Chapter 9
Cecilia
Xavier quickly removed his suit jacket and draped it over Cici’s naked body as she collapsed to the floor in a dramatic display of tears and screams.
Watching this scene, I almost laughed out loud.
How ironic, eight years of companionship and sincerity is actually no match for a lover who gave him a moment of pleasure.
At this moment, he doesn’t even look at me, his whole body and mind are protecting a woman who cheated on him.
My back waist hurt so much that it was about to break, but more than the pain in my body, the humiliation in my heart suffocated me even more.
“Cecilia, get the hell out!” Xavier roared, completely blind to how deathly pale I had become.
Beta Henry snapped out of his shock and rushed to steady me. “Are you alright,Luna Cecilia p>
I clenched my teeth, fighting back tears as waves of pain shot through my spine. The betrayal hurt, but the physical pain was making it nearly impossible to maintain my composure.
“Xavier, you truly disgust me,” I managed to say, my voice barely above a whisper.
I pushed away Beta Henry’s helping hand. Even though I could barely stand, my pride wouldn’t allow me to accept assistance in front of these people.
Xavier’s eyes widened,he suddenly looked panicked.
“Cecilia, you’re going to the hospital with Beta Henry as soon as you can now, and I’ll be talking to you alone afterward for the atrocity you committed against Cici p>
With Xavier’s orders behind me, I braced myself to turn back to him and gave him the middle finger, leaving the conference room after seeing his expression change.
“Harper, I need to end this sooner than planned,” I whispered into my phone, leaning against the elevator wall for support. “I really… I can’t bear to see his face again p>
My voice caught with the sobs I was desperately trying to suppress. The pain in my back was excruciating, but the wound to my heart felt even worse. I couldn’t face returning to my department in such a defeated state, so I forced myself to leave the building and drive to my new apartment.
Harper immediately detected the breaking point in my voice. I heard rustling as she grabbed her purse and keys, her footsteps quick and determined. “Where are you?” she asked, her tone laced with concern.
I gave her my address.
“I’ll be right there,” she promised.
Harper wasn’t just my divorce attorney—she’d been my best friend since childhood. She knew me better than anyone: beneath my gentle exterior lay a proud, strong-willed woman. Since discovering Xavier’s affair, I’d remained composed while methodically preparing for divorce, never once breaking down in front of her.
For me to sound this devastated, she knew something truly terrible had happened.
“That goddamn bastard,” I heard her mutter under her breath.
“I’ll wait for you,” I managed before ending the call.
I closed my eyes and remained motionless against the elevator wall. My long hair fell forward, shielding my face and blocking out the light, as my thoughts spiraled into an endless black vortex, pulling me deeper and deeper into darkness p>
I don’t know how much time passed.
“Are you finished p>
The rich, cool voice cut through the silence of the elevator so unexpectedly that I could have heard a pin drop before it spoke.
My eyes flew open, and I turned my head in alarm.
My gaze traveled upward, taking in broad shoulders clad in black against a pale, elegant neck—the stark contrast creating a coldly beautiful aesthetic. As I looked higher, I met deep-set eyes as frigid as glaciers that were studying me intently.
“It’s you…The male car owner rear-end last time!” I whispered in recognition, then fell silent, continuing our awkward staring contest.
He seemed a bit bemused by my description and said with a slight frown,” Call me Sebastian p>
He’d apparently followed me like a shadow from the parking garage into this elevator, where I’d then claimed a crucial corner and hadn’t budged since.
He leaned forward.
At six-foot-four, he loomed like an imposing mountain.
I instinctively raised my hand to block him. “What are you d p>
Before I could finish, a beautifully structured hand grasped my arm, palm facing outward, and gently moved me aside to reach the fingerprint scanner behind me.
Oh.
Only then did I fully emerge from my mental fog.
The elevator hadn’t moved because I hadn’t pressed any buttons p>
And I’d been blocking the fingerprint scanner, preventing him from selecting his floor p>
How mortifying.
Truly mortifying.
The elevator began to ascend.
When the display showed “5,” I discreetly reached out to touch the scanner while noticing his selected floor.
Floor 46. The penthouse.
I shifted awkwardly to the side, the atmosphere painfully strange.
Just then, a phone vibrated nearby. Soon, that cool, rich voice penetrated my consciousness: “What is it? Hmm? My measurements? Cecilia asked about them p>
I turned toward him with the stiffness of rusted gears. By this point, my embarrassment had reached such heights that my vision was beginning to blur.
