Sold to Bastard Alpha after My Divorce! novel Chapter 118

Chapter 118: Chapter 118

Aria’s POV

Morning came too fast.

My eyes cracked open. The ceiling stared back at me. Unfamiliar for a second. Then I remembered.

My apartment. My bed. My life.

The events of last night crashed over me like a wave.

I groaned. Pressed my palms against my face.

Beside me, Sophie stirred. Mumbled something. Rolled over.

"No, Mr. Whiskers..." she muttered into the pillow. "That’s MY sandwich..."

I blinked.

Mr. Whiskers?

"You can’t have the pickles..." Sophie’s voice was dreamy. Soft. "Those are mine..."

A laugh bubbled up in my chest. I clamped my hand over my mouth to keep it in.

This ridiculous, wonderful woman.

"Five more minutes, Mom..." Sophie burrowed deeper into the blankets. "The unicorns aren’t ready yet..."

Unicorns. Of course.

I slipped out of bed as quietly as I could. Tiptoed toward the bathroom.

Sophie didn’t wake up. Just kept muttering about sandwiches and unicorns and someone named Mr. Whiskers who apparently had boundary issues.

I closed the bathroom door behind me. Leaned against it.

Silence.

I turned on the faucet. Splashed cold water on my face. The water dripped down my cheeks. Cold. Clarifying. I grabbed a towel. Pressed it against my skin. But the memories kept coming.

His hand on my arm. That brief, electric touch in the alley. The way his voice had dropped when he’d looked at me.

God. Seeing him again had ripped open every wound I thought had healed.

He was still devastatingly handsome. Still carried that aura of power that made the air feel thick. Still moved like he owned every room he walked into.

My eyes burned. I blinked rapidly.

No. No crying. Not over him. Not anymore.

I shook my head. Hard.

Once. Twice. Three times.

The motion made me dizzy. But it worked. The tears retreated.

I had a job to get to. A life to live. A daughter to provide for.

Kael Blood Crown was my past.

He needed to stay there.

I got ready as quietly as possible.

Sophie was still dead to the world. Still muttering about sandwiches and pickles and the mysterious Mr. Whiskers.

I left her a note on the kitchen counter.

*Gone to work. Help yourself to anything in the fridge. Back around 6. Don’t burn down my apartment. - A*

I hesitated. Added one more line.

*P.S. - Who is Mr. Whiskers?*

She’d either laugh or have no idea what I was talking about.

Either way, I needed the distraction.

The walk to work was supposed to clear my head.

It didn’t.

Every tall man I passed made my heart jump. Every dark-haired figure made me look twice.

Pathetic. I was being pathetic.

He wasn’t going to be walking around this part of town. He was the Alpha. He had important things to do. Important people to see.

I was not one of those people.

The Blood Crown Industries building loomed ahead. Glass and steel. Twenty floors of corporate ambition.

I squared my shoulders. Lifted my chin.

"Ms. Moon."

KNOCK. KNOCK.

The sound cut through my thoughts like a blade.

I jolted. Sat up straight so fast my chair rolled backward.

Director Black stood in front of my desk. Knuckles still raised from rapping against the surface. Her sharp eyes studied me with that penetrating gaze that always made me feel like she could see straight through to my soul.

"I—sorry." My voice came out breathless. Guilty. "I was just thinking about..."

"...things," I finished lamely.

Director Black’s expression didn’t change.

She didn’t acknowledge my pathetic excuse. Didn’t even blink.

Just moved on like I hadn’t spoken at all.

"I hope your child’s situation has been resolved, Ms. Moon."

The words were clipped. Professional. But there was something underneath. Something almost like... concern?

"Yes." I straightened in my chair. Tried to look competent. "It’s been handled. Not a big deal."

"Good."

She studied me for a moment longer. That unreadable expression.

Then she reached into the folder she’d been carrying. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"We have a more important task for you." Her voice was measured. Careful. "I hope you can handle it."

She pulled out a document. Thick. Bound. Official-looking.

Placed it on my desk.

My eyes dropped to the cover.

The Blood Crown seal stared back at me. That familiar crest. The symbol of everything this pack represented.

And underneath it, in bold black letters:

**ALPHA AFFAIRS SUMMARY**