Fake Mate Beta Rises to Alpha Heiress (Natalie and Landon) novel Chapter 242

Chapter 242 Don’t Start Trouble!

Liam’s POV:

52

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The next afternoon, as Chloe and I were leaving the hotel, a group arrived to see us off. They wore dark blue uniforms. They were members of the Mervia Werewolf Legion.

Chloe stepped forward. She took a sealed document from her bag and spoke quietly with their leader. I couldn’t hear the words, but I saw a flicker of assessment, then approval, in the man’s eyes. Chloe signed the paper and handed it over.

The man took it, examined it carefully, and then actually gave her a slight bow. With a wave from him, our convoy was cleared to leave.

A thought struck me. Chloe’s mother had left behind several patents. They were national-level assets, leading even in global werewolf tech. The Kelly family had kept them. Was it possible that Chloe had used something like that to trade for my return?

I grabbed her arm before she could get in the car. My voice was low and urgent, tinged with an Alpha’s instinct to demand answers. “What did you give him?”

“I told you, it’s none of your business,” she said, frowning and looking away. But I caught the brief flash of guilt in her eyes.

My suspicion hardened. “Chloe, do you have any idea what you’re doing?” The only things of value she could trade were her mother’s legacies. But those weren’t just personal mementos. They involved technical barriers crucial to Maritime City and the domestic werewolf business sphere. I could tolerate her usual recklessness, but not on something this fundamental.

“I’m saving you. Repaying my debt,” she said coldly, trying to pull free.

“Then I don’t want it repaid!” I snapped. Furious, I turned to go after the group, who hadn’t gone far. Even if it caused a scene, I couldn’t let her pay that price for me.

“Liam!” Chloe caught up from behind. When she couldn’t stop me by pulling my arm, she wrapped both arms tightly around my waist from behind. Her body heat seeped through the thin fabric, freezing me in place for a second.

“What are you doing?” she said, her voice unusually frantic. “I already gave it to them! What good will chasing them do now? This isn’t home turf. Don’t start trouble!”

Her words only made me angrier. My face flushed. I turned sharply, grabbed her arms, and pulled her right in front of me. Staring at her face, which still held a trace of that careless attitude, all my long-held worry, disappointment, and frustration boiled over.

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18:35 Fri, Jan 16

Chapter 242 Don’t Start Trouble!

:

52

+10 Free Coins

I snapped, “Chloe, is there nothing serious to you? Are you really planning to just drift through life like this, being selfish and clueless forever?”

The words came out harsher than I meant. We grew up together. I understood her childhood lacked family warmth and how rebellion became her armor. I’d rather she were a prickly porcupine, as long as she was safe.

But I couldn’t ignore the selfishness and thoughtlessness she showed in so many things. That was why I’d quietly handled messes for her for years. I just didn’t want to see her truly lose herself, to lose the good heart I knew she still had deep down.

My words hit Chloe like a bucket of ice water. She flinched. The light in her eyes died, replaced by a cold, wounded scorn. She sneered, “Right. I’m selfish and clueless. That’s why I risked using an old, outdated version of my mother’s tech to get you home just so I could be insulted for it!”

She jerked her arms free and hurried into the car without another look.

I stood there, stunned. An old version?

The car’s engine started. I quickly caught up, opened the door, and got in. Chloe was turned toward the window, clearly refusing to look at me.

“Is that true?” I asked, my voice softening involuntarily, laced with apology. “You only gave them an old version?”

Chloe snorted, “What did you think? Are you the only one with principles? I’m just the hopeless mess?”

I was speechless. I realized how deeply my words had cut and how quickly I’d been to judge. I’d assumed the worst about her without even asking for the truth. I’d questioned her character.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly, the apology sincere. “I shouldn’t have said those things.”

Chloe still didn’t turn around, but the tension in her shoulders relaxed just a little.

“That old version was obsolete three years ago,” she explained, her voice flat but hiding a hint of hurt. “My mother left it to me as a keepsake. The core data and keys for the new version are held jointly by the Kelly family. Even though all the patent royalties go to the Kelly family, I would never betray my mother’s wishes. I’d never do anything to hurt our pack or our country’s interests.”

I looked at her stubborn profile. A complicated mix of feelings washed over me-surprise, regret, guilt, and a thread of pride. She was far more clear-headed, responsible, and strong than I had given her credit for.

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