Jess was walking just fine.

No staggering, no tripping, no leaning on walls for support. Her

back was straight. Her heels clicked with confidence. She even

nced at her reflection in a ss panel and fixed a stray hair.

She wasn’t drunk. Not even a little.

She’d been pretending the entire time.

As soon as we entered the room, Jess said she wanted to take a

shower.

I nced at her warily. “You’ve been drinking,” I said, keeping

my tone polite. “Showering might not be a good idea right now.

Let me get you some honey water instead.”

She didn’t even look at me. “I’m fine.”

She turned toward the bathroom like I hadn’t said anything at

all.

I stepped forward, blocking her path. “Seriously. I can’t answer

to Alpha Alexander if something happens to you. Please don’t

be difficult.”‘

Chapter bh /b

That made her stop. Her eyes darkened and then went ssy,

reddening again like she might cry.

But this time, I wasn’t buying it.

I gently guided her toward the couch instead. “Sit. Just rest a bit, alright?”

She did, wordlessly.

I called the front desk and asked them to send up some warm honey water. As soon as I hung up, my phone buzzed again. I nced at the screen. Only two contacts existed in my phone-

Alexander and Gai. This one was Alexander.

I hesitated for a second, then answered. His voice was cool and

simple: “Come to my suite.”

No exnation. No greeting.

Just an order.

“I’ll be there in a moment,” I said.

I turned to Jess. She was curled up on the couch, arms crossed,

still acting like the world had betrayed her. “I’m going to check

in with Alpha Alexander. You rest. Your honey water will be

here soon.”

She didn’t reply. She just looked up at me with that frosty,

unreadable stare–like I’d just told her I was taking her ce in line for something she believed was hers.

I opened my mouth to say something, but stopped. Anything I added would only make it worse. I nodded and turned toward

the door.

A short walkter, I tapped my room card at Alexander’s suite

and stepped inside. The ce was dark, the lights dimmed to a

soft amber glow.

Alexander stood near the window, taking off his watch with

slow, methodical movements. His posture was always elegant,

deliberate–never a slouch or stumble to him.

He didn’t look at me when he spoke.

“I’m hungry.”

I blinked. “Sorry?”

His tone didn’t change. “I’m hungry.”

For a wild second, my brain short–circuited. Hungry as in-

what kind of hungry? I hoped not ‘sexually‘ hungry.

I stared at his back,pletely unsure how to respond. Then he

added, tly, “To eat!””

I exhaled. Right. Of course.

“Okay” I said quickly, clearing my throat. “What would you

like? I can call the kitchen.”

He shrugged. “Anything.”

That wasn’t helpful at all. But I didn’t push. I listed off a few items off the top of my head–grilled chicken, seafood pasta, mushroom soup, whatever I could remember from the menu-

and ryed it to the housekeeper over the inte.

Once I hung up, Alexander finally turned to me. He walked

over slowly, stopping a few feet away.

“Gai used to handle all this,” he said.

Just that. No warmth. No thanks. Just a casual reminder that I

was still in the learning curve.

I gave a short nod. “Understood.“”

He didn’t ask me to stay. He just said, “You can leave.”

Dismissed. Like a server who had poured thest ss of wine.

I turned toward the door without saying anything more.

As I stepped into the hallway, I thought about the man behind ollime. One minute he was sharp,manding, and graceful. The /li/ol

next, cold and clipped, like I barely existed.

I shook my head to myself.

What ia /itemperamental man.

Olivia’s POV

I woke up to the quiet stillness of the room. Jess was still curled

up in the extra bed, asleep like a statue–face turned to the side, lips slightly parted. I didn’t wake her.

I changed quietly and slipped out. My stomach was growling. I

hadn’t eaten properly the night before on the yacht–too many

awkward encounters, too many things on my mind. Yve was

grunting in my head, annoyed, “How are you supposed to

function on an empty stomach?”

The hotel breakfast spread was gorgeous–gran, fruit, eggs,

smoked salmon, all arranged like artwork. I loaded my te, but

ate slowly, savoring the deliciousness.

After breakfast, I walked out into the hotel garden to clear my

mind. The air was fresh. Birds chirped in the distance, and the

faint scent of jasmine wafted on the breeze. I found a shaded

bench beneath a tree and closed my eyes for a moment, just to

take in the calm.