Chapter 171

[ 962 words ]

Author’s POV

“That’s enough.” Emilia pressed her fingers to her temples. “I don’t want to hear any of this right now.”

“Then what’s the plan? Are you leaving?” Lily’s voice softened. “If you need a place to crash, my apartment’s always open.”

“I’m not running from the pack house.”

Emilia looked so worn out that it hurt Lily just to look at her. She stood, deciding not to pile on. “Okay. Rest up, then. I’ll check on you in a few days.”

“Thanks, Lily.”

Lily sighed and headed downstairs. On the ground floor, Mila stopped her with a gentle smile. “Won’t you stay for dinner, dear?”

“I appreciate it, but I’ve got somewhere to be.” Lily glanced back toward the stairs. “Just… take care of her, okay? She’s been through hell.”

“You don’t need to ask.” Mila’s face warmed. “Emilia is my daughter-in-law. I love her like my own.”

Lily nodded and stepped outside. Her phone buzzed before she reached her car. Scott’s name lit up the screen. She exhaled and answered. “Yeah?”

“How is she?”

“Not good.”

“Is she planning to leave?”

“I don’t think so. She’s stubborn as hell.” Lily paused. “She’s not walking away from that pack house.”

Scott went quiet for a long moment. Finally, “Understood.”

The line went dead. Lily stared at her phone, an old ache settling in her chest. “If he cared about me even a fraction as much as he cares about her, I’d die with no regrets.”

Three days after Emilia fell ill, Tiffany blew into Simons Imperial Group like a storm. Her family owned the building, so no one had the nerve to stop her.

She crossed the lobby without slowing down, heels striking the marble hard enough to turn heads. The elevator doors had barely opened before she was through them. She marched straight down the ninth floor and shoved open the door to the executive suite.

Fynn looked up from his desk, surprise crossing his face. “Tiffany? What are you doing here?”

“Where’s my brother?”

“Alpha Sebastian is in a meeting.”

“Then I’ll wait.” She dropped into a chair.

Fynn got her a glass of water, studying her tense face. “You look like you’re about to declare war. What happened?”

“You know exactly what happened to our family.”

Fynn’s face softened. “Look, every couple fights. Your brother and sister-in-law are adults. They’ll work it out.”

Tiffany’s eyes narrowed. “Fynn, do you see me as a child?”

“Aren’t you? You’re a senior in college…”

“I’m a twenty-two-year-old woman about to graduate and get a job, not some teenager who needs a bedtime story.” She set the glass down hard.

“Even if you don’t see me as a woman, at least stop treating me like I’m five.”

She stalked into Sebastian’s office and shut the door with a decisive bang.

Half an hour later, Sebastian came back from his meeting. Tiffany shot up from his chair the second he walked in. “Why haven’t you been home in days?”

“Is there a problem?” Sebastian’s voice was flat, his jaw dark with stubble. The circles under his eyes made him look like he’d aged five years in a week.

“Emilia’s sick. She’s been sick for days. Don’t you think you should go home and see her?”

Something moved behind Sebastian’s eyes, so brief Tiffany almost missed it.

Then it was gone. “If she’s sick, she can see a doctor. That’s not my concern.”

“She’s sick because of you. If you’d just go home and talk to her…”

“I don’t have time for this.”

“Brother, don’t be heartless!” Tiffany’s voice rose. “Even if she lied to you, her love is real. She’s suffering because she hurt you. Can’t you see that?”

“Did she send you here to plead her case?” Sebastian’s tone went cold. “If so, get out. I don’t have time to hear anything about that woman.”

“I’m not here for her. I’m here for you! She’s sick, Sebastian. Really sick. Just go home and check on her. Please, I’m begging you…”

“Is she really that great?” Sebastian’s lip curled. “So great you’ll beg? You’re still a naive college student, Tiffany. You haven’t seen how two-faced people can be. Here’s some free advice from your big brother. Never put people on a pedestal.”

Tiffany’s hands clenched into fists. First Fynn, now her brother, both treating her like a child. “Who’s the child here? Being a few years older doesn’t make you wiser! From what I’ve seen, you so-called adults handle a breakup worse than three-year-olds!”

She stormed out, slamming the door hard enough to rattle the frame. As she flew past the secretary’s area, Fynn stood. “Tiffany…”

“Don’t talk to me! Men are all the same. Completely useless!”

Fynn blinked. “What did I do?”

Tiffany burst into the pack house still fuming. “Why is my brother like this? Why was he born so cold? I told him Emilia’s sick and he couldn’t care less! He called her ’that woman’ and accused me of being her messenger. I’m so angry!”

Titus stayed silent, his face dark. He’d only learned the full story yesterday, and it had been weighing on him ever since.

“Is your brother alright?” Mila asked quietly, worry in every line of her face.

“Alright? He looks terrible. So thin his eyes are sunken in.”

“Did he say when he’s coming home?”

“Coming home?” Tiffany laughed bitterly. “At this rate, he’ll never set foot in this pack house again as long as Emilia’s here.”

Mila’s eyes filled with tears. Titus shot Tiffany a sharp look. “Stop being dramatic. He just needs time. He’ll come back once he’s calmed down.”

As if on cue, the sound of a car engine cut through the tension.

Tiffany’s head snapped toward the window. “Is my brother back?”

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