The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate (Jason and Laila) by Caroline Above Story novel Chapter 161

Chapter 161

Laila’s POV

Ava was on the mend, so that gave me room to think about other things. Unfortunately, my thoughts were mostly filled with Jason instead. I tried to move on, tried to focus on other things. Yet in my mind, I kept seeing him up on that stage, saying Vanessa’s name instead of Brittany’s.

At the same time, my heart was filled with brief burst of happiness, before resentment and hurt squashed that happiness down to nothing.

This was the kind of man Jason was, bouncing his affections around between women. A playboy, never happy with the relationship he was in.

I wasn’t going to be a part of this cycle with him. Not again.

So I had to put him out of my mind, even if it was a struggle. A fight. A war.

At work, things were a little easier. I could throw myself into the thick of things, making calls and putting all of my focus on connections and contracts. The profits of the company’s agreement with Jason were so good that all I had to do was mention it to get new investors and entrepreneurs interested.

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But, every time I mentioned Jason…

There he was, right back in the forefront of my thoughts.

Hanging up the phone with a new contact, after having just mentioned Jason, I had to resist the urge to drop my hand down to my desk and wallow in my self–pity.

I didn’t have time for that, not with how steep my bills were. The hospital wasn’t missing a beat asking me for new checks, and Hank was already sniffing around, despite what he said about using the funds for the listing to be his first payments.

I had to focus on work, and only work. I had to make money. I had to

My personal cell phone buzzed with a new text. I glared at it like it might attack me. Any number of people could be trying to reach out to me, looking for money or information or to distract me again.

But on the other hand, the message could be about Ava. I had to check it.

Bracing myself, I unlocked my phone and found the new message.

I blinked, surprised. But also relieved.

No creditors looking for payments. No Jason. No one from the hospital giving me bad news about Ava.

The message was from Hannah, the oldest of Vanessa’s sisters.

Can we meet?

I met Hannah at one of the mid–level restaurants in the heart of downtown for lunch. Often, I took business associates here, as did other employees of my company and others. The dining room was filled with people in work clothes discussing dealings of other work issues.

The location was near many offices, which made it a convenient choice. It helped that the food was delicious.

I was pretty sure the man at the table next to ours was getting fired. The person with him looked serious, and the man just preemptively just ordered the most expensive thing on the menu. Might as well get one good meal on the way out.

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Hannah, sitting across from me, looked more nervous than the man presumably about to be fired.

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‘Are you sure you are okay?” I’d already asked her three separate times. She’d only ordered a salad and was barely picking at it

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now, pushing the lettuce around with her fork but hardly eating it.

“I’m sorry,” she said, lowering her fork. “This isn’t just a social visit.”

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