Page 38 of Alpha-Ex Wedding Ruse
I’d already been dreading another wedding planning session with Elena and my ex-Mate. This job was turning me into an Oscar-worthy actress. I had to plan an unforgettable, fairytale wedding for the man who had once shattered me, while pretending I didn’t feel a damn thing. I’d given myself a thirty-minute pep talk this morning. You need this money. Focus on the check. Luca Vaughn doesn’t matter anymore.
But now? Now Elena was telling me she wouldn’t make it.
It was going to be just me. And Luca. Alone.
Fuck my life.
Then and there, I decided I wasn’t going to that meeting. I’d make up an excuse—car accident, sudden bathroom leak, phone fell into the sink—something, anything, to get out of it. Whatever it took to avoid sitting across from him.
Almost immediately, another message lit up my screen.
Unknown Number: Meet me at Elvis Chan’s Cafe.
I didn’t need a psychic—or a name—to know who it was.
The sheer arrogance in those seven words practically screamed Luca Vaughn. Classic him. Short. Commanding. Zero regard for context, convenience, or how anyone else might feel.
Bile crept up my throat. My blood began to boil.
Elvis Chan’s Café. It was in Manhattan. Over an hour away. A place I’d sworn never to set foot in again.
My pulse spiked. Hands trembling. What kind of game was he playing?
It wasn’t enough that he wanted me to cross boroughs—he chose that cafe.
Maybe it made sense on paper. It was right across from Vaughn Industries. Convenient for him. Logical.
But emotionally? It was a grenade.
That cafe wasn’t just a location. It was a minefield. We used to spend hours there, tucked in the back booth like nothing else existed. I’d introduced him to their boba tea. He used to complain that their coffee was cheap, beneath him, but the second he had one sip of brown sugar milk tea, he was hooked. Obsessed, even. Every break, every lazy afternoon, it was always us and that booth and that tea. Like the world had paused just for us.
Now it was just another graveyard of memories I didn’t want to exhume. And now he was dragging me back.
I cursed under my breath and headed for the subway station. The hour-long ride to Manhattan stretched ahead of me like a sentence I hadn’t agreed to serve. And I knew I’d spend every minute of it regretting this decision.
By the time I reached the city, it felt like someone had dropped an anvil on my chest. The weight doubled the moment I stepped off the train. Still, I straightened my spine. Shoulders back, chin up. I tried to look unbothered, like someone who belonged here.
In my black stilettos and pencil skirt, paired with a forest green chiffon blouse, I walked into Elvis Chan’s Cafe with what little dignity I could muster.
Luca was already there. Sitting in our old booth, in the far corner, like he owned the damn place. His eyes were already on me, meaninghe’d watched me cross the street. Which meant he’d seen every frown, every tight-lipped curse, every flash of bitterness. Good.
I forced a mask over my face as I slid into the seat across from him, aiming for polite professionalism.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Vaughn,” I said.
He flinched, the corner of his mouth tightening. Oh? Did he expect me to call him Luca? Like we were on a first-name basis? I was probably reading too much into it. This was Luca Vaughn after all —an arrogant Alpha who never let his emotions show, not anymore. Especially not after what happened between us.
“It’s unfortunate your fiancée couldn’t make it,” I continued, “but I hope you’ll be able to relay the details of our discussion to her.”
His frown deepened.
I began pulling out my laptop, keeping my eyes anywhere but on him.
“Leila.”
His voice landed like a brick—heavy, familiar. It hit pause on everything. My hand froze mid-motion. I didn’t look up. I just stared into my bag, every nerve in my body suddenly hyperaware.
I closed my eyes, just for a second. Don’t let him see it. Don’t give him the satisfaction. This booth, this table, this city—it all tried to drag me back to a version of myself I’d buried years ago. The girl who thought Luca Vaughn was her future. The girl who gave him her heart. The girl he shattered.
