Chapter 145  Playing Along

Estelle’s POV

When I noticed that Asher had called, I already had a gut feeling that it might not be Asher’s intention to call, but Dorothy’s.

I stared at my phone screen, watching his name flash across it. My finger hovered over the decline button. Part of me wanted to let it ring until it stopped. It wouldn’t be the first time for me to ignore his calls and texts.

But something told me this call was different.

I took a deep breath and answered. “Hello?”

I could hear some scrambling in the background. There were voices murmuring before Dorothy’s sweet and concerned voice came through the speakers.

“Estelle, dear? Is that you?”

My heart clenched. I had been right.

“Dorothy,” I said softly. “It’s me.”

“Oh, sweetheart, where are you? Are you coming back to visit soon? I miss you so much.”

Her words hit me harder than I expected. Dorothy had always been kind to me. She was the one person in that family who genuinely cared about my well-being.

Before I could respond, I heard Asher’s voice cut in. The phone rustled as he took it back.

“Estelle, I told Grandmother that you’re busy with work,” he said quickly. “I explained that you’re staying elsewhere due to some family disagreements with Mom and Ashley, but she didn’t believe me. She wanted to speak with you herself.”

Based on the echo in his voice, I could tell I was on speaker phone.

I had to admit, Asher found a truly suitable excuse. He didn’t want to anger Dorothy or drag the old woman into our mess. Smart move on his part, considering it would be more trouble than it was worth for both of us.

I decided to play along. The excuse was true to some extent anyway.

“Dorothy, I’m currently traveling a lot due to some meetings,” I said carefully. “I’m not able to come home right now. This is actually good timing for me to head out and take a breather after spending so many years in Moonveil. I wanted a chance to see the world.”

“Oh, I understand, dear,” Dorothy said. Her voice was gentle but worried. “But Estelle, you have to remember that no matter what happens, you and Asher are mates. As mates, you need to work together to solve problems. You can’t hide away from each other when times get difficult.”

Her words felt like a punch to the gut.

Dorothy didn’t know it, but Asher and I weren’t mates. We had never properly mated. He had never actually marked me. I was nothing more than a ward that Dorothy watched grow up. I was never officially part of the family like she thought I was.

Even though she treated me wonderfully and raised me as though I were her biological granddaughter, ultimately, I was never a Daniels.

The silence stretched on the phone. I couldn’t find the words to respond.

“Estelle, dear, why don’t you return home?” Dorothy continued. “If you need support against Ashley and Jessie, I’ll be there for you.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. I could only imagine the look on Jessie’s face right now. I knew Jessie was terrified of Dorothy. This would be like rubbing salt in her wounds.

“I really am busy, Dorothy,” I said instead. “It’s not possible to come home right now because of where I am. But I promise to pay you a proper visit once I’m done with everything.”

Asher’s voice cut in. “Estelle, you should come home early to see our grandmother.”

My face immediately fell. I didn’t want to entertain this man. I had only picked up this call for Dorothy’s sake.

“I understand, sweetheart,” Dorothy said kindly. “I’ll wait for your visit. Take care of yourself.”

“Thank you, Dorothy. I will.”

I hung up the call and let out a long sigh.

Just then, Edmund and Caleb entered the room with the latest reports. They were chatting about something, but stopped when they saw my expression.

“What’s wrong?” Caleb asked, setting down his papers.

“Dorothy called,” I said simply.

Caleb looked confused. “Who’s Dorothy?”

Edmund winced. “Dorothy is Asher’s grandmother, one of the previous Lunas of the Moonveil Pack.”

“Oh.” Caleb’s face grew serious. “What did she want?”

“She wants me to return to Moonveil to visit her,” I explained.

Caleb frowned. “Did you properly cut things off with Moonveil? Are you planning on going back?”

I stared out the window, watching the afternoon sun filter through the trees. “I’m still not sure.”

The truth was, I knew exactly how I felt about Asher and the rest of his family. I wanted nothing to do with any of them. But Dorothy was different. She was the exception to that rule.

I hadn’t expected Dorothy to return to Moonveil, especially considering how reclusive she had been in recent years. I thought I had more time to figure out how to handle this situation.

However, now that Dorothy had come back, I wasn’t sure what to do. She would start asking questions very soon, and the more I hid away, the more this would remain unresolved