Five Alphas Kneel for Me (Isabella) novel Chapter 203

Chapter 203

Grayson’s reply appeared on my comms–slate:

“Okay, thank you, Isabella.”

The corners of his lips lifted slightly as he read my message; I could almost feel the warmth of his amusement through the digital link

My own smile widened.

That little she–wolf certainly held a grudge, but a satisfying one.

1 deactivated my comms–slate, a frown creasing my brow.

Why hadn’t Grayson recognized Ruby’s plagiarism earlier?

Until my death in my previous life, she’d remained the chief designer of the Smith Group. What was different this time?

I was the only variable.

My eyes widened.

Could it be because of me? The thought took root, blossoming in my mind like a poisonous nightshade. My heart pounded a frantic rhythm against my ribs, and I shook my head violently, trying to dismiss the unsettling notion.

Perhaps… because I wasn’t at Miller’s Pack and couldn’t provide design drafts for Emily, Andrew had been forced to up the ante, tempting Ruby away from her position at Smith’s. My wolf whimpered internally.

The idea was unsettling; it didn’t feel quite right, yet it resonated with a disturbing sense of truth.

Lost in thought, I left the office.

As I pushed open the door, whispers drifted to my ears.

My wolf’s ears perked; I heard a hushed conversation.

“Do you think it’s too much of a coincidence that the news of Ruby’s dismissal, previously kept secret, is surfacing now?”

My eyes widened. Ruby had actually been fired?

A cold dread slithered into my gut.

“Ruby plagiarized a student’s work years ago, didn’t she? Why did Alpha Smith only fire her now? He couldn’t have just found out recently.”

“Who knows? Maybe he kept her around as a pawn, to fire whenever convenient. Otherwise, how could Beta Miller, so young, been so smoothly transferred here?”

It was meant as a joke, but the others fell silent, a sudden prickle of unease settling over them.

One of them murmured:

“Maybe that’s exactly what happened.”

She quickly added, patting the other on the shoulder, “I was just joking, don’t fret too much over it.”

The others echoed this sentiment, dismissing it as speculation; but I’d caught every word. My heart hammered in my chest.

have

< Chapter 203

In my previous life, Ruby had remained chief designer until my death.

But now, because of my presence, she’d been dismissed.

Could it be that Grayson had truly kept Ruby around because of me?

The idea was almost too much to bear.

The thought that Grayson cared so deeply for me, his so–called adopted sister, was impossible to process. My wolf howled internally. rejecting this idea. In my past life, I hadn’t even been his sister.

There had to be another explanation, a different reason…

My heart felt like a crumpled, discarded thing. I scrambled into my swift–runner and sped back to the Smith family den.

I didn’t go inside immediately, instead parking at the gates.

I don’t know how long I sat there, lost in a storm of emotions and uncertainty, until a tap on my car window startled me.