Ditch Fake Bond She’s Tycoon Wolf Heiress novel Chapter 2

Landon's POV:
Watching Natalie shove me aside and walk to the car alone, a flicker of impatience stirred within me. She was overreacting today. It was just a minor fender bender. Maybe it was her newly awakening, still-unstable bloodline acting up?
I needed to keep her steady. Aaliyah and Nathan were still at home. I had to make her accept Aaliyah staying. With the company's IPO just around the corner, I needed her to keep playing her part as the perfect "Mrs. Richardson". I just had to maintain control until everything was settled. Then, Aaliyah and Nathan could finally step into the light.
Aaliyah's POV:
Standing in the opulent hall of the Richardson Estate, feeling Nathan's small hand clutching mine so dependently, my heart quivered with thrilling excitement. Soon, it would all be over. Landon and I had hidden our relationship for five years. Looking at Natalie's face, desperately trying to maintain a calm front, I sneered inwardly.
How was she worthy of the place by Landon's side? Soon, everything here, my man and my child, would rightfully be mine. She was just a stumbling block in our perfect plan, about to be kicked aside. Feeling the familiar bloodline resonance coming from Nathan, I could barely keep the smile off my lips. Let's see how long she can keep up that aloof act!
Nathan's POV:
I hated that woman named Natalie. She was not my mommy. Ms. Cooper was my real mommy. Daddy said I couldn't call her Mommy outside, but Ms. Cooper couldn't live with us all the time.
Today, Daddy said Ms. Cooper could stay. I was so happy. But that mean woman didn't say anything. She definitely didn't want Ms. Cooper to stay. I was mad. I wanted her to go away. I threw my juice on her. She looked all wet and funny. Daddy and Ms. Cooper would protect me. She was the bad one.
Natalie's POV:
The cold, sticky juice dripped down my face and hair. The servants immediately swarmed around me in a fluster, trying to help me wipe it off.
"Nathan!" Landon's voice rang out, laced with an Alpha's fury that seemed to make the very air vibrate. Nathan flinched, startled, and scurried upstairs like a frightened rabbit.
Landon made a move to follow, but Aaliyah quickly stood and intercepted him, her voice dripping with sweetness. "Landon, he's just a child. His mind isn't fully developed yet. You can't use force to teach him. Let me go check on him."
After she spoke, her gaze flickered over my disheveled state. She seemed to hesitate, then turned and followed him upstairs.
Finally, Landon turned his attention back to me, his tone filled with fake concern. "Are you okay? Let me see." I had already roughly wiped myself with a towel a servant handed me, but he reached out to touch my face.
"It's dirty. Don't touch me!" The words burst out as I stepped back to avoid his hand. It wasn't just the juice, but it was an instinctive revulsion to his touch.
The words carried a double meaning he missed. Misunderstanding me, his eyes filled with that nauseating, practiced tenderness he always used.
"How could I ever find you dirty? I only feel sorry for you." He sighed, feigning deep regret, "If I'd known Nathan would be so unruly, I never should have let you take care of him personally."
I gave a faint, cold, mocking smile. "True. If his real mother is raising him, she'd surely do a better job than a foster mother like me. But his birth mother is probably gone, right? Otherwise, why would it fall to someone like me, who doesn't know how to handle children, to manage him?"
Landon visibly stiffened for a second, his face freezing momentarily before he smoothed it over. "What nonsense are you talking about? We adopted Nathan from an orphanage. You're his only mother." As he spoke, he tried to ruffle my hair in that old, fond way he used to, trying to lighten the mood.
I jerked my head away sharply. The familiar gesture now only made my skin crawl. "I'm going to my room to shower."
Back in the bedroom, I headed straight for the bathroom and took a long, hot shower. A little while later, Landon came in. His main goal was still to convince me to agree to Aaliyah staying.
He called it a discussion, but I knew I had no real right to refuse. They were the true soul-bound mates. I was just the counterfeit, brought in to deceive everyone.
"The company is at a critical stage for the IPO. Nathan needs supervision, and the company still needs your help, too. Ms. Cooper is a renowned pup education expert now, and you saw how well Nathan listens to her." He droned on, listing all the supposed "benefits."
"Fine. It's settled then," I cut him off, unable to stomach any more of his sickening lies.
Landon seemed surprised by my quick agreement. A pool of fake tenderness instantly melted in his eyes. "Natalie, I knew it. You're always so understanding. You know how much I care for you." Seeing the matter settled, he stood up and tried to put his arm around my waist.
I immediately turned away, holding my phone screen up in front of his face. It showed a picture of a modern residential building. The building was located in the heart of the financial district—the hub of werewolf commerce and power.
Land prices there were astronomical, which made the building a far more valuable investment. Besides, it was also much more modern than the traditional, status-heavy estate we lived in now.
"Landon, what do you think of this place?" I asked.
He examined it carefully and nodded. "It's excellent, of course. Cutting-edge design and prime location, it's a top-tier asset."
"My birthday is next month. I really like this place. Could you buy it for me as my birthday gift?" I put on the sweetest, softest smile I could muster.
Landon had deceived me for two years. What had I lost? It was not just time, but the career and independence I should have had. I gave up overseas study opportunities and offers from top multinational corporations to help him save his failing family business.
