bChapter /bb100 /b

Olivia didn’t hesitate before jumping to her feet. She fixed ba /bsmile on her face for effect and reached for the wine ssb. /bb“/bbOur /bAlpha isn’t feeling well today and really shouldn’t be drinkingb. /b

I’ll be happy to take his ce.”

Her heart hammered against her ribs as she lifted the ss to

her lips. But before the contents could flow into her mouth, the

ss was suddenly snatched from her grasp.

“You don’t have to drink. Sit down,” Alexander said, putting the

ss back on the table.

What was that about? Yve piped up.

I don’t know, Olivia responded. He seemed indifferent to me.

No. He sounded concerned. Protective even. I don’t understand

why.

However, it wasn’t just Yve who’d noticed Alexander’s

confusing tone. The entire room had gonepletely silent. No

one said a single word. The only sound was that of Ethan’s teeth

clenching as he gripped the ss in his hand so tightly that

Olivia feared it might shatter.

Others wore varying facial expressions. Korbin and Felix

frowned at them. Ben seemed thoughtful. And Gal, his eyes

constantly darted around the room, as he pretended not to have

seen the interaction.

His behavior still wasn’t clear to Olivia even as she sat down

obediently beside him. She stole nces at his side profile,

searching for some clue to decode what had transpired. But

Xander wasn’t revealing anything.

Korbin finally broke the agonizing silence. “Looks like you’re

quite thepassionate leader, Alpha Alexander,” he said with

a casual, yful tone.

The statement was far from innocent. Korbin was trying to

create a reality that painted Alexander as a man who wouldn’t spare Ben Wilde even five minutes of his time. Yet, here he was

intervening on behalf of a woman.

Alexander smiled faintly. He perfectly understood the game Korbin was ying. “Perhaps you could assist me instead,” he said smoothly, gesturing toward the abandoned wine ss in front of him. “I find myself… indisposed.”

As if to emphasize his point, Alexander turned slightly and released a series of weak coughs into his hand. Korbin’s jaw tightened. It was a clearmand, and he couldn’t think of ia /iway to refuse without tantly disrespecting a powerful

Alpha.

He reached for the ss angrily and drained it in one swift motion. His face grew even redder as the liquid went down his throat. Once the ss was empty, he set it on the table with

more force than necessary.

Felix observed the interaction warily. He wasn’t here to lock horns with Alpha Alexander, he was here because the Green

group had rejected his proposals repeatedly.

It was only a few days ago, at some forgettableworking event, that he’d encountered Ben Wilde. Ben had been surprisingly receptive to Felix’s situation. “I know Alexander personally,” he’d said after downing his fifth ss of whiskey. “I can arrange a meeting. These things are all about knowing the

right people, after all.”

The truth was, Korbin had been brought along to ensure

everything went smoothly. But things were going anything but.

So far, it appeared to Felix that Alexander wasn’t giving anyone

the time of day. Instead, his attention seemed to be somewhere.

Particrly, the dark–haired secretary seated on his right side.

It begged the question; Was the great Alpha Alexander truly

smitten with this woman?

Ben Wilde had musings of his own. This meeting wasn’t going

how he wanted it to. The people were too tense, wolf instincts

were at high alert.

To ease the tension, he burst intoughter and pped his

hands loudly. “You’re absolutely right of course. It really isn’t

advisable to drink when one isn’t feeling well.” He then turned

to his secretary who had remained standing at attention near

the wine bottles. He waved his hand at the younger man.

“Please, stand down.”

Despite Ben’s eptance of Alexander’s state of health, it was

clear to everyone in the room that the Alpha’s performance

hadn’t convinced a single soul.

But Ben had to y his cards right. He was well aware that

Green group was under Alexander’s control. He couldn’t risk

offending him.

It was toote for that.

“Mr Wilde.” Alexander fixed a polite smile on his face as he

addressed Ben. However, there was a certain chill in his eyes

that indicated he was in a far from pleasant mood. “I do

appreciate advance notice when additional parties will be

joining our discussions.”

To his credit, Ban maintained his cheerful demeanor. “I

apologize, Alpha. I was only concerned you won’t show up.”

Felix jumped in immediately. “Alexander, I was hoping for another opportunity to discuss the loan for our project. I can promise you that it won’t interfere with the project’s progress in