Richard’s POV
Sophia sat across from trembling like a frightened rabbit, but all I felt was irritation scraping under my skin.
“Sophia,” I said, my fingers curling against the table in disdain, “Is this seriously the best you can co up with, you never told hurting Aria was part of your plan, I would never have agreed to this?”
Her scent soured instantly with a mix of fear, frustration and desperation.
Good. She deserved to choke on it.
Sophia was playing with fire she couldn’t handle.
“Alpha Richard...I didn’t know it was going to turn out this way but don’t forget, If things get out of hand, you will be implicated too. We’re in this together,” she whispered.
My wolf snorted. Together?
I lifted my eyes lazily, pretending not to notice how badly she was shaking. “What do you want this ti?”
She swallowed. “I—I put a drug on Aria. Sothing to make the dog go crazy and scare her. But then I mistakenly provoked the dog beforehand...”
I searched for sincerity in her eyes, that It was as she claid and what happened was a mistake, but there was none.
“I’m worried they’ll figure it out.”she said.
Of course, she was scared she would get caught.
“Sophia...” I tapped the table slowly, letting the sound echo like a warning growl. “I’ve helped you enough. But you keep making stupid mistakes.”
“No wonder after a whole year crawling around Nathan, you didn’t get anywhere.”
Sophia’s face turned ghostly.
Normally she’d have snapped at , baring fangs she didn’t have, but now she swallowed every ounce of pride she owned.
“I need your help... I need you to get that dog out of the hospital. Or—”
Her voice dipped into pure venom.
“If you can’t, make sure it dies there.”
I scoffed. “Sophia, you’re a terrible partner.”
I looked up at her and complained, “I’ve bent over backwards for you and what do I get in return? Nothing”
Her jaw clenched hard. Desperation slled thick on her, it was pungent and pathetic.
“What do you want, Richard?” she asked with dread.
Finally, the useful part.
“I’ll take care of the dog...” I tilted my chin. “But you need to find sothing for . Sothing close to Nathan.”
Her eyes lit with premature hope.
“What is it?”
“The file on Aria’s supposed leak of Hemsworth group’s secrets last year. As their top lawyer, it shouldn’t be hard for you to access.” I said matter of factly.
Sophia’s confusion was almost comical. “Last year, Nathan was so mad he didn’t even let Aria explain herself, he imdiately sent her to jail. There can’t be any file.”
“There might be,” I said quietly. “Jas could’ve kept sothing.”
Her brows lifted.
“Jas?”
I nodded. “What if he had evidence, and Nathan had already figured out sothing was wrong?...what if that was the reason for his recent pursuit of Aria like a wolf in heat?”
Sophia paled, panic rolling off her in waves.
“You an Nathan might be digging into what happened a year ago? And Jas might have proof?”
I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to.
My silence was enough of an answer.
She exhaled shakily. “Fine. I’ll search quietly. If I find anything, I’ll call you. But get rid of the golden retriever for .”
I snapped my fingers for my n to escort her out.
But just before she turned the corner, my instincts clawed upward like a warning howl.
“Hold it.”
She froze.
“Aria got hurt because of your stupidity,” I said, voice dropping into a low, dangerous rumble. “Sophia... you’re not irreplaceable. I placed you near Nathan last year. I can replace you just as easily. Don’t let it happen again.”
Her shoulders locked in terror.
“Got it,” she muttered.
When she finally slithered out, I turned on my computer.
Footage from the park played across the screen.
The mont the dog attacked, the mont Aria stumbled.
And the man beside her. He was protective, fast and sharp-eyed. He was the reason things didn’t get out of control today.
“Jude,” I called.
He stepped forward at once.
“Find out which ward that dog’s in. Talk to the doctors and nurses. Make sure it gets put down.”
Jude nodded and disappeared. Silence pressed in, heavy as fog.
My eyes drifted to the figure in the footage, the stranger next to Aria. His back turned, his shoulders tense, his posture defensive.
Sothing about him made my wolf uneasy. The kind of unease only Nathan’s dominance usually triggered.
Where the hell did he co from?
And more importantly, Why did he make my instincts scream?
A mory tugged at . I was pretty sure I had seen that face sowhere before. It felt so familiar.
My brows tightened.
Could it be... him?
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