Free Web NovelChapter 168: Chapter 168 You Don’t Get to Walk Away
Christina’s POV
I blocked their path.
"Too bad there aren’t any cameras here. Everyone would see just how shameless you’re being. Do you honestly think both of us are hallucinating what we heard?"
Alexis maintained her smile.
"Miss Vance, you’re overthinking this."
Her voice was honey-sweet.
"I’d love to see how that sugary act works when you’re face-down in a mud puddle," I said dryly.
"She deserves worse than mud," Akira growled inside me. "Let me show her what happens when someone threatens our friend."
"Not now," I silently replied, though I completely agreed.
I glanced at Ysolde.
She stood frozen—lips pressed into a thin line, fists clenched, shoulders rigid like stone.
I turned back to address the source of all this trouble.
"You’ve known us long enough to understand who we are. Do you think Ysolde and I are making this up for entertainment? Do you think we’re that petty?"
Cassian’s gaze dropped to the ground.
Finally, he said, "I don’t think you’d lie, but like Alexis said, maybe there was a misunderstanding."
Ysolde’s head snapped up so quickly her hair flew around her face. She blinked, closed her eyes, then looked away again. He might as well have stabbed her directly in the heart.
Alexis noticed this and her lips curled upward slightly. "Exactly. Clearly a misunderstanding. We’ll leave you both alone now."
She turned, tugging at his arm.
I stepped in front of them. "Wait. You don’t get to walk away without explaining yourself or apologizing."
Alexis paused, releasing a long, dramatic sigh.
"If you insist, Miss Vance, if an apology would make you feel better... fine. I apologize. Let’s say it was my fault. I’m sorry."
Cassian frowned. "Why are you making her apologize? She didn’t do anything wrong."
"She called Ysolde a home-wrecker and accused her of trying to ruin your marriage—which, by the way, hasn’t even officially begun."
Cassian looked from Alexis to Ysolde and then to me.
"You don’t believe me?" I saw the doubt in his eyes.
Alexis murmured, "I never said those things. You must have misheard, Miss Vance."
"Then why apologize at all?"
"Because nothing else seems capable of making you happy."
The audacity of this woman was astounding. I’d never seen someone lie so boldly while maintaining such a perfect innocent expression. The fact that Alphas kept falling for women like this made me question their intelligence entirely. I didn’t care whether Alexis married Cassian or not, but attacking Ysolde? That crossed every line.
"So now I’m the bully?" I challenged.
She turned to Cassian, her lips quivering convincingly. "Cas, Miss Vance is just putting words in my mouth."
Ysolde finally spoke up, "No, she’s not. She said exactly what Christina claims. Christina isn’t lying."
Trapped between his ex and his current girlfriend, Cassian predictably chose the latter.
"I believe you," he said, patting Alexis’s arm before turning to Ysolde. "Let’s drop this. We should go."
He put his arm around Alexis’s waist and turned—
Then froze.
Two figures came out from the corner near the balcony, tall and intimidating in black suits. The light behind them put their faces in shadow, but I could tell who they were immediately.
Neither spoke a word initially.
Cassian immediately stiffened. Emmett’s face was severe, jaw clenched tight, eyes dark with barely contained rage. He stepped forward, his Alpha aura pulsing with enough power to make everyone take a step back.
"This is my cousin’s wedding," he said, voice dangerously low. "And you brought someone here to humiliate my sister. Cassian, is this really how you want to end things between our packs?"
Cassian winced. "I didn’t come here to start trouble."
Emmett tilted his chin toward Alexis. "You don’t consider this trouble?"
"Of course not!"
Emmett said nothing more, just stared him down.
Cassian turned to Alexis, leaning close and lowering his voice. "What exactly happened here? What did you say to them?"
"Nothing!" she insisted firmly. "Not a single rude word."
He studied her for half a second before giving up on uncovering the full truth.
Emmett looked ready to put someone through a wall.
Cassian just wanted to escape this situation.
"Apologize properly," he ordered.
Alexis shook her head. Her eyes began to glisten with perfectly timed tears. freёwebnovel.com
"You want me to apologize in front of everyone? You don’t believe me?" freёwebnovel.com
"That’s not the point," he snapped. "Just apologize. We’ll talk later. Do it now."
She bit her lower lip and glared at him like he’d just announced he’d run over her favorite designer purse with his car.
He ignored it.
After several seconds of silence, she finally turned to face Ysolde and me.
"Fine, I apologize. It’s two against one, so obviously what you say must be true. I did say some things I shouldn’t have. I shouldn’t have approached Ysolde here. If that upset you, I’m sorry."
She paused as if waiting for applause.
Then asked, "Is that acceptable? Can you forgive me now?"
"Don’t act like we’re forcing you to crawl over broken glass," I said. "I know apologizing is killing your soul right now, but the fact is, you should have done it voluntarily. You know damn well we didn’t do anything wrong."
She nodded slightly. "I understand."
A moment later, Cassian spoke up. "Alexis has apologized. Can we leave now?"
He moved to exit, but Emmett blocked his path.
"Final warning," he said coldly. "Stay away from my sister. Show up again, cause trouble again, and next time I won’t just talk."
Cassian pressed his lips together. "I didn’t come to cause problems. This is Rachel’s wedding. I was invited. I’m representing the Moonstone Pack. What was I supposed to do, ignore the invitation?"
Emmett narrowed his eyes. "You know exactly what I mean."
Then he turned to Alexis. "Your family’s company is in trouble. Your retired Beta father wants you to hook Cassian and become his Luna to save your family from crisis. This engagement is a business arrangement, isn’t it? You think that’s reason enough to behave this way?"
"I—" Alexis began.
"The Moonstone Pack might be able to pull your company out of trouble," Emmett cut her off sharply, "but I’m an Alpha too, and I can easily push you deeper into the hole. Think about that."
