The Breaking Point of Mate: Giving Up on My Alpha novel Chapter 88

Chapter 88

Melanie’s POV

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After dropping Gillian off at her place, I was about to turn the car around and leave when the communicator suddenly vibrated.

The car’s system answered automatically.

“Mommy, when are you coming back?”

Trista’s voice came through the speakers, carrying the soft, slightly slurred lisp common among young wolves.

I started the engine as I replied, “Mommy won’t be back at the villa tonight. Go to bed early.”

A brief silence stretched across the line.

“…Alright.”

The disappointment in her voice was barely hidden.

I knew that tone well.

Trista’s strongest attachment now belonged to Camille. Only when Camille was unavailable did the child think of me.

I didn’t comment on it.

“Goodnight.”

“Mm… Goodnight, Mom.”

The call disconnected, and silence settled back into the cabin.

The next two days, work nearly swallowed me whole.

Code and data built a thick wall, sealing me off from the rest of the world. I had meant to carve out time to find a birthday gift for my grandmother–but I never managed to leave the office.

At noon on the third day, Elmer treated the team to lunch at one of the capital’s most exclusive restaurants.

As the meal wound down, I excused myself to use the restroom. On my way back to our private dining room, my steps halted abruptly in the corridor.

Near the entrance of another private room, Camille was leading a group toward the elevators.

Marvin, Daphne, and several other all–too–familiar faces.

Among them stood two older figures.

They entered the elevator quickly, none of them noticing me.

“Who are they?”

Elmer had appeared beside me. His sharp sense of smell had clearly caught the lingering scent of their group.

I looked away. “The Haines family,”

Elmer’s expression shifted slightly.

“That older woman… is she-”

“A former blood relative,” I replied evenly. “We’re no longer connected.”

I had changed my surname long ago. The blood bond between us had been severed just as thoroughly.

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Chapter 88

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Elmer hesitated before pulling me into a brief hug.

“Back to the table?”

“Mm.”

But what truly unsettled me wasn’t the bloodline.

It was something else entirely.

Camille’s uncle, from the Cummings family, had previously attempted to purchase property in the villa district where my grandmother lived. I had suspected then that the Haines family might also relocate to the capital.

Now it seemed that process was already underway.

That evening, Gillian and I had planned to go shopping.

More than an hour passed, yet we still hadn’t found anything suitable.

As Gillian stepped into a fitting room, my communicator buzzed again.

“Mom, when are you coming back?”

“What’s wrong?” I asked coolly.

“Dad’s away on business… I’m so bored.”

I understood almost immediately.

With Archer gone, Camille was likely tied up with the Haines family. That was why Trista had turned to me.

“Play on your own for now,” I said. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

The screen lit up instantly. 1

“Really? Then you have to come back tomorrow morning!”

“Mhm.”

In the end, I still hadn’t found a suitable gift. I had even considered buying something random, but ultimately, I left the mall

empty–handed.

Early the next morning, I returned to the Razor Pack.

Trista was eating breakfast in the dining room. I chatted with the kids briefly before remembering something I needed to take with me, so I headed upstairs alone. 1

The moment I pushed open the master bedroom door, my steps faltered.

On the vanity—within what was nominally my territory–sat two exquisitely crafted lacquered boxes, solemn and elegant.

Just like the dark red property deed.

The fact that they had been placed on my vanity meant they were intended for me.

At least in name.

I stood before the mirror, hesitating to reach out. A faint trace of patchouli lingered in the air–faded, yet stubbornly persistent -reminding me who this bedroom truly belonged to.

After a moment, I lifted my hand and opened the round lacquered box closest to the mirror.

The instant the lid rose, my breath caught.

Chapter 88

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Inside was the very set of jewelry I had lingered over at the auction days ago, only to withdraw my bid at the last moment.

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