Chapter 153
Cecilia’s pov
OMG p>
It couldn’t be p>
In that instant, my heart shot into my throat.
My entire body froze in shock – pupils dilated, breathing stopped – as Alpha Sebastian’s eyes began to drift down toward my phone screen.
“Don’t look p>
I lunged forward, throwing myself over his hands to snatch my phone back with desperate urgency.
The kitten, startled by my sudden movement, leaped onto the sofa with a frightened mewl.
Alpha Sebastian stared at me, clearly taken aback by my reaction.
Stepping back awkwardly, I clutched my phone to my chest. “It’s just… I was discussing something very private with a friend. Not meant for anyone else’s eyes p>
Alpha Sebastian’s expression turned cold. “Private matters? What is it – Don’t tell me your friend has compromising photos and is blackmailing you p>
I remained silent, unable to form a coherent response.
Worse still, notification sounds kept buzzing from my phone.
Alpha Sebastian’s face grew increasingly frigid with each notification.
“I’ll go buy some food for the kitten,” I muttered, practically fleeing from his office.
Back in my own office, I opened my phone and nearly died at what I saw.
The images made my face burn crimson – they were absolutely scandalous, shockingly explicit.
I couldn’t even imagine Alpha Sebastian seeing these pictures.
Just thinking about it gave me an apocalyptic sense of mortification.
This was a thousand times worse than the strawberry-flavored incident.
I frantically deleted every single photo.
After catching my breath, I called the secretarial department and asked them to purchase kitten milk, kitten food (emphasizing the “kitten” part), a cat bed, and a litter box – all the essentials. Alpha Sebastian was meticulous about cleanliness; he’d never tolerate a kitten having accidents on his carpet.
Sure enough, the kitten didn’t even last an hour in his office before being relocated to Beta Sawyer’s care.
After wrapping up my afternoon tasks, I joined Beta Sawyer to help take care of the little furball.
“Mr. Cassian’s got a flair for the dramatic,” he said with a smirk. “When he showed up carrying that little basket, I figured it was fruit, maybe some champagne. Never expected a live kitten p>
I leaned against the armrest, trying to sound casual. “Does he always bring gifts when he visits Alpha Sebastian p>
“Every single time,” Beta Sawyer said with a knowing look. “That’s why half the office is convinced they’ve got something going on p>
I raised a brow. “And do they p>
The question came out more curious than I intended.
The idea of me swooping in and somehow “turning” Alpha Sebastian was laughable. Sure, anything’s possible – but from what I’d seen, the man checked every box under ’straight as hell.’Confident. Brooding. Completely uninterested in flirting with anyone, male or female.
As for Cassian, he was extremely open about liking men, constantly flirting without fear of misunderstanding, but looking closely, he never made any truly intimate gestures toward Sebastian.
Beta Sawyer laughed. “Of course not. How could our Alpha be interested in men p>
“As for Mr. Locke, he’s just like that – never serious, always joking around. Actually, he had a girlfriend a long time ago p>
I raised my eyebrows, beginning to understand. “So he’s just playing a role p>
Beta Sawyer sighed. “The Locke family situation is incredibly complicated. Nothing Cassian does surprise me anymore p>
Seeing that Beta Sawyer seemed knowledgeable, I pressed further. “Do you know about Mr. Zane Locke? I heard his current wife isn’t his first, and there’s quite a story there p>
The mention of this topic immediately ignited Beta Sawyer’s gossip spirit. He handed the kitten back to me, closed the door, and returned with excitement gleaming in his eyes. “That’s not just a story – it’s a horrific incident. A bloody tale of high society p>
I stroked the kitten’s head. “Tell me everything p>
Beta Sawyer proceeded to recount the entire bloody saga of the Locke family.
When he got to Rebecca, his first wife, heavily pregnant, getting into a fatal car accident with their son, I couldn’t help covering my mouth in horror, my heart aching with sympathy.
“Cecilia, are you seriously crying right now?” Beta Sawyer teased, sliding a tissue box across the desk toward me. “You women and your emotions p>
“I’m not usually like this,” I mumbled, cheeks burning. “I swear p>
And it was true. I wasn’t the type to get weepy over anyone’s backstory – not even in sad movies. But something about this one hit different.
Maybe it really was that tragic.
Or maybe… maybe it was because earlier, Zane had looked me dead in the eye and said I reminded him of his late wife.
Ugh. That lying bastard didn’t deserve to miss anyone, let alone his dead wife. What a joke.
Zane was even worse than Xavier. At least Xavier never pretended to be a good guy.
Zane? He had the audacity to act like he cared.
Epic-level jerk.
Beta Sawyer took a sip of his hot chocolate.
“You know why Cassian ended up as the Locke heir?” he said casually, like we were discussing weekend plans and not a multi-generational soap opera. ” The mistress later gave birth to a daughter with mild intellectual disabilities, and they never had more children When Mr. Locke’s legitimate son died in that car wreck, they didn’t have many options left. Cassian was the only viable male heir p>
I blinked. “So they just… picked him p>
“Groomed him, more like,” Beta Sawyer said, swirling the mug in his hands. “The mistress hated it. Tried everything she could to push him out, but Cassian? That guy’s made of steel. He survived p>
I let out a low whistle. “That family sounds like a nightmare p>
“Exactly why picking the right mate is critical,” Beta Sawyer added. “Alpha Yardley ’s wife and Zane’s first wife were close friends who both married into powerful families, but their fates couldn’t have been more different p>
I left Beta Sawyer’s office feeling deeply troubled, that tragic ending replaying in my mind until the end of the workday.
Just imagine – at first, both marriages probably seemed equally promising and happy.
But as time passed, their paths diverged dramatically p>
Author’s pov
As the office emptied out, Cecilia got a text from Yvonne:
“Don’t bail on me tonight. Operation Distraction is still on p>
Yvonne knew her too well. After seeing those photos, Cecilia was having second thoughts – but she couldn’t back out now. It had been her idea in the first place.
She lingered in her office, half-hoping Alpha Sebastian might call her in for something, anything. He didn’t.
After confirming with Beta Sawyer that the kitten had settled in and no one would need her tonight, she headed home to change.
She paused in front of her closet before reaching for a lavender dress – pretty but not too obvious.
Before leaving, her eyes landed on her phone. Location sharing was still on.
She hesitated.
If Sebastian checked, he’d see exactly where she was – and if she turned it off, he’d notice that too.
Five seconds of internal debate later, she muttered, “Why do I even care?” and flipped it off.
Upstairs, Alpha Sebastian glanced at his phone. One second, her location was visible.
The next – gone. His jaw tensed.
What the hell was she up to?
Cecilia stepped out into the evening air, already feeling lighter. Life was too short not to wear the pretty dress and have dinner with your best friend.
She got to the restaurant early, ordered a drink, and let herself breathe.
She thought turning off her location would keep Sebastian in the dark.
But she forgot about Harper – her best friend, who’d recently become inseparable from Tang, Alpha Sebastian’s security guy.
And those two? They talked. A lot.