Chapter 55 What Are Your Intentions Toward Eira?

Alpha Sebastian remembered how particular Eira was about keeping things clean. She never left dishes in the sink or clothes on the floor.

But she had been gone for days, and the house was already a mess.

"When are you coming home?" he asked. "The house needs you."

Eira gave him a flat look.

"You can afford a housekeeper, Sebastian. It would cost less than a diamond necklace."

His expression changed.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Eira caught the flash of guilt in his eyes.

"Exactly what I said. Why? Does it mean something else to you?"

"Nothing."

"Then why do you look nervous?"

Alpha Sebastian looked away.

"I’m not asking you to come back because I think you’re the maid," he said. "I want you home because that’s where you belong. You can’t keep staying at someone else’s house."

His words reminded Eira of something.

She pulled out her phone and sent Martin a quick message.

[I’ve already had dinner, so please don’t have the kitchen prepare anything for me tonight.]

Alpha Sebastian noticed the phone at once.

"When did you get that?"

"Recently."

"What happened to your old one?"

"It barely worked. I should’ve replaced it months ago."

His unease grew.

Eira had new friends. She had changed the way she dressed. She no longer came home. Now she had a new phone he knew nothing about.

"Why didn’t you tell me?" he asked.

"Do I need your permission to replace my phone?"

"That’s not what I meant. I could’ve bought you one."

"No need. I can buy my own."

"With what money?"

Eira almost laughed.

"Alpha Hale, I still take home four thousand dollars a month. It may not compare to your income, but it’s real money."

Alpha Sebastian frowned. He had never paid enough attention to know how much she earned.

"Do you have to talk to me like that?"

"I answered your question."

He took a slow breath.

"I didn’t know my whole family would be at dinner tonight. If I had known, I wouldn’t have left you out."

Eira looked up from her phone.

"Then who did you think you were meeting?"

Alpha Sebastian’s silence gave her the answer.

"You thought it would be just you and Serena."

"Hale Group is competing for a major federal contract," he said stiffly. "Serena shared some public information and gave me general advice. Dinner was just a thank-you."

He watched Eira closely, waiting for her reaction.

She simply nodded.

"Then why did you let her leave alone? That’s a strange way to thank someone."

"I stayed because I told you I’d wait."

Surprise crossed Eira’s face.

Alpha Sebastian had let Serena leave upset so he could wait for her. That did not sound like him.

Unless he was feeling guilty.

"If you’re driving me back, we should leave," Eira said. "You may still have time to make things right with Miss Winthrop. What if she changes her mind about helping you?"

"She won’t."

"You should be careful. I’m supposed to quit my job and stay home, remember? You promised me ten thousand dollars a month, plus the cost of my classes. If we have a baby later, that will cost even more."

Some of the tension left Alpha Sebastian’s shoulders.

She was still talking about quitting. About preparing for a baby. About a future with him.

So she knew nothing about Serena.

Eira noticed his relief, and a cold smile touched her lips.

He was easier to read than he thought.

"I don’t need Serena’s help after this stage," Alpha Sebastian said as he moved into the driver’s seat. "Anything more could put her career at risk."

He fastened his seat belt, then glanced at Eira.

"Sterling Group received an invitation for the Sovereign Processor Initiative too, didn’t it?"

Eira’s hand stilled.

"Why are you asking?"

"You work directly for Alpha Killian. You must have heard something."

"I know Sterling Group was invited to submit a proposal. That’s all."

Alpha Sebastian’s eyes sharpened.

"Have you seen their bid?"

"No."

"You’re leaving anyway. Could you look through the proposal before you go? I only need the main points."

Eira stared at him.

He was asking her to steal confidential information from Sterling Group.

"I’m not on the proposal team, and I don’t have access to those files."

"Alpha Killian keeps you close. You could probably get access if you tried."

"No."

Alpha Sebastian frowned at her quick refusal.

"He made you his executive assistant right when you were planning to resign. He clearly trusts you."

The thought seemed to bother him more than it should have.

Then he leaned closer, his voice low.

"I saw the way the Sterlings treated you tonight. Don’t let Alpha Killian fill your head with ideas."

Eira held his gaze.

"What kind of ideas?"

"That you’d be better off without me."

The irony was almost laughable. A moment ago, he had asked her to betray her employer. Now he was warning her not to betray him.

Alpha Sebastian started the car.

"Just remember who your husband is."

--

The Sterling Manor

When Luna Seraphina returned home, Alpha Julian was waiting by the door.

"You went to Monica’s restaurant without me?"

"You would’ve spent the whole evening talking business."

Before he could argue, Luna Seraphina turned to Lila.

"Tell your brother to come home. I need to speak with him."

"Yes, Mom."

Lila escaped upstairs and immediately called Alpha Killian.

"Mom wants you home tonight."

"What does she want?"

"No idea. I’m just the messenger."

"You had dinner with her. You must know something."

"I know better than to get involved. Come home and find out for yourself."

She ended the call before he could ask anything else.

--

10:00 p.m.

Alpha Killian walked into the living room and found his parents waiting for him.

He sat across from them.

"What’s this about?"

Luna Seraphina did not waste time.

"Do you have feelings for Eira?"

"No."

The answer came a second too late.

Alpha Julian gave him a knowing look. "Try again."

Alpha Killian frowned. "Nothing has happened between us."

"That wasn’t the question," Luna Seraphina said. "Did you know she’s married to Sebastian Hale?"

Alpha Killian’s expression changed. "She told you?"

"I found out at dinner. Alpha Sebastian grabbed her arm in front of us and called her his wife."

Alpha Julian’s face hardened.

"You’re interested in a married woman?"

"I didn’t say that."

"You didn’t have to."

Alpha Killian leaned back. "What if she’s getting divorced?"

Silence filled the room.

Luna Seraphina closed her eyes for a moment.

"Killian, I’m going to ask you one more time. What exactly do you want from Eira?"