Alpha's Private Plaything (Elsa and Drake Stone) novel Chapter 234

Alpha’s Private Plaything

Chapter 234

I bit my thumbnail anxiously, my leg bouncing wildly under the table. Either way, I now possessed knowledge that could potentially be dangerous–knowledge that could get me fucking killed. More concerning was Sophia’s involvement–had her curiosity put her in danger? The Stone family didn’t make idle threats; they eliminated problems efficiently and permanently.

I was so lost in thought that I didn’t notice the cafe door opening again or the tall figure approaching my table until a shadow fell across me. I looked up, startled, nearly knocking over my coffee cup again.

“Shit!” I gasped.

“Such colorful language, Elsa. Your mother would be disappointed.”

I froze, my blood turning to ice as I slowly looked up. Drake had silently appeared and was now sitting in Miranda’s vacated seat, his

silver–gray suit impeccable as always. His eyes were sharp as steel blades, boring into mine with predatory intensity that made my skin

crawl.

“What the actual fuck are you doing here?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. My fingers curled into tight fists under the table,

nails digging painfully into my palms.

“I could ask you the same goddamn question.” Drake’s voice was dangerously soft. “Meeting with my stepmother behind my back? I

thought you were better than that.”

I rolled my eyes dramatically and returned my attention to my broken phone, jabbing uselessly at the power button with such force I nearly cracked the screen further. “I meet with whoever the hell I want. It’s none of your fucking business.” I spat each word like venom.

“Everything about you is my business.” His fingers drummed once on the table, the only sign of his irritation. “Especially when you’re trying to get Miranda to help your cousin Oliver.”

My head snapped up so fast my neck cracked. “How did you—”

He leaned forward, his Alpha presence filling the space between us, making it hard to breathe. “Why didn’t you come to me if Oliver

needed help?”

“Because they help me without demanding my dignity as fucking payment,” I snapped, my voice rising sharply. Several café patrons turned to stare. “Unlike you, who treats every favor like I’m signing away another piece of my soul with blood and tears.”

My chest heaved with barely contained rage as I glared at him across the table. I wanted to throw my coffee in his perfect, smug face.

Drake’s lips curved into a cold smile. “In our world, Elsa, there’s no such thing as help without payment. Everyone wants something.” He straightened his already perfect cuffs with deliberate slowness that made me want to scream. “I could solve Oliver’s problem with one phone call.”

“Of course you could,” I muttered, returning to my phone with shaking hands.

1/2

Chapter 234

Just as I was about to slam the useless device down in frustration, it suddenly vibrated to life in my hand. The screen flickered, showing fifteen missed calls hom my mother’s caretaker.

My stomach dropped like an elevator with cut cables. I quickly dialed back, my fingers trembling so badly I misdialed twice before getting it right.

*Ms. Hale, thank God! The caretaker’s voice was breathless with panic. “I’ve been trying to reach you for hours. It’s your mother–her silver poisoning had an acute episode. Her heart stopped beating.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify