The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 243

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Lori opened her mouth to respond, but her mother was unstoppable.

“I know that we are not rich, but we are comfortable. If you need money, tell us, honey. We will find a solution. You don’t need to work. Your place is to just focus on your studies.”

“Mom-”

“I mean it, Lily. Your father and I didn’t send you to that academy so you could spend your time filing papers. We sent you there so you could become a healer. A doctor. Someone who saves lives. The program there is so hard already…”

“Mom.” Lori’s voice was firmer this time, cutting through the flood of words. “It’s not for the money.”

Her mother paused. “It’s not?”

Lori took a breath.

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“I believe it would look great on my CV,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “I know it’s not medical work. But the prestige of working in the headmaster’s office is… high. It would open new doors for me… maybe research grants for the future… you never know. I know that the skill matter, but the social side of things is equally important.”

Her mother was silent for a moment.

Then, slowly, “I suppose that’s true.”

“Future employers will see that the headmaster trusted me with his office. That means something, Mom.”

“It does,” Maria admitted. “The headmaster is a very respected and feared man. His recommendation alone could open doors for you.”

Lori’s heart ached.

If only her mother knew how many doors were about to open, And how many would slam shut in their faces.

“Just be careful, sweetie,” Maria said, and her voice had shifted-softer now, almost hesitant.

Lori’s brow furrowed. “Careful?”

“Headmaster Attia is…” Her mother paused, searching for words. “He is notorious. Difficult. People say he is not an easy man to work for. Demanding. Cold. Some even say…”

She trailed off.

Lori’s pulse quickened. “Say what, Mom?”

“That he is damaged. From the war. That something in him broke and never healed.” Maria’s voice dropped lower. “I don’t know if it’s true. I don’t like to gossip. But I want you to be careful, Lily. Don’t let yourself be drawn into something you don’t understand. Plus, that he is coming from the famous Scott family… and they are not to be crossed.”

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Lori’s throat tightened.

*If only you knew,* she thought. *If only you knew how drawn I already am.”

“I’ll be careful, Mom,” she said quietly. “I promise.”

“Good.” Maria’s voice brightened, the moment of concern passing. “Now, tell me about your classes. Are you eating enough? You look too thin in those photographs you sent…”

The conversation drifted to safer waters. Classes. Food. The weather. Ordinary things that grounded Lori in a reality that felt increasingly foreign.

When she finally hung up, she sat on her bed and stared at the wall.

*Notorious,* she thought. *Difficult. Demanding. Cold.*

*Damaged.*

Her mother’s words echoed in her head, mixing with her own observations, her own fears, her own desperate hope.

She thought about the way Attia had looked at her in the classroom-like she was the only thing in the room worth seeing.

She thought about the way his voice had slightly softened when he said her name.

She thought about the way he had admitted his family’s difficulty.

She lay back on her bed and closed her eyes.

In a few days, she would walk into his office.

In a few days, the experiment would begin.

And whatever happened next-whether they bonded or broke, whether the world accepted them or tore them apart-she would face it.

Not because she was brave.

But because she had no other choice.

The Goddess had chosen.

And Lori was NOT running.

The phone call ended with a soft click, but Maria Thompson did not move.

She sat in the worn armchair by the window, her phone still pressed to her ear, her eyes fixed on nothing. The sweet conversation with her daughter had faded, replaced by a weight that pressed against her chest like a stone.

Saul looked up from his medical journal, his brow furrowing when he saw his wife’s expression. The easy warmth that usually lingered after calls with Lori was absent. In its place was something else.

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Something that looked like fear.

“What happened?” he asked, setting down the journal.

Maria lowered the phone. Her hands were trembling-just slightly, but enough for Saul to notice.

“Lori got a job,” she said slowly. “A temporary position. In the headmaster’s office.”

Saul’s eyebrows rose. “The headmaster? Attia?”

“Yes.”

He leaned back in his chair, processing. “That’s… unexpected. But good for her. The prestige alone—”

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“I know.” Maria cut him off, her voice sharper than she intended. “On the surface, it makes sense. She said

it would look good on her CV. That the headmaster’s recommendation could open doors.”

Saui nodded. “She’s not wrong.”

“Yes.” Maria stood up and walked to the window, her back to her husband. “On the surface, it makes sense.”

Saul heard the hesitation in her voice. The doubt.

“But?”

Maria turned to face him. Her face was pale, her eyes troubled.

“I have the feeling that I am missing something important,” she admitted. “Something she’s not telling me. I just… I can’t put my finger on it.”

Saul rose from his chair and crossed the room to stand beside her. He placed a gentle hand on her

shoulder.

“Probably because you’re worried about her working for that man,” he said. “I’ve heard stories. Everyone has.”

Maria nodded slowly. “The shooting star. The youngest general in a century. Top fighter. Top strategist. The pride of the Scott family.”

“Billions in assets,” Saul added. “Properties. Power. Influence. The kind of family that makes other families

bow.”

“And then…” Maria trailed off.

“And then he got injured,” Saul finished. “The curse that ended his military career. He withdrew from the public eye after that. Disappeared for years. And then he resurfaced here, as headmaster.”

Maria wrapped her arms around herself.

“I just hope Lori won’t have to interact with him too often,” she said quietly. “She’s so sensitive. So gentle. And I doubt that a man like that has any softness left in him.”

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Saul had no answer for that.

He opened his mouth to speak, but before the words could come, a familiar presence pressed against the edges of his mind-a-mind link request, insistent and authoritative.

His Alpha.

Saul’s jaw tightened. He accepted the connection.

“Alpha,” he said respectfully. “How can I be of service?”

The Alpha’s voice was smooth, practiced, the voice of a man accustomed to obedience.

“Saul. I was hoping you and Maria could join us for dinner tonight. There are matters I wish to discuss.”

Saul’s stomach turned.

“I’m afraid tonight is not possible, Alpha,” he said carefully. “We are swamped at the clinic. Perhaps another time?”

A pause. Then, “Another time, then. But soon.”

The connection ended.

Saul let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding.

Maria was watching him, her expression already knowing.

“The Alpha?” she asked.

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