Chapter 88
Chapter 88:
“My personal life has nothing to do with my skills as a restorationist. If you would just look at my portfolio—” I reached out to open the leather binder, but he waved a hand, cutting me off.
“We don’t need to see your scrapbooks. Besides,” he stepped closer, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial sneer, “we received a character reference this morning. From Alpha Braydon Hyde himself p>
The name hit me like a physical blow. My breath hitched.
“He was quite candid,” Gavin continued, relishing the fear in my eyes. “He described your professional conduct as unstable. And disloyal to your Alpha. We don’t hire traitors here p>
“That’s a lie,” I whispered, my hands trembling. “He’s lying p>
“I think you should leave,” Gavin announced, straightening his lapels. He snapped his fingers, and two uniformed security guards — Blackwood Warriors, by the size of them — stepped away from the wall and moved toward me. Their faces were stone, their bodies radiating a silent threat.
𝗗𝘰n’𝘁 𝘮𝗶ss 𝗇𝖾𝘸 𝗿еl𝖾𝘢ѕ𝘦ѕ 𝘰ո
I stood frozen, humiliation burning my skin. The red lipstick felt like a clown’s paint now. Braydon’s lies had followed me here, poisoning yet another part of my life. But beneath the shame, something else stirred — cold, clear anger at the man who couldn’t stand to see me move on.
I turned to go, blinking back hot tears, when a voice sliced through the lobby. It wasn’t loud, but it carried the weight of a glacier shifting.
“Gavin. Are you running a design firm, or a playground for the Hyde Pack’s fragile egos p>
The silence that fell was absolute.
Gavin froze. The color drained from his face so rapidly he looked like a corpse. We both turned toward the private elevators.
Standing there was a woman who could only be described as regal. She wore a tailored white suit that glowed against the dark marble. Her hair was a sharp silver bob, and her eyes were the color of polished steel — eyes I had seen before, set in a different, younger face.
Elder Augusta Marshall. Gigi.
“Elder—” Gavin stammered, his composure shattering. He bowed his head, baring his neck in submission. “I was merely protecting the company’s integrity. This woman p>
“This woman,” Augusta interrupted, walking toward us. Her heels clicked with a rhythm that sounded like a countdown. She didn’t look at Gavin. Her gaze was fixed entirely on me — cold, calculating, and devoid of warmth. She was dissecting me with her eyes, searching for the flaw that had ensnared her grandson.
“I reviewed her portfolio this morning,” Augusta stated, her tone flat. “It is adequate. Which is more than I can say for your judgment, Gavin. You are allowing a disgraced Alpha pup from a rival Pack to dictate our hiring practices p>
Gavin looked as though he might be sick. “But the Hyde Pack is a major client p>
“The Hyde Pack is a sinking ship, and I will not have my company tethered to its anchor,” Augusta snapped, her patience evaporating. “Stand down the guards p>
They retreated instantly, melting back into the shadows.
Augusta turned her full, terrifying attention to me. There was no kindness in her face — only the ruthless pragmatism of a seasoned politician.