Chapter 93 Breaking Point

After she left the Hale Estate, Eira skipped going home.

She Ubered to a little Italian spot she’d never been to, the kind of place with checkered tablecloths and candles stuck in old wine bottles. Nothing about it screamed the Hales. That was the whole appeal.

She ordered whatever she wanted for once. Truffle pasta, a glass of Chianti, tiramisu for dessert. No rush. No one to report back to.

Her own private little party of one.

Back home, she showered, threw on an old T-shirt, and set the dissolution certificate on her nightstand like a trophy. Lights off. Lay down.

The apartment was dead quiet. Quiet enough she could hear herself breathing.

She closed her eyes. Waited for sleep.

Didn’t happen.

Her brain wouldn’t shut up. Old memories kept looping, tangled up with her to-do list for tomorrow.

Sebastian. Her ex now. Just like that. Done was done, nothing left to chew on there.

Tomorrow had better things on it. Gifts for Kate, Natalie, and Miles topped the list.

Kate was a no-brainer, gift card to Sephora, maybe a cute pair of heels.

Natalie was easy too, anything from the candy aisle plus one of those oversized stuffed animals from Target.

Miles was the wild card. She’d never clocked what he was into, but the guy swapped glasses like other people swapped outfits. A glasses chain, maybe. Something a little ironic.

Then there was Alpha Killian.

What do you even get a guy who already owns everything?

She had zero game when it came to buying gifts for men. Her only frame of reference was Sebastian, and that track record was garbage.

Dress shirts. Oxfords. Ties, cufflinks. Toothbrush, razor, the whole nine yards. Stuff she used to grab off his Amazon wishlist without a second thought.

Sebastian, again. Her eyes popped open. Nope. Not doing this tonight.

She grabbed her phone, thumbed open Google.

Good gift ideas for your Boss.

Turns out there’s a whole etiquette to it. Go too big and it looks like a bribe. Go too cheap and it looks like you don’t respect the guy. Half the results pushed some regional snack box thing.

Hard pass. She barely had any of that left over for herself.

She almost gave up, then thought about the last two weeks. Alpha Killian running on maybe four hours of sleep, that burnt vending machine coffee he kept grabbing between meetings because he never had time to leave the building.

Something clicked.

She typed in a new search. Best coffee gift for someone who works too much.

That one landed. Roaster reviews, a Reddit thread on portable espresso makers, one YouTube guy ranking desk gear, and she was out cold before she made it through the third video.

Her internal clock beat the alarm again, like always. Sunlight was already sneaking through the blinds.

Eira spent the morning on the porch, catching some rays, no plans, no rush, just soaking up a little vitamin D.

Afternoon rolled around and she hit the mall.

Gift list was already locked in from the night before: makeup for Kate, a stuffed animal for Natalie, a glasses chain for Miles, coffee gear for Alpha Killian.

Kate and Natalie’s gifts took ten minutes each, in and out. Miles took a bit longer. She got stuck deciding between two chains and just said screw it, bought both.

Alpha Killian’s gift came last. She found a specialty coffee shop and picked up a bag of some fancy single-origin roast, plus a compact espresso maker small enough to toss in a backpack.

Gifts, done. Round two: retail therapy.

She used to budget like her life depended on it, half her paycheck on bills, half on the shelter.

Sebastian ate well, dressed sharp, she made sure of that every single time. None of that was her problem anymore. She swiped her card without even glancing at the total, once.

DSW, Sephora, some boutique she’d walked past a hundred times and never once gone into. Bags piled up fast.

Somewhere between stores, she called Miss Gwen for updated height and weight numbers on the shelter kids.

Winter was coming, and those coats weren’t going to order themselves.

Back home, Eira hung everything up, lined her new shoes by the door, then hit a wall. Zero clue how to put any of it together. Lila texted right on cue, so they hopped on FaceTime.

"Point the camera at your closet," Lila said.

"That white wool coat, the turtleneck, the wide-leg pants. Now shoes..."

"White sneakers?" Eira swung the camera toward a pair of white flats. "Bag too, right?"

"Now you’re speaking my language." Lila grinned, then groaned. "Okay, gotta bounce, I’ve got papers to grade and my thesis is due next year and I’m literally dying. Professor Chase keeps bouncing it back for revisions. Dude won’t help me fix anything, just torches my drafts, then has the audacity to ask if I want to stick around for my PhD. Hard pass."

Eira smirked. "So, no PhD with him then?"

Lila obviously had zero idea. "I’m hanging up on you now," she huffed, and did.

Eira laughed, got dressed, and called a car.

Kate texted saying they were close too. She waited curbside.

A Maybach glided up.

"Alpha Killian, Eira’s here," Miles said, checking his phone.

Alpha Killian looked up. Blonde hair down past her shoulders, a white wool coat over dark jeans, gold hoops catching the streetlight. Simple, put-together, the kind of outfit that looked effortless but definitely wasn’t.

Second car pulled up right after. Kate and Natalie piled out, Natalie going straight for a hug, Kate right behind her.

Alpha Killian climbed out of his own car a beat later, dark suit, no tie, sleeves already looking like they wanted to be rolled up.

"Alpha Killian," Eira said, tipping her chin up at him. He had a good six inches on her.

"Hey." His eyes did a quick once-over, then he cleared his throat and looked away.

Everyone in, crew assembled.

Walking in together, the three of them looked like they’d coordinated it, Eira in white with that gold hair catching the restaurant lights, Kate in red, loud and unbothered, Natalie somewhere in between in something pastel and cute.

The guys next to them just had that boardroom energy, like they’d both walked straight out of a LinkedIn ad.

Heads turned as they cut through the restaurant.

A server clocked Alpha Killian instantly and rushed over. "Right this way. Monica’s off tonight, but holler if you need anything."