The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate (Jason and Laila) by Caroline Above Story novel Chapter 19

Laila's POV

Two days.

That's how long it had been since Ava's surgery—forty-eight hours of stale air, antiseptic floors, and the rhythmic beeping of machines that had become both lullaby and torment.

Two days of living inside this sterile hospital room, counting every fragile heartbeat on the monitors like they might vanish if I dared blink too long.

Dr. Martinez called the procedure a success. Better than expected, he'd said, as though those three words could erase years of fear.

But success wasn't safety. "Well" didn't mean "finished." It meant a long road of recovery. Follow-ups. Specialists. Medication that insurance didn't fully cover. Bills that stacked like bricks on my chest every time I looked at them too long.

I was buried in those bills when the air shifted.

I didn't need to look up to know who stood in the doorway. His presence carried its own gravity.

Jason. Again.

"Ms. Harper," he said, voice formal, like we were polite strangers instead of ghosts haunting each other. "I heard about your daughter. I wanted to offer my condolences."

"She's not dead," I snapped, eyes locked on Ava's face.

"Of course not. I meant—I'm sorry she's going through this."

There was something in his voice. Concern. Real, maybe. But Jason always knew how to wear the right mask when it suited him.

"Thank you," I said anyway. Politeness makes a good shield. "Did you need something?"

He stepped further inside. Hands clasped behind his back, posture formal, but his shoulders held tension like a man fighting himself.

"Actually," he said slowly, "I wanted to discuss business. Our potential partnership."

My pulse spiked. Months of avoiding his calls, his invitations, his interest—and now here he was, planting the conversation in the one place I couldn't ignore. With Ava's monitors beeping steadily behind me, the weight of bills stacked in my lap, escape wasn't an option.

"I'm listening," I said, though my voice wasn't as steady as I wanted.

"I'd like to offer you an exclusive deal," he said. "Better than any terms I've proposed before. Full access to Moon Ridge trade routes. Premium contracts. The kind of partnership that would place you as the most powerful broker on the East Coast."

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