Chapter 105 A Request to Step Aside
Sunday night, Alpha Sebastian came home.
He opened the door. Apartment was spotless. Clean, organized, back to how it used to be.
His face lit up. She’s back.
Lights were off. Must be asleep.
He moved quiet through the hall, pushed open the bedroom door, didn’t bother with the overhead light. Knew the layout by heart. Made his way to the nightstand, clicked on the lamp.
Warm yellow light spilled across the room.
Alpha Sebastian smiled, looked toward the bed.
Flat. No small shape curled under the blankets.
Comforter smooth. Perfectly made.
His smile died.
She’d been here. Then she’d left.
He sat on the edge of the bed, flipped on the main light, pulled out his phone, dialed.
Call connected. Then she hung up.
Alpha Sebastian stared at the screen, stunned.
His phone buzzed. A text.
Eira: [What is it?]
Sebastian: [You came back. Why’d you leave again?]
Eira: [Thought you weren’t coming home till next week.]
She meant it straight. Genuinely surprised he’d bothered making time to come home at all.
Alpha Sebastian stared at the reply. Every word felt like an accusation. A quiet reminder of how little time he actually spent there.
He typed back fast.
Sebastian: [I’m not avoiding home. I’m working for us. For our future.]
Eira: [I know.]
Two words. Landed like a punch. His jaw tightened. Sounded resentful. Bitter, even.
His temper flared, then crashed just as fast.
Wait.
She wasn’t the one who’d been gone all the time. He was the one who never showed up.
Alpha Sebastian shook his head, forced the anger back down.
Sebastian: [Once this week’s done, I won’t leave you alone anymore.]
The thought tugged at something in him. Mouth curved slightly. Warmth spread through his chest.
Later that night, Alpha Sebastian got in the shower.
Closed his eyes. Let the hot water run down his back.
Eira crossed his mind, out of nowhere.
His breath caught.
A second later, his body reacted. Fast. Hard.
He braced one hand against the tile, let it happen.
When it was done, he stared at his own hand, kind of stunned.
When did she start getting to me like this?
Ethan’s voice popped into his head. "You’re seriously telling me you don’t feel anything for her?"
Alpha Sebastian stood there, water running over his shoulders, pressed a hand to his chest.
Do I?
Do I actually like her?
No clue.
He stepped out, reached for his toothbrush. Cup was empty.
Frowned, opened the mirror cabinet himself, started digging around. Found a spare toothbrush shoved in the back, still sealed, and a half-used tube of toothpaste next to it.
Grabbed both. Then his hand froze.
Next to them, two plain silver bands.
Their rings.
Something in his chest went tight.
Then it hit him. Day Serena flew back into town, he’d taken his ring off before picking her up, left it on the nightstand.
Eira must’ve moved it in here at some point.
Her ring sat right next to his. She’d taken hers off too, probably doing chores, didn’t want to lose it down a drain or something.
He picked up both rings. Slid his own back on his left hand. Pocketed hers, tucked it into his wallet, careful.
[I’ll put it back on her when I see her.]
--
Three Days Until the Bid Meeting
The whole tech sector was in overdrive. Every company with skin in the Sovereign Processor Initiative was running final checks, polishing pitches, rehearsing like their lives depended on it.
At the National Institute, the team was just as slammed, gearing up for the bid opening and the signing right after. Results in the morning. Ink on paper by afternoon.
Dr. Victor Winthrop called Professor Davies into his office. Ran through a few logistics questions, nothing important, then eased into the real topic.
"Serena’s been a piece of work lately. I know she’s given your team headaches." He folded his hands on the desk. "She’s home now, grinding on her thesis, laying low. Do me a favor and don’t hold it against her."
Professor Davies read between the lines instantly. Kid’s grounded. Crisis averted.
Dr. Victor Winthrop wasn’t dumb. He knew exactly when to yank his granddaughter’s leash.
"She’s young," Professor Davies said, smooth as ever. "Passionate. You don’t see that much anymore."
He knew this wasn’t about logistics. Dr. Victor Winthrop hadn’t dragged him in here to talk schedules, an assistant could’ve handled that over email. This was something else.
"Professor Davies." Dr. Victor Winthrop’s tone stayed light, but every word landed with weight. "The signing. You and Miss Crawford are running point, correct?"
And there it was.
Professor Davies kept his poker face on lock, brain already sprinting. He’s angling to get Serena in the room.
Lucky for him, he and Eira had seen this coming.
"Everyone who put work into this project will be there for the signing, Dr. Victor Winthrop. Serena included."
Dr. Victor Winthrop’s eyes narrowed just a hair. Not falling for that.
Standing in a room and actually repping the project up front were two completely different animals.
"Miss Crawford’s the lead engineer. She’s the one signing. You’re her advisor, you’ll be up there next to her." Beat. "Professor Davies, make room for Serena. Put her front and center."
Professor Davies kept the smile plastered on. His gut was doing backflips.
Make room, my ass.
National contracts ran on strict protocol, three to five reps a side, no exceptions. Eira signs. Professor Davies stands beside her as her advisor. One more senior Institute official reps the department, has to show up no matter how hands-off they usually are.
Dr. Victor Winthrop wasn’t even the direct head of this project. Assigned Serena to the team, sure, then backed off completely. Didn’t matter. Guy’s rank alone cast a shadow over the whole building. The actual department head had been perfectly happy letting Eira run point and staying invisible. But ceremony day? Protocol says show up, no excuses.
That’s three slots, gone.
Fourth went to the lead engineer’s right hand, Claire, standing behind Eira, passing paperwork when needed.
Fifth was a toss-in. Optional. Nobody cared if that seat stayed empty.
Shove Serena into slot five, and she’s standing in the back, basically furniture.
Dr. Victor Winthrop wasn’t playing for furniture. He wanted her in Professor Davies’s seat.
This isn’t mentorship. This is a straight-up swap.
Professor Davies’s mind raced. He wasn’t handing over his spot without a fight. But telling a guy at Dr. Victor Winthrop’s level "no" to his face wasn’t exactly a walk in the park either.
Knock at the door saved him from answering.
"Come in," Dr. Victor Winthrop called.
Door swung open. Eira walked in.
The second Claire tipped her off that Dr. Victor Winthrop had pulled Professor Davies into his office, she knew something was up. Came straight over.
One look at Professor Davies’s face told her everything.
"Dr. Victor Winthrop." Cool as anything. "I need Professor Davies. Something came up with the project data."
Professor Davies caught the cue instantly, stood up fast. "Right. Let’s move."
They turned for the door.
"Professor Davies."
Dr. Victor Winthrop’s voice stopped them cold.
"Think about what I said."
Professor Davies’s spine locked up. He kept walking anyway, Eira right beside him.