Free Web NovelChapter 29: Chapter 29 She’s changed
Leo’s POV
I crushed the cigarette butt into the overflowing ashtray, the newly sprouted stubble on my jaw scratching my palm uncomfortably. Running an agitated hand through my already disheveled hair, I paced the confines of my cramped apartment.
The morning’s events replayed in my mind like a nightmare on loop: Sylvia’s ice-cold stare, the way she’d flipped me over her shoulder with effortless precision, the snickering colleagues watching my humiliation...
Each memory stabbed at my pride. I, Leo, had been with Frostline Enterprises for years. When had I ever suffered such degradation?
"This can’t stand," I muttered, stalking back and forth in the tiny space. "That little bitch thinks she can treat me like that? I’ll show her—" freēwebnovel.com
My phone’s shrill ring cut through my cursing. The screen displayed "Alpha Zane," and my heart immediately clenched with dread.
Sweat beaded on my palm as I held the vibrating device. Zane’s money wasn’t earned without consequences, and now that I’d been thrown out of Frostline, my usefulness to him was questionable at best. My throat constricted as I swallowed hard, hesitating several seconds before finally answering.
"Alpha Zane," I managed, my voice betraying my nervousness.
"Leo." His voice came through sharp with impatience. "What’s this I hear about you being fired from Frostline?"
I stammered, struggling to form words. "Alpha Zane, I—I—"
"I what?" he snapped. "Weren’t you boasting about your position there? What happened?" His anger vibrated through the phone. "Have I been wasting my money on you?"
My legs weakened beneath me, and I collapsed onto my threadbare couch. "Alpha Zane, please let me explain. It’s all because of that Sylvia—" I embellished the morning’s events, painting myself as the victim of an unwarranted attack.
"Sylvia?" Zane’s tone carried confusion. "Wasn’t she thrown out of your company? How could she do anything to you?"
"You don’t understand, Alpha." I lowered my voice conspiratorially. "That girl is trouble. She somehow—"
"USELESS!" Zane’s roar exploded through the speaker, making my ears ring. "WORTHLESS!"
I gripped the phone so tightly my knuckles turned white, my facial muscles twitching involuntarily. His words cut through me like claws. "Alpha, she’s changed. She’s not the same—"
"I don’t want excuses," he interrupted. "I want results. Find a way back in, or find someone who can feed us information."
"Alpha Zane, I... I never expected that girl would..." I swallowed hard, my voice shaking uncontrollably as cold sweat trickled down my spine.
"She’s completely different from when she first came to the company!"
"Different? How exactly?" Zane interrupted impatiently, his voice dripping with contempt through the phone. "Weren’t you boasting about having her wrapped around your finger? If you can’t handle one little girl, what use are you to me?"
My stomach churned violently as I stammered, "Alpha Zane, she’s... she’s become formidable. I’m... I’m no match for her anymore."
I embellished the morning’s events, emphasizing how Sylvia had executed that clean shoulder throw and humiliated me in front of the entire office. My wolf still felt the sting of submission, something I couldn’t admit aloud.
"A shoulder throw?" Zane’s voice carried disbelief. "You were thrown by an omega?"
He sounded like he’d just heard the greatest joke, his tone filled with mockery that made my wolf cower further within me.
"Leo, you’ve really outdone yourself this time."
My face burned hot with shame and anger intermingled, making me wish the floor would open up and swallow me whole.
"Alpha Zane, I... I..." I stuttered pathetically, unable to form a complete sentence as my wolf whined inside me.
"Enough!" Zane cut me off roughly. "Useless waste, can’t even handle something this simple!"
I could hear him pacing restlessly, his leather shoes making sharp "tap-tap-tap" sounds against the floor.
"She’s become this powerful now—was she faking it all along?" Zane growled through clenched teeth, his wolf’s anger evident in his tone. "This omega has some deep game. She must have been playing me from the start!"
Zane inhaled deeply, clearly struggling to regain his composure, "Listen carefully, Leo." His voice turned ice-cold, devoid of any emotion except threat. My wolf recognized the dangerous tone immediately.
"I don’t care what methods you use. You will not allow Frostline Enterprises to make any progress on the Vertex project. Disappoint me again, and you know the consequences."
I shuddered involuntarily, nodding vigorously despite him not seeing me. "Yes, yes, Alpha Zane, I’ll make it happen, definitely!"
Zane’s POV
I hurled my phone onto the leather couch with enough force that my wolf’s strength nearly cracked the screen. My fangs threatened to descend as I ground my teeth in frustration.
Pacing my office, my polished shoes striking a rapid rhythm against the hardwood floor, I couldn’t comprehend the transformation. The once-compliant Sylvia who had practically worshipped the ground I walked on—how had she suddenly become so formidable?
I massaged my temples roughly, as though physical pressure could drive away the confusion clouding my mind. My wolf stirred restlessly, oddly intrigued by this new development.
The submissive omega who had waited patiently for three years, hoping I’d choose her as my mate... was she merely playing a role? Had she deceived everyone—including me, an Alpha—all this time?
The thought both infuriated and fascinated me. My wolf growled, not entirely in anger.
Sylvia’s POV
The meeting at Frostline Enterprises concluded quickly. I returned to my office to refine my proposal, the hours slipping away until sunset painted the sky beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.
I sat at my workstation, fingers flying across the keyboard as I compiled a market research analysis. The computer screen reflected in my focused eyes, columns of data organized precisely the way my Alpha mind preferred—clear, efficient, and powerful.
My phone vibrated suddenly, illuminating with Caesar’s name. My wolf immediately perked up, her senses heightening at just the sight of his name. I could almost detect his unique pine and winter frost scent through the mere memory of our lunch together.
I pressed answer and tucked the phone between my ear and shoulder, my fingers still busy on the keyboard