Chapter 147 Caught in the Crossfire

Eira pulled her gaze from the water.

"I can’t change that number," she said quietly. "Two years ago, I met a thirteen-year-old pup at the Omega orphanage. A distant relative took him in, but only because they wanted free labor. I gave him that number in case he ever needed me. If I shut it down, he might have no way to reach me."

Lila’s expression softened, but only for a moment.

"Of course you did." She glanced toward the water and shivered. "Sebastian is such a pain. It’s freezing out here. Let’s go back inside."

"Sure."

They turned toward the door.

On the deck below, Serena happened to glance up. "Eira?"

Vincent followed her gaze, but the upper deck was already empty.

"I could have sworn I saw Eira," Serena said. "And Lila was with her."

She remembered hearing that the entire third floor had been reserved for a private party."Do you know who booked the third floor?"

Vincent shook his head. "No. Logan and the others should be inside. We can ask them."

They walked into the private lounge, where Vincent’s old friend Logan Harris was waiting with two guests, a man and a woman.

Serena did not recognize the woman.

The man was another story.

Barry Wood.

Serena’s smile turned brittle.

"Vincent, it’s been a while," Logan said.

"Only a few months." Vincent pulled him into a quick hug.

Logan turned to his guests. "This is Barry Wood. I’ve known him my whole life. He’s a doctor, a pain in the ass, and somehow still one of my best friends."

Barry nudged him with an elbow. "Keep talking. I’m enjoying this."

"And this is Fiona Carter," Logan continued. "She’s a friend too."

He gestured toward Vincent. "The famous attorney Vincent Crawford. Our families go way back. We’re distant cousins, if you go far enough up the family tree, but the older generation can argue over the details."

His eyes slid to Serena, brows waggling. "And this is? Come on, Counselor, don’t be rude."

Vincent stood beside Serena. "Serena Winthrop. A friend I met while traveling overseas."

Logan raised an eyebrow. The coat made Serena look like far more than a casual acquaintance.

Fiona noticed it too.

Logan glanced between them. "You two know each other?"

Fiona looked Serena up and down. "Not personally. But I’ve heard the name."

Barry leaned lazily on one hand. "Oh, I definitely know Miss Winthrop."

Logan blinked. "Everybody knows her but me? What, I skip town for a while and miss the whole show?"

Fiona smiled faintly. "She’s Sebastian Hale’s... friend."

"Wow. Subtle," Barry said dryly.

The tension in the room grew impossible to miss.

Logan cleared his throat. "Whatever the story is, tonight is a clean slate."

Fiona and Barry exchanged a glance before giving Serena polite but distant nods.

Serena understood the message. She was not welcome.

Everyone took a seat.

Serena sat beside Vincent, stiff and uncomfortable. She wanted to leave, but she did not want to embarrass him.To break the silence, Vincent asked, "So, who booked the third floor?"

"Sterling," Logan said. "It’s a company retreat."

"More like a victory party," Fiona said. "Hale Group got crushed in the bid, and Sterling walked away with the contract."

Barry gave her a look. "Come on. Losing to Killian Sterling isn’t exactly embarrassing."

"He only won because he played dirty," Fiona muttered.

"You still need something to hide before anyone can use it against you," Barry said. "No secrets, no leverage."

Fiona had no answer. Her eyes shifted to Serena.

Serena kept a polite smile on her face, but her jaw was tight.

Vincent noticed. He immediately regretted bringing her.

"Logan just got back in town," he said. "Maybe we can leave business out of dinner."

The warning in his voice was quiet but clear.

Fiona and Barry were not intimidated by him, but they knew when to stop. They raised their glasses.

For a moment, it seemed the subject was over.

Then Logan looked Serena over. "With that kind of poise, I would have guessed you were a dancer."

Barry nearly choked on his drink.

"Seriously, Logan?" Fiona said.

"What? I was making conversation."

"Serena is a research scientist," Barry said.

"Was," Fiona corrected.

Logan blinked. "Wait. What happened?"

"Logan," Vincent cut in, "this isn’t helping. Serena and I are going to call it a night."

He couldn’t stand watching her sit there and take the insults.

Serena lifted her chin and gave him a soft smile, as if she was fine. Her eyes, however, were bright with hurt.

Fiona let out a short laugh.

Logan’s expression cooled. "Could you two cut me some slack?"

"I’ve given you plenty." Fiona’s smile disappeared. "We’ve known each other for years, so I’m going to be blunt. Hale Group, one of Carter Group’s portfolio investments, just lost the contract. Serena’s name came up in the investigation, and so did Sebastian Hale’s."

Logan’s face changed.

"She’s involved with a mated Alpha," Fiona continued. "Sebastian has a mate, and you still brought Serena here and wrapped your coat around her like some lovesick teenager."

Vincent’s expression hardened. "Watch yourself."

"I’m not insulting you. I’m trying to understand you." Fiona looked at him in disbelief. "You’re a Crawford, Vincent. You should know better than to get dragged into someone else’s scandal."

Serena’s fingers tightened around her glass.

Fiona turned to her."And you’re quite the actress. You sit there with those wounded eyes and pretend this is all innocent. My father used his influence to keep the story from becoming public. Don’t mistake that for innocence."

Serena’s face went pale.

Fiona pushed back her chair. "Logan, you and the counselor can catch up. I’m leaving."

She walked out.

Logan opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

"I’ll go after her," Barry said.

Logan waved him off. "Yeah, go."

Barry slipped out after Fiona.

For the first time that evening, Serena turned to Vincent. "I’m sorry. This happened because of me."

"It’s not your fault," Vincent said. "Sebastian made you believe his relationship with Eira was over in everything but name. They don’t know what he told you."

Logan stayed quiet.

[Buddy, I think you’re the one being played.]

"It’s fine," he said at last. "Let’s just finish dinner. I only wanted to catch up with Vincent. I thought bringing everyone together would make the night more fun."

He glanced toward the door."I didn’t expect it to turn into this."

Barry and Fiona had disagreed about almost everything for years. Tonight was the first time they had ended up on the same side.

Somehow, Serena had managed to unite them.

Logan looked at Vincent.

[Open your eyes, man.]