Christina’s POV
Ysolde nodded, her eyes wide. "No way. I wouldn’t believe this if anyone else told . Beatrice isn’t really a Vance? The way your parents spoil her, you’d think she was their miracle child. And this Jace guy is her half-brother?"
"Niall bailed him out," I said, swirling my drink. "I guess Jace called him after Beatrice fainted at the wedding."
Ysolde laughed so loud that heads turned across the bar. "Niall is going to lose his mind! He thought he married a Crescent pack princess, but he got a fake with a broke mother and a gambling brother instead."
Her fingers moved toward her phone. "Can I post this? This is amazing pack gossip!"
I smacked her hand away. "Don’t even think about it. Beatrice already wants to kill you. Don’t make it worse."
Ysolde rolled her eyes. "She hates anyway, and I hate her back." She put her phone down, looking disappointed.
My phone buzzed. I read the ssage and groaned. "Violet Lin just got out on bail." I waved at the bartender. "Another Peat & Zest, please."
"You should slow down," Ysolde said. "That drink is stronger than it tastes. It looks harmless but hits hard."
"Says the person who ate half a bakery and drank enough to knock out a horse."
She tapped her glass with a smug smile. "This is basically water."
"Really? How many fingers am I holding up?"
"Zero, and I’m giving you the finger in my head right now. My brain works perfectly fine. You said Violet got out. Her family paid, obviously."
"Wow, what a smart guess." I raised my glass mockingly. "Her family has tons of money. Bail is nothing to them. The real problem will be losing her job at Nyx Collective and getting blacklisted everywhere else."
"Good," Ysolde said, hitting the bar with her hand. "She deserves it. So does that jerk Niall. Now he’s stuck with fake Beatrice and her loser brother Jace."
"Jake," I corrected her.
"Whatever. From what you told , he’s trouble. His plan is evil. Niall can’t divorce Beatrice without losing half his money, and we know how much Niall loves his cash. Plus, imagine what happens to the Frostpelt pack when people find out he married a nobody with no real bloodline."
I nodded and sipped my new drink. "That’s why we can’t spread this story. Alpha Clive will destroy anyone who makes this public. If word gets out, the Frostpelt na becos a joke to all the northern packs."
Ysolde smiled even bigger. "I just want to see Niall’s face when he figures out this ss. It must look amazing."
She looked around as more people walked in. "What do you think of this place?"
"Your friend picked a great spot," I admitted.
For a Wednesday afternoon, the bar was surprisingly crowded. The warm lights and wood interior made it feel cozy but classy at the sa ti.
"He called it Crossroads," Ysolde explained. "He said when this was still a bakery, he noticed everyone in the neighborhood walked past this corner. Now it brings in all types of people, business wolves, runners, housewives, everyone."
"And people we don’t want to see," I muttered, spotting soone familiar.
"What?"
I nodded toward the entrance.
Niall Granger stumbled through the door, looking like he had already hit several bars before this one.
He walked unsteadily to the counter and slamd his fist down. "Vodka. Double. Just bring the whole bottle."
"Moon Goddess," Ysolde whispered. "Of all the bars in Highrise City..."
"Ysolde?" Niall turned around slowly, swaying on his feet.
His face was bright red, and he still wore his wedding tux. It looked like he had slept in it for a week. Several buttons were missing, and the jacket had strange stains all over it.
"Christina." His bloodshot eyes tried to focus on . "What are you doing here?"
"I was going to ask you the sa thing," I said, quietly moving my drink away from him.
"Shouldn’t you be carrying your bride sowhere romantic?" Ysolde asked with fake sweetness.
"Bride? Honeymoon?" He laughed, but it sounded empty and bitter. "Beatrice is in the hospital."
"Yes, I heard. Sorry about your wife." Ysolde said the last word like it tasted horrible.
Niall didn’t notice her tone. He stumbled over and dropped onto the stool next to like a sack of potatoes.
"I need to talk to you."
"That’s funny, because I don’t want to talk to you." I tried to move away, but the stool was stuck to the floor. I made a ntal note to tell Ysolde’s friend about his terrible furniture choices.
"Did you know?" Niall leaned toward .
"Know what?" I leaned back. The sll of alcohol on his breath made my nose burn. Akira growled with disgust.
"Did you know Beatrice isn’t really Beatrice?"
"I have no idea what you’re talking about," I lied. I felt a little satisfied keeping this from him.
"She never told she had a half-brother." He made a face like he had eaten sothing disgusting.
Ysolde smirked behind him and winked at dramatically.
"I’ve been tricked, Christina. I married the wrong Vance. No, she’s not even a Vance! She’s..." Niall reached for my hand. "I married the wrong sister."
I pulled my hand back and smacked his shoulder hard. "Keep your hands off . Find soone else to whine to. I’m not your personal counselor."
"You have to listen!" he said like a crying child. "You need to know that Beatrice isn’t your sister. She’s... I don’t even know who her real parents are. That Jace guy? He’s a complete loser. A gambler. A total deadbeat. And now he’s my brother-in-law. I had to bail him out of jail. Now he’s living in my house. He sits on my couch. He eats my food. He uses my stuff. How could Beatrice do this to ?!"
"So if Beatrice isn’t a Vance, you suddenly don’t love her anymore?" I asked with a nasty smile.
I hated Beatrice, but I actually felt a little sorry for her right now. If this was the man she had worked so hard to marry, she got exactly what she deserved.
Niall stared at with his mouth hanging open. He looked completely lost.
He didn’t seem to know what to think or feel.
Honestly, I didn’t know what to feel either.
But I definitely wasn’t going to sit here and comfort him.
"Let’s go," I said to Ysolde, standing up.
"You can’t leave!" Niall grabbed my wrist.
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