Reject My Alpha President (Iris and Arthur) novel Chapter 196

Chapter 196

It’s stunning.

In each space, staff members greet us. They seem to recognize me, but none of them comment on the situation. “Everyone is so friendly,” I note as a housekeeper curtsies slightly before continuing with her work.

“They’ve been waiting to meet you for twenty–six years,” Caleb says. “When the news broke that Selina wasn’t actually a Willford by blood, and that our real sister was still out there somewhere… Well, many of them have served our family for generations. They feel this almost as deeply as I do.” He glances at me. “And you don’t need to worry; their discretion is unerring.”

I bite my lip. “And your–our–parents?”

“Out of the country at the moment,” Caleb says. “It’s their thirtieth anniversary. They’ll be back next week.” He pauses, studying my face. “They’re eager to meet you.”

I nod, not sure how to feel about meeting the parents who never knew I was switched at birth. Do they blame themselves? Do they wonder how they didn’t notice?

Do I look more like my mother or my father?

Do they even exist or am I going to be murdered by a lunatic tonight?

We continue the tour upstairs, where Caleb shows me the bedroom that would have been mine–a spacious suite

with its own sitting area, bathroom, and walk–in closet. It’s currently decorated as a guest room.

“We can redecorate it any way you like,” Caleb says. “This should be your space, however you want it.”

“I’m not moving in,” I remind him gently.

“No, of course not,” he says quickly. “But you should have a place here, regardless. Somewhere that’s yours when you visit.”

When we return downstairs, dinner is being laid out in a dining room that could comfortably seat twenty. It feels ridiculous, just the two of us at this massive table, but I don’t comment.

As we eat–some kind of exquisite fish with a butter sauce that probably costs more than my weekly grocery budget–Caleb finally brings up the question that’s been hanging between us.

Will it intensify our bond, I wonder? The idea sends a rush of excitement through me. I wish I could tell him, but I guess it’ll have to wait.

+25 BONUS

“Iris,” Caleb says, “I want to help you adjust to all this. Not just the werewolf part, but everything that comes with being a Willford. The social expectations, the etiquette, the politics.”