I took a deep breath. “Is this… a bad time?” I managed to ask.
Sebastian’s expression remained as unreadable as ink on stone.
“Ding p>
The elevator doors opened.
I practically fled, one hand supporting my injured back as I hurried out.
When Harper arrived, I was lying face-down on the bedroom’s large bed. I’d managed to regain my composure.
“What happened?” she asked gently, crouching beside the bed.
I focused my gaze, gathering my thoughts.
The bizarre elevator encounter had actually helped divert me from my spiral of negative emotions. My mind felt clearer now.
I recounted everything that had happened at the office, my tone remarkably steady throughout.
Harper, however, was furious.
“You’re still working at Blood Moon Pack, and he’s already brought that vixen into the company? Having sex in broad daylight and then physically assaulting you?” Her eyes flashed with anger, her protective instincts flaring.
“He’s completely lost his mind! Has he become so shameless and despicable that he doesn’t even try to hide it anymore p>
“Cecilia Moore,” she used my full name, which meant she was serious, “they’re openly challenging you now. Are you sure you just want a divorce and nothing more p>
I attempted to roll over but winced as sharp pain shot through my lower back.
Abandoning the effort, I remained on my stomach. “You know why I chose this approach. It’s not because I fear him. I want him to know that I rejected him first. I won’t waste a moment’s longing on a man who’s become so corrupt and filthy. I’ll throw him away like the garbage he is p>
Harper’s eyes softened with sympathy.
She gently stroked my hair. “You talk so tough, yet look at the state you’re in p>
“I lost control momentarily,” I admitted with a self-deprecating smile. “In just two more weeks, they could strip naked and have sex right in front of me, and I promise I wouldn’t even blink p>
“Aren’t you afraid your eyes would rot from the sight?” she teased, trying to lighten the mood.
“Watching beasts mate would make me nauseous at most p>
“That would still hurt your stomach,” she countered.
Harper stayed with me for a while longer. Seeing that I was more stable, she went to the pharmacy to buy medicated patches for my back.
Xavier
Remembering how roughly I had yanked Cecilia away from Cici—and the look in her eyes when I did—it hit me like a punch to the gut.
I shot up from the couch, ignoring Cici’s breathless sobbing beside me.
“Xavier?” she gasped, grabbing at my sleeve. “Where are you going? Don’t leave me like this p>
I didn’t answer her. I was already pulling out my phone.
“Henry,” I said, sharp and low. “Find Cecilia. Now. She might be injured—I pulled her too hard earlier. Get her to the hospital. I want her checked. Head to toe p>
There was a pause on the other end of the line. Too long.
“Alpha Beta Henry’s voice was tight. “Luna Cecilia is gone. She left the penthouse over an hour ago. Alone. No guards p>
My chest clenched. “You lost her p>
“We’re sweeping the area now. I’ll update you the second I get something p>
Click.
Behind me, Cici whimpered, voice breaking like glass. “You’re leaving me? After everything p>
I didn’t even look back. “You’ll survive p>
And then I was gone—out the door, heart racing, guilt clawing at my throat like a second skin.
Night has already fallen.
I searched almost every place she might go, called all her friends, and even went to her parents’ house. But she still couldn’t find her.
Harper is the first person I contacted. She claimed she didn’t know where she was.
When I called the tenth time, I was almost crazy. This time Harper finally answered the phone, and her opening remark was like a heavy punch: “Xavier, isn’t it right for you to disappear? No one has disturbed you and that mistress now, how great is it p>
Her words undoubtedly confirmed my guess – they were together. I heard my voice croaking with urgency: “Let me talk to her p>
“Impossible, I don’t know where she is.” Harper’s voice was full of irony. “Maybe she jumped into the sea with sorrow? Do you want to go to the sea to catch people p>
After saying that, she hung up the phone.
My expression was terrible. When I dialed the phone again, another voice came.
“Stop harassing Harper,” Cecilia’ calm voice came, “I will naturally come back when I’m ready p>
I was speechless for a moment and could only listen to my heavier and heavier breathing. When I finally spoke, my voice was so cautious that even I felt unfamiliar with myself: “Where are you? I’ll pick you up now! Does your back still hurt p>
“Ha She sneered, “Xavier, put away your hypocritical concern and gave me goosebumps p>