Seventy-Nine
Isabella’s POV
People don’t like Mondays. It was like a literal rude awakening after the relaxing weekend to find out that you have to wake up early, get dressed and get to work again. Mondays were usually not my favorite days of any week either. This particular Monday though, I woke up feeling thoroughly refreshed and I had nothing but the rest of my weekend with Alexander to thank for that. After my apology had been accepted and we promised to communicate better, we managed to sweep everything under the carpet and just have a relaxing time together. We talked about a lot of things and even managed to find new things about each other. He was really growing on me and I barely even remembered what it felt like to live alone. In just two days, he managed to make me feel more refreshed than I did in the past months.
Refreshed enough to get inspired for a new painting. Stepping back from my canvas until I was about a feet or two away, I assessed the budding piece of art before going back to dip my brush in my palette, mixing the brown with white to get a lighter colour so I could give my painting’s face some texture. Just then, I heard a knock at the door and from the whiff of her scent through the door, I knew it was Olivia.
“Enter.” I called out and she did. She was dressed smartly in her usual shirt and pants with her hair packed up in a ponytail and an iPad in her hands. I don’t think I have ever seen Olivia in a skirt or gown but that was fine. The way she dressed suited her so well that I couldn’t even imagine her in anything
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else. She still had her usual nervous look plastered on her face, that and her fidgeting were other things I don’t think would ever change about my assistant.
“Yes?”
“There are some people waiting for you in your office waiting room. Should I let them in?” She asked and I sighed. I had been hoping to be spared any distraction for a while.
“Sure.” I said anyway taking off my apron and hanging it on the wall and after washing my hands, I went out into my office, Olivia trailing after me. “Send them in.” I told her as I sat down. Olivia left and the next minute she was leading a familiar looking couple into my office. I stood up to give them each a handshake before sitting back down and gesturing for
them to sit as well.
“Nice to meet you.” I said to them and the lady smiled.
“We’ve actually met before Miss Rossi.”
I gave her an apologetic smile, “I don’t doubt that. I’m just having a hard time remembering, I’m sorry.”
“Oh that’s alright.” The guy said, “I’m sure you meet tons of people everyday.”
“We actually wanted to buy one of your paintings some months ago but your Alpha declined.”
My eyes widened as the memory suddenly came back to me, “Oh.” I said and they laughed while I joined in with a small chuckle. “I’m really sorry about that.”
“No, It’s alright. We knew that your pack doesn’t sell art from
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her gallery, we were just daring to dream.” The guy said.
“That’s why we’re here today to commission a painting.” His mate said with a smile before turning towards her mate with a wide grin. He gave her a peck on her forehead before turning back to me.
“The honour of having your painting on our walls plus the art itself would make whatever price you call worth it.” He said with a nod.
“Sure, what would you like me to paint?”
After a couple more minutes of giving me a rough idea of what they wanted to see and making a deposit, they left and I just smiled at the thought of the painting. All they had told me was the emotion they wanted to feel from the art and I already begun to get goosebumps from how beautiful I imagined the outcome would be. I’m sure it would be hard to give it to them even after they paid for it. I wondered why Olivia didn’t just get their order and had to call me though. That was the usual procedure. Maybe they insisted, I thought with a shrug.
Deciding to go get a drink, I threw on my jacket, grabbing my phone and purse before I stepped out, telling Tanya and Olivia that I would be right back. As I walked, I felt eyes practically follow me and even heard people mumbling when I walked by. It wasn’t like the stares I had been getting before where people would call me Luna and bow, this time it seemed quite hostile and I hoped I was wrong even as a chill ran down my spine. Shaking off my bad feelings, I went and got the drink before deciding to stop by at Alexander’s office. Getting two drinks instead of just one, I made my way over to his office, He really had a way of making me relax.
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Seventy–Nine
#288 ¡Vouchers His secretary greeted me and I nodded at her with a smile before going to knock on Alexander’s door, his sweet scent already inviting me from the other side. Just before I could knock though, I heard someone say my name. It wasn’t
Alexander’s voice and when I listened well, I could tell that it
was Blake.
“I’m not sure how we’re going to put a stop to this rumor, Alexander.” He said.
When I finally heard Alexander’s voice, it was filled with so much anger that I jumped back. “I would kill anyone that even thinks of spewing such nonsense.”
“You may just have to kill the entire pack.” Blake sighed. “Your parents might’ve heard about it by now and it’s only a matter of time before they call you to talk about it or worse, Isabella herself.”
I gasped. My head spun as I tried to make sense of what I was hearing. This rumor that was so awful that Alexander was threatening to kill people for. Was it about me? Unable to just keep standing there and listening, I burst into the office. “What the hell are you talking about?” I demanded, seeing the shock, guilt and pity on their face as my eyes darted across them both.
Alexander immediately got up and came to my side. He pulled me into his arms and tried to calm me down, “It’s nothing to worry about Isabella.” He whispered but I wasn’t having it.
Turning to Blake, I demanded that he tell me exactly what was going on because it definitely wan’t nothing. Blake sighed and despite Alexander’s obvious disapproval, began to tell me
everything. He told me all about how a rumor was going on
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288 iVouchers
around the pack about you grinding men at the club even while being mates with the Alpha. I felt a cold weight drop through my chest and sink at the bottom of my stomach. So that’s why they had been staring. They were talking about me. Spreading the vile rubbish they had been told and had
believed. Letting the drinks drop from my hands and spill all over the floor, I removed myself from Alexander’s hold and walked out of the office, Ignoring my mate and his best friend even as they called out my name.
I kept a straight face as I walked the distance from Alexander’s office back to the gallery and then my office even though my heart was beating wildly. I could literally hear people whisper about me as I passed like they didn’t know I would hear them anyway. I was angry and hurt and very disappointed as well. The rest of the day was spent burying myself in paperwork. I did not want to continue my painting because with the mood I was in I might end up ruining it or producing something different from what I had planned. I stayed at the office way passed office hours, declining all Alexander’s calls and leaving him a message saying that I was fine but I didn’t want to talk just so he would not worry.
Olivia eventually had to persuade me to go home when the sun began to set, a worried look on her face as she stood in front of my door. I gathered all my stuff into my car thinking about the fact that she had definitely heard about this rumor by now. Everyone had heard. The whole pack was talking about me. I felt like there was a mighty weight in my chest and I knew it was because I haven’t spoken a word to anyone since I heard about the rumor. I hadn’t cried, I hadn’t yelled, I hadn’t even ranted or tried to explain to anyone that I was truly innocent. Stepping on the gas, I found myself swerving out of the pack house entirely and a couple of minutes later, I
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288 Vouchers
was pulling into my parents mansion and parking beside my mother’s car before stepping out.
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