Chapter 263
1246words
I didn’t know when or how it started, but it had been like this for years. The name Flora had become like a stubborn splinter stuck in my heart. Every time I heard it, a sharp, burning irritation would curse through my being.
Taking a deep breath, I turned around and sent him a sharp gaze. “Why did you suddenly bring her up?”
Henry shifted his weight uncomfortably on his other legs, his usual confidence wavering. “Natasha and Margot,” he responded with a sigh. “They’ve been complaining more frequently, Alpha. They’re asking you to either return and deal with Flora or take her away.”
My hands tightened into a fists as a sharp pain radiated through my head. Frustrated, I walked toward the small bar in the office and poured myself a whiskey to calm my anger.
“Alpha–”
He was about to add something more, but I raised my hand to stop him from speaking as I gulped down the entire glass of whiskey.
Sitting down on the high chair, I swiveled it to face him and leaned my left elbow on the counter behind me while my right hand was holding another half-filled glass.
Letting out a sneer, I shook my head. “How dare they complain?”
He opened his lips probably to reply, but I didn’t need his reply or need him to make excuses for them.
With a voice filled with disdain, I ordered, “Tell them that they were the ones who doted on Flora and the ones who used her to torment Della. Since they liked her so much, they are responsible for her now. After all, they weren’t shy about taking her money back then.”
Those words tasted bitter in my mouth, and the thought of the past they brought caused my heart to tighten in pain. I knew that my Mom and Margot weren’t affectionate toward Flora. Instead, it was all a facade for their greed.
They liked Flora before, not because Flora’s good at flattering them, but because they could gain many benefits from Flora in terms of finance.
Knowing my mother and sister’s nature, Flora schemed and manipulated her way in by showering them with money, especially with Margot’s gambling addiction, which made her an easy target.
My hand on the glass tightened as I realized how foolish I was. Taking another gulp, I leaned back on the counter and looked at Henry sadly.
Feeling the sense of regret within me, my voice softened as I voiced out my thought, “Flora sold her jewelry to fund Margot’s gambling debts. She bought their loyalty with gold while using them as tools to hurt Della. I was too blind to see it at the time.”
Henry’s brows furrowed, and he frowned. With slow steps, he approached me and sat on the other high chair, pouring himself a wine.
“You’ve learned about it now?” he asked as we faced the bar counter.
Guilt and regret built within me as everything that happened in the past flashed back through my mind like a fast-forward film featuring every mistake I made, striking my heart over and over again like a sharp blade that made me gasp.
Trying to numb the feeling of regret and pain, I poured myself another whiskey and gulped it down.
Sighing, I said, “Since I want to set things right, I did a deep and thorough investigation in the past few years on my own, and I realized how wrong I was.”
I stared deeply into Henry’s eyes and shook my head in dismay at my foolishness. “Flora was simply a liar, greedy, and vicious woman.”
“Then why bother with her now? Why continue to protect her?” he asked confusingly.
Upon hearing that, I was reminded of another foolish and impulsive decision I had made before.
Feeling guilty, I leaned back on my chair and momentarily looked at the ceiling before sighing. “Flora’s madness... it’s my fault. I told Luna Lauren she could deal with Flora however she wanted. I thought it would scare Flora off, but I underestimated Magan’s cruelty.”
I clenched my fist at the memory of what I witnessed back then. “She allowed men to violate Flora, drove her to insanity. Flora may have been selfish and deceitful, but she didn’t deserve that.”
As manipulative and scheming as Flora was, I found no reason for anyone to violate any woman into such a state. It was just too much, even for women like Flora.
Henry chuckled lightly, though his raised brow and a bit of sarcasm showed his disapproval. “You’re a kind alpha, Kylian.”
If he weren’t my best friend, he would have suffered from the consequences of disrespecting me already.
Letting it go, I sighed and firmly ordered him instead, “I want you to keep a close watch on Flora, Margot, and my Mom. Do not let them send Flora anywhere near Wakeland.”
“Do you think they’d do that?” he asked, sipping his wine.
My jaw tightened as I knew them enough now to know what they could do. Gone were the days when I was too blinded to see their real nature.
I nodded my head. “I know them well. They'll try to ship her off in secret if they can no longer tolerate Flora’s madness and fail to wring any more benefits from her. They don’t know my connection to Wakeland or that I lead Deadtails. But I won’t let them meddle here and ruin everything I worked hard for.”
If Flora came into the picture again, everything would shake, and chaos would follow. I could barely fix my relationship with Della yet—not as Mr. K and not as Kylian yet—and I didn’t want any more trouble.
The mere thought of her coming here sent chills to my nerves, as I knew it would be equivalent to disaster.
I was tapping my fingers on the table while I tried to sort out my thoughts and mild inner panic when Henry’s following words brought me out of my thoughts, only to make me more anxious.
“There’s something else you should know.”
I turned and looked at him sharply. “What is it?”
“It’s about Della,” Henry said in a cautious tone before he added, “She seems to be setting up a pharmacological laboratory. She’s likely trying to develop medicines to reduce Wakeland’s dependence on Deadtails.”
I fell silent as I digested what he said before a faint smirk formed on my lips. With a hint of pride, I murmured under my breath, “Della is smarter than I gave her credit for.”
Henry nodded in agreement. He was silent for a little while before he added, “I got word that her beta, Sapphire, has been reaching out to several talented pharmacists and chemists.”
Then, he raised his brow in amusement, shook his head, and let out a small laugh before adding, “Interestingly, those she contacted all happen to be our people.”
Shrugging, he added, “They’ve all turned her down.”
Hearing how persistent she was, my smirk faded, and my eyes dimmed as I imagined Della running back into my arms.
Sooner or later, I’ll make sure she’ll be mine again. No matter how long it takes.
“She can try and give her best. She’ll build her lab eventually, but she’ll never escape me. Never.”
Finishing my drink, I dropped it on the bar table and spoke in a low voice laced with a dangerous finality. “She belongs to me, whether she knows it or not.”
