’m here visiting someone.”

Her eyes swept over me, taking in my disheveled appearance and the

broken phone clutched in my white–knuckled grip. “Is everything

alright? You look terrible, dear.”

“Just a long night,” I said vaguely, shifting my weight nervously from

one foot to the other. “My cousin was injured in a fight. I came as

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soon as I heard.”

Something flickered in Miranda’s eyes. “Oliver? Yes I heard about that

unfortunate incident.”

My wolf instincts immediately went on alert, the hair on the back of

my neck rising. How did she know about Oliver?

“How did you hear about it?” I asked, trying to keep my voice casual

while my heart rate kicked up a notch.

Miranda waved a manicured hand dismissively. “You know how news

travels in the pack. After Marcus helped your cousin with that job last.

time, those people seem to think he has some special interest in te

boy.” She sighed. “So when something happens, they’re quick to

report it up the chain.”

That made sense, I supposed. Marcus Stone, as the former Alpha and current board chairman, still commanded immense respect in the Black Obsidian pack. If he had helped Oliver once, people might assume he had a vested interest in the young wolf’s welfare.

Miranda glanced around the busy lobby. “This isn’t really the place to talk. There’s a coffee shop across the street. Why don’t we go there?”

I hesitated, weighing my options, my teeth worrying at my lower lip.

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My phone was dead, so Drake couldn’t reach me anyway. And perhaps

Miranda might have some insight into what was happening.

“Alright,” I agreed, exhaling sharply. “A coffee sounds good.”

The small café across from the hospital was buzzing with morning

customers when Miranda and I walked in. The warm aroma of coffee

and pastries provided a stark contrast to the antiseptic smell of the

hospital we’d just left. I anxiously scanned the room, my fingers drumming rapidly against my thigh as I spotted an empty table in a

quiet corner near the back window.

“Why don’t you sit down?” I suggested to Miranda, gesturing tow

the table. My voice sounded strained even to my own ears. “I’ll order

for us.”

Miranda nodded, smoothing her tailored navy suit as she sat down. with effortless grace. I ran a self–conscious hand through my tangled

hair, grimacing at how greasy it felt.

At the counter, I ordered without hesitation. “One blueberry mousse and Earl Grey tea with lemon, no sugar. And a black coffee for me, strong as hell.” I knew Miranda’s preferences by heart after years of ordering for Stone family meetings. My fingers tapped nervously on the counter as I waited, the constant rhythm betraying my anxiety.

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When I returned to the table, Miranda was examining her perfectly

manicured nails. She looked up and smiled as I set her order in front

of her. I nearly sloshed coffee over the rim of my cup as I sat down,

my hands trembling slightly.

“You remember exactly how I like it,” she said, sounding genuinely

pleased. “Marcus always jokes that you know our family’s preferences

better than some of our actual relatives.”

“It’s

my fucking job to remember details,” I replied, then immediately

regretted my harsh tone. I cleared my throat. “Sorry. It’s been a long

night.”

“Speaking of remembering,” Miranda continued, her voice softening,

“Marcus still keeps that wolf head sculpture you gave him for his

birthday last year on his desk. He’s quite fond of it.”

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, crossing and uncrossing my legs.

My teeth worried at my bottom lip. “Mrs. Stone, I appreciate the

sentiment, but I should clarify–Drake and I only have a professional

relationship. I’m just his assistant.” I emphasized the last word, my

knuckles whitening around my coffee cup.

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