The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate (Jason and Laila) by Caroline Above Story novel Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Jason’s POV

I grit my teeth to keep the sound from escaping out of my lips.

William moved to Vanessa’s side, and she gestured to the open chair beside her. Her briefcase was sitting on it, which she moved now, for him. I realized she had purposefully placed her bag there to save the seat for him, wanting him to sit beside her.

William sat there now, then leaned over to Vanessa to speak with her. She didn’t lean back, seemingly comfortable with their closeness. Familiar, like they did this all the time.

My grip tightened on the documents I had been holding, and they crinkled in my hands.

Marcus, sitting beside me, cleared his throat. When I glanced at him, he pointedly looked at the paper I had been crumpling

Realizing what I was doing, I forced myself to loosen my grip.

I needed to get a hold of myself. It was those dreams of mine… Gods, my subconscious was so sure that Vanessa was Laila that that belief was creeping into my conscious mind as well.

Jealousy stirred white hot within me, burning out of control. I had no right to feel this way.

Vanessa had only confessed in my dreams, not in reality.

If I didn’t keep my cool, I’d only push her away.

I forced myself to focus.

“If we are ready to begin,” I announced, speaking loudly, as the last of the stragglers rushed into the meeting room and took

their seats.

The first half of the meeting seemed to go well enough. Each of the vendors wanted to negotiate their terms to be put in the finalized contract. Vanessa and I each had a chance to rebuff or give in as we wished. Other than my own personal tension, everyone seemed to be able to get along with one another without much fuss.

We decided to take a break to stretch and refill out coffees. While standing, William and Vanessa were speaking to a few other attendees on the other side of the room. William was a generally pleasant man, in good spirits mostly. I noticed the happier he was, the louder his voice boomed. He already had one of those voices that could carry across the room.

So when he announced to a few of our colleagues, it was as if he had been speaking straight to me.

“Oh, Vanessa is my fiancé.”

I froze. Everyone in the room seemed to hear it, not just me. A few people had started clapping, and congratulations rolled in. The woman next to Vanessa told her, “I had no idea you were engaged!”

Vanessa’s cheeks reddened slightly, but she smiled good–humoredly and thanked the woman.

Inside of me, a fire sparked and grew. It was too hot in this room. My wolf paced in the back of my mind, a caged animal begging to be released. All on their own, my hands curled into fists.

Vanessa looked over from across the room, her eyes catching on mine. This time, I did not turn away.

It took everything in me to stay where I was, glued to the spot. I wanted to dash across the room and challenge William, or to shout at him, asking him what made him think he had any right to propose to Vanessa?

But what right did I have to ask that question?

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