Chapter 138 A Gift Long Overdue

The Porsche was insured. That was not the problem.

The problem was that Jordan was starting to think about quitting.

He arranged the tow truck and called the repair shop while Isabella followed him around, twisting her hands.

"Jordan, please don’t tell my brother yet," she begged. "I know the car is mine, but I wrecked it on the first day. He’s going to lose it."

Jordan rubbed his forehead.

First Serena. Now Isabella. Somehow, he had to explain all of this to Alpha Sebastian, who was already under enough pressure with Eira refusing to speak to him.

Then Jordan noticed the handbag sitting on the passenger seat. He recognized it immediately.

"Miss Hale, the car was bought for Luna Eira."

Her mouth fell open.

"So was the handbag," Jordan continued. "You need to tell Alpha yourself. He’s dealing with enough right now."

The contract was gone. Eira wanted nothing to do with Alpha Sebastian. Serena was creating new problems by the hour, and his family kept making things worse.

"Eira?" Isabella stared at him. "But she can’t even drive."

"Then she can learn." Jordan gave her a flat look. "There’s nothing strange about a husband buying his wife a car."

Isabella’s face flushed.

"And I’m not covering for you this time," he added. "Once the car is repaired, Alpha Sebastian gets the truth."

Alpha Sebastian had two things left on his plate: keeping his position by securing Dr. Shaw’s patent and convincing Eira not to walk away for good.

Everything else could wait.

Even Serena.

Isabella watched Jordan walk away, then looked at the tow truck carrying the Porsche down the street.

Her stomach twisted.

Fine. She would get ahead of the story.

The moment she got home, she went straight to her parents.

"Mom, Dad, you won’t believe what Alpha Sebastian bought for Eira. A Porsche, a designer handbag, and enough clothes to fill an entire dressing room. He even gave her the guest room."

Margaret’s face tightened.

"He never spends money like that on either of you," Isabella continued. "And now that Eira has money of her own, she’s still draining him dry."

That hit a nerve with Margaret.

For four years, Margaret had hated watching Eira decide how Alpha Sebastian’s money was spent. Now Eira was no longer living with him, yet Alpha Sebastian was still throwing money at her.

Isabella saw the look on her mother’s face and pressed harder.

"I’m telling you, Mom. Eira talked him into all of this. She knows exactly how to get him to open his wallet."

"The nerve," Margaret snapped. "After everything this family has done for her, she still has the nerve to take his money?"

Alpha Roger frowned. "Or maybe Sebastian is trying to win her back."

Margaret shot him a look. "After everything we’ve been through with her?"

Before Alpha Roger could answer, Margaret’s phone rang.

"Sebastian, Isabella was just telling us about the car..."

"Mom, I’m slammed. And keep Isabella out of Eira’s things. I’m not dealing with another mess."

Margaret glanced at Isabella.

Alpha Sebastian continued, "I’m also changing the locks on the house Eira and I shared. From now on, nobody goes in without checking with me first."

"But Sebastian..."

The call ended.

Margaret stared at her phone.

"He’s changing the locks."

Isabella’s eyes widened. "What? I only took the Porsche for a test drive. And I only grabbed one bag."

Alpha Roger gave her a pointed look.

"Exactly."

Isabella rolled her eyes and said nothing. She was already thinking about which three handbags she’d rotate through first.

Margaret barely heard them.Her expression hardened.

Alpha Sebastian wasn’t spending that kind of money for no reason.

Eira was still pulling his strings.

And Luna Margaret was done sitting back and watching it happen.

"No," she said, rising from her chair. "I’m going to talk to Eira myself."

--

The next morning, Luna Margaret showed up at the front gate of the Silix Institute.

"I’m here to see Eira Crawford."

The security guard looked her over. "Do you have an appointment?"

"No. It’s personal. Tell her Margaret Hale is here. If she won’t see me, I’ll wait right here."

The guard glanced at the line of people entering the building. "Ma’am, you can’t block the entrance."

"Then call her."

Clearly eager to move the argument away from the gate, he contacted the front desk.

Eira was in her office that morning.

When the receptionist mentioned the Hale family, she immediately thought of Alpha Sebastian. A second call confirmed that only his mother had come.

Luna Margaret would not leave quietly. Eira decided it was better to deal with her now, before she caused a scene inside the Institute.

Eira had barely reached the lobby when Luna Margaret spotted her and stopped.

Eira’s hair was glossy, her skin clear, and there was color in her face that had been missing for years. She looked healthier than she ever had while living with Alpha Sebastian.

Luna Margaret’s expression darkened.

"So you finally decided to take care of yourself," she said. "You couldn’t have done that while you were married?"

Eira kept her voice calm. "You came here to comment on my appearance?"

"Don’t change the subject." Luna Margaret stepped closer. "Why is Sebastian buying you cars, clothes, and designer bags? You agreed to leave the marriage with nothing."

So that was what this was about.

"Those things weren’t for me," Eira said. "They were for Serena."

Luna Margaret stared at her. "Sebastian told Isabella they were yours. He even warned her not to touch them. "

Eira almost laughed.

"Four years of marriage, and you lived off my son. Now you’re divorced, and you’re still bleeding him dry. Have you no shame?"

"Your son controls his own money," Eira said. "Take it up with him. Aside from the allowance he gave me, I never had access to another cent."

"That’s impossible."

"Is it?" Eira tilted her head. "You still don’t know why Sebastian lost the contract, do you?"

Luna Margaret’s expression shifted.

"It wasn’t because of his private life," Eira continued. "Carter Group is investigating him for allegedly funneling money to Serena, the outside consultant on the project."

"Funneling money," she added. "In other words, they suspect he may have paid her to influence the bid."

Luna Margaret went still.

Eira took out her phone.

"There’s something you should see. The people directly involved have already seen it. As Sebastian’s mother, you deserve to know what happened too."

She called Mrs. Jones.

"Could you bring a file from my home office? I’ll text you pictures of the documents."

"Of course, Miss Crawford. Where should I meet you?"

"At the gazebo in Stone Park, across from the Institute."

"Got it. I’ll be there shortly."

Luna Margaret’s eyes narrowed. "What file?"

Eira met her gaze.

"A gift," she said. "One that’s long overdue."