Page 115 of Alpha-Ex Wedding Ruse
He leaned back slowly, his dejected expression giving way to something else. Something darker. Something I hadn’t seen before.
“You’re great, but I just don’t see an us. And honestly…I don’t know if I’m ready to get back into the dating world. Or if I ever will,” I added, pressing my lips together.
A tense silence settled over the table. Victor picked up the dessert fork in front of him, turning it slowly between his fingers like he didn’t know what else to do with his hands. The motion was so tight, so controlled, it made me uneasy—like he might hurl it across the room.
“Is this about my brother?” he asked finally, voice low and sharp. There was something in his tone that made my stomach twist. I’d never heard him sound like that before.
I straightened in my seat. “This is about me, Victor—”
“Bullshit.” The word exploded from him as he slammed his fist against the table. Glassware rattled. His voice rose above the quiet hum of the restaurant, drawing heads.
“This is about that son of a bitch! How many times does he have to hurt you before you open your fucking eyes and realize he isn’t good for you?”
I recoiled, startled, shock knitting across my face. “Victor—” I tried, softly, trying to de-escalate whatever this was. But he wasn’t listening.
“What is it about Luca that always makes everyone choose him?” he spat. His face was contorted now, bitter and twisted with contempt. “It’s always him,” he scoffed. “The golden son. The better Alpha. The better everything.”
I pushed to my feet. “Victor, I think we should—”
“I thought you were smart, Leila,” he bit out. “I’ve dangled nothing but good in front of you, and what has Luca ever given you but pain and heartbreak?”
“I never asked you to dangle anything,” I shot back. “You offered. That’s on you.”
Then I grabbed my bag.
“Thank you for dinner, Victor. But I’ve got to go.”
I didn’t look back. I just walked, fast, my heart pounding and skin flushed with disbelief. I couldn’t shake the image of his face, the venom in his voice. I didn’t know what scared me more—what he’d said, or the version of him I’d seen tonight.
I wanted nothing more than to head home and crawl into bed. It’d been a daunting four days that were about to become even harder, and I needed to mentally prepare myself to be strong, even if it was killing me on the inside.
But to my surprise, when I opened the door, I found Luca sitting on my sofa, waiting for me. The LEGO toy lay completed on the center table. I shouldn’t be surprised. Luca has been here every other day, either taking Ollie for ice cream or to the arcade. At this point, I’d lost track of the number of places they’d visited in the last four days. He seemed very invested in this for someone who was getting married this week.
I froze. “What are you doing here?” I asked. “I thought Valerie was babysitting Ollie?”
He looked at me for a moment, his eyes dragging slowly from the dip of my neckline to the hem of my dress, which stopped just above my knees.
My stomach tightened. Heat crawled up my neck.
“Ollie’s asleep,” he said quietly, uncrossing his legs and rising to his full height. “I told Valerie I’d hold the fort until you got back.”
“Oh,” I said, averting my eyes. “Well, thank you. I appreciate it, but you can leave now. I’ll take it from here.”
I expected him to leave, move, something. But he didn’t. Instead, he just sat there, staring at me.
“Where were you?” His voice was low.
“I don’t see how that’s your business.”
“It is my business, Leila,” he said, standing from the sofa and coming toward me. “You know, when Victor bragged about having a date with you, I didn’t think you’d actually go.”
I scoffed. “And why the hell not? I’m not allowed to go on dates now?”
His expression darkened. “No, you’re not. Not when you had your mouth and hands all over me just days ago.”
I froze.
His words hit like a slap. Blunt and scorching. I tore my gaze away, not wanting him to see the flush creeping up my face, the way my body responded to just the memory.