In just two years, I turned it around to profitability and am now driving its IPO. His net worth was about to skyrocket into the billions. And me? I had nothing all along, not even drawing a single paycheck, about to be squeezed dry and discarded like trash.
How could I let them have their way? How could I let them off so easily?
Landon had always vowed that if I liked anything within his means, he'd get it for me. But in the past, my desires were minimal. I'd never really asked him for anything.
He hesitated, a calculating glint flashing in his eyes. "Why suddenly think about buying a place? What's wrong with our current home?" This estate was more of the Richardson family's ancestral old mansion than a comfortable living space.
I explained, "Our current home represents tradition, which is fine. But its investment value and growth potential are limited. This place is different. Located in the heart of the financial district, its value will skyrocket. It also better reflects the modern, international new image of the Richardson Group."
I framed everything around his and the company's interests, quickly dispelling the flicker of suspicion in his eyes.
I continued, "Besides, with the company going public soon, hosting a celebration banquet at the new place to entertain distinguished guests from inside and outside the pack would not only be more convenient but also suit your image as a pioneering Alpha better, wouldn't it?"
Sure enough, understanding and a hint of guilt appeared on his face. He probably still thought I was that foolish woman who lived only for him and never fought for herself. "Having you by my side is all the prestige I need," he said, reaching out to hug me again. I stepped back once more.
"I said it's a birthday gift for me," I said with a slight, coquettish pout. "Just think of it as something to make me happy. You're not having second thoughts, are you?" I said the last part in a joking tone, but my eyes remained fixed on him.
I seemed different today. Landon looked at me, and a flicker of that primal interest he usually reserved for Aaliyah appeared in his eyes. He didn't dwell on it. "So, how much is it?"
"Not much. Just 70 million dollars," I answered cheerfully, as if stating an insignificant figure.
Landon's face froze for an instant. It wasn't that he couldn't afford it, but the amount far exceeded any gift he'd ever given me and surpassed what he thought a mere "tool" like me was worth.
However, with the IPO imminent, he couldn't afford to have me holding a grudge and jeopardizing the plan. He finally nodded, struggling to maintain his mask of generosity.
"Alright. If you like it, I'll buy it for you." No sooner had the words left his mouth than he called the group's CFO right in front of me, his tone leaving no room for argument.
That very night, my personal account received a transfer of 70 million dollars. He even specifically noted in the transfer remarks, as I requested, "Birthday gift for Natalie, for property purchase."
I stared at the balance on my phone screen—my student-day savings, a pitiful one hundred fifty thousand dollars—then watched it jump to seventy million and one hundred fifty thousand dollars.
A cold power surged through my veins. Even as mates, he controlled the finances, and I had worked like an unpaid laborer for these two years.
The next morning, as I left my room, I heard laughter and conversation coming from the dining room downstairs. Walking down the stairs, I saw Landon, unusually, wearing an apron, standing side-by-side with Aaliyah at the open kitchen island, chatting and laughing.
Nathan, like a little wolf cub who'd finally found his anchor, was following obediently around Aaliyah's legs, a picture of docility I had never seen in him before. But this heartwarming scene of a "happy family of three" came to an abrupt halt the moment I appeared.
Aaliyah's hand, which had been resting on Landon's shoulder, quickly retracted. Landon immediately walked towards me, his face wearing an exaggerated enthusiasm. "You're awake? I made breakfast myself today. Come and try it."
I glanced at the dining table, laden with an elaborate spread. We had a dedicated chef, and Landon himself almost never cooked. Our usual breakfasts were much simpler. Who all this effort was meant to impress was painfully obvious.
I smiled, turning my gaze to Aaliyah, "It seems these are all Ms. Cooper's favorites?"
Aaliyah responded naturally, a hint of barely perceptible superiority on her face. "Yes. Landon is being too hospitable, worried I might not be used to other things. An Alpha who's so considerate and willing to cook is rare. Natalie, you're so lucky to have found such a good mate."
I met her gaze, my smile unwavering. "Yes. Landon has always been considerate, not just towards me, but towards all ladies in need. He's quite the gentleman." I deliberately blurred the lines.
"Don't listen to Natalie's nonsense. I'm not like that." Landon hurriedly denied. But because my tone was light, he made it sound like we were just bantering flirtatiously.
Aaliyah's smile, however, began to look a little strained.
Just then, Nathan, sensitive to Aaliyah's subtle shift in mood, acted out. As I reached for the last piece of bacon and egg on the platter, he suddenly grabbed the sauce bottle from the table and squeezed it violently over the food. The dark sauce splattered, some landing on the back of my hand in a clear act of provocation.
"Nathan! What are you doing?" Landon immediately became angry.
Aaliyah quickly pulled a napkin and handed it to me, turning to speak softly to Nathan, "Nathan, even if you're full, you mustn't waste food. Look, you've made a mess and dirtied... your mother's hand. Apologize now." Her words were dismissive, completely brushing off the fact that Nathan had intentionally provoked me.
Nathan shot me a glare and muttered unwillingly, "Sorry."
I wiped the sauce from my hand slowly, my gaze sweeping between Aaliyah and Nathan. Nathan held his chin high, utterly unrepentant. Aaliyah's words had been deliberately evasive.
"Alright, you're finished. Go back to your room and play now," Aaliyah said, speaking before I could respond, trying to shoo him away.