Chapter 364

Chapter 364 Can’t Believe I Got Played
Eleanor’s POV

I’d practically lived in the archives all week. Dusty files and old cabinets surrounded me like forgotten junk, making me feel just as outdated and ignored. My fingers were stained with ink, my eyes tired from reading faded papers for hours.

I sighed and stretched when my phone suddenly rang. Dad’s name popped up on the screen.

“Hey, Dad!” I answered, genuinely happy for the interruption.

“Eleanor? Why haven’t you been responding to the mind-link?” Dad’s voice sounded serious but worried, like always.

I glanced around the secure archive room. “Sorry about that. I think it’s the archives, they’ve got some kind of blocking mechanism installed. Joseph’s company takes confidentiality pretty seriously.”

“Hmm,” he grunted, not entirely convinced. “How have you been? You haven’t called in days.”

“I’ve been drowning in work,” I admitted, tapping my pen against a stack of files. “Joseph has me digging through these ancient archives. It’s like archaeological excavation, but with paper cuts.”

“Work is important, but your health matters more,” he said, his voice softening. “Speaking of important matters, how are things progressing with Nate? Your mother keeps asking.”

I rolled my eyes, grateful he couldn’t see me. “Why don’t you ask Nate directly? I’m sure he’d love to discuss our relationship status with my father.”

“That’s not how this works and you know it.” There was a brief pause. “Your brother Sebastian is considering choosing a mate soon.”

“Is he now? That’s actually a good idea. An Alpha needs a Luna by his side.” I couldn’t help but sound a bit relieved. Sebastian taking on responsibilities meant less pressure on me.

Dad sighed heavily. “I’d feel much better if you and Nate would settle down soon as well.”

“Dad—”

“Speaking of Nate’s business,” he continued, not giving me a chance to object, “I met with Alpha Kenneth from Pine Ridge Valley at a business conference. He’s looking to expand into Harbor Bay. I thought he might be a good connection for Nate.”

My irritation faded instantly. Dad was actually trying to help Nate? “That would be amazing! Nate’s been looking for investors. Thank you, Dad. I’ll definitely tell him.”

“How about dinner tonight?” he suggested. “Alpha Kenneth could meet you and Nate—”

“Tonight?” I cut him off, glancing at the mountain of work still ahead of me. “I can’t. Joseph assigned me this urgent project and—”

“Is Joseph using you as his errand girl now?” My father’s voice turned sarcastic. “Or are you the one calling the shots?”

I laughed, trying to defuse the tension. “Obviously I’m the one in charge! But seriously, he’s got me digging up dinosaurs here.”

“What do you mean?” Confusion replaced the sarcasm in his tone.

“I’m digitizing files from an ancient company. Everything’s on paper, and since it’s confidential, I have to do it alone.”

“Really? I thought Joseph modernized all the company records when he took over. Which company is it?”

“Monopoly Finance,” I replied.

There was a pause before my father spoke. “Eleanor, are you sure you’re doing the right work? Monopoly Finance changed its name about twenty years ago. They’re G9 Holdings now.”

“What did you just say?” I felt my blood run cold.

“That’s right. They’re financial market giants. After the founder died, the heirs changed the name because they were tired of other businessmen making jokes about their company name and the board game. I won’t keep you since this seems serious. We’ll talk later, dear. Take care.”

“Son of a bitch!” I cursed after hanging up.

That bastard Alpha Joseph had punished me! G9 was already our client. I was going to kill him! I snapped my laptop shut, gathered my things, and stormed out of the archive room, fury building with each step.

When I reached the executive floor, Julia gave me a knowing look as I marched past her desk. I threw my things down and burst into Joseph’s office like a hurricane. The idiot was actually singing to himself!

“Are you out of your mind, you jerk?” I shouted, slapping my palm against his desk.

Joseph’s head snapped up, his eyes widening. “Eleanor? What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong? You locked me in that dusty archive room for a week! Tell me what brilliant thoughts were running through that genius brain of yours when you decided that was a good idea.” My hands itched to strangle him.

“Calm down, Eleanor. What happened?”

“G9 Holdings, Joseph? Really?” I leaned across the desk, and he actually pushed his chair back—I could see the flash of fear in his eyes.

“Eleanor, relax! It was just a joke!” He stood up, slowly edging toward the door.

“A joke? You asshole! A joke is putting a whoopee cushion on someone’s chair. Sending me to that filthy room is asking for trouble!”

“Eleanor, please calm down. We can talk about this.”

“There’s nothing to talk about, Joseph! I’m going to cut off your balls and feed them to the dogs!” I grabbed a pair of scissors from his desk and advanced toward him.

“Elle, please, I’ll do anything. Just calm down and let’s talk.” His voice cracked slightly.

“Scared now? You should have been scared before you messed up!” Devis, my wolf, was howling with laughter inside my head, enjoying the spectacle.

“Threaten him more, Eleanor! This is the best entertainment I’ve had all week!” Devis encouraged.

“Elle, please…” Joseph was actually trembling. “It was just a prank. I knew you’d make me pay for it, and I can explain.”

“Start explaining. Now!” I pinned him against the wall, holding the scissors dangerously close to his groin.

“Elle, could we sit down? I can’t think straight with those scissors pointing at my manhood.” Sweat beaded on his forehead.

I backed away and pointed to a chair, but kept the scissors firmly in my grip. After we sat down, he cleared his throat nervously.

“In my defense, I was angry and not thinking clearly. But it was your fault.” The moment he said those words, I slammed my hand on the desk, making him jump.

“Explain!”

“Ava had me burning with desire all night but wouldn’t let me release. I was furious, Elle! Do you know how painful blue balls can be? So I was angry and in pain.” Joseph looked genuinely wounded. “Then I discovered that little scheme was your idea!”

“How did you find out?” I had to fight to keep from laughing.

“That’s not important!” he huffed.

“Of course it is!”

“I overheard your conversation that day.”

“Oh, so you were eavesdropping.”

“Damn it, Eleanor, this is my company, so yes, I eavesdropped! You’re absolutely insane. I’ve never met someone as crazy as you.” He began complaining, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’re not really sick, are you?” I asked.

“Fuck, Elle!” He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “Look, I love Ava! I love her more than anything! Things are going great between us right now, so please don’t ruin this.”

“You know I’m going to make you suffer indefinitely for your little stunt, right?” I twirled the scissors between my fingers.

“Damn it, Eleanor, do whatever you want to me, but stop putting ideas in Ava’s head.” He buried his face in his hands on the desk.

“You know I’m going to tell her about this.”

“I know, just please don’t suggest any more punishment scenarios!”

“Fine. I won’t suggest any more punishments… for now. But she’s definitely going to be pissed at you.” He groaned into the desk. “Now, I want something in return.”

“What?”

“Your yacht for the weekend!”

“What? My baby? No way!” he shouted.

“Then I think I’ll give Ava some suggestions!” I sang.

“Goddamnit, Eleanor!” He groaned loudly. “I’ll have it ready for you. You can use it starting Saturday morning.”

“No, Friday evening.”

He let out an agonized moan. “Fine.”

I smiled triumphantly. He adored that yacht, so I decided to hit him where it hurt second-most, since I’d promised not to feed Ava any more ideas, which was clearly what hurt him most.

“Perfect,” I said sweetly, finally putting down the scissors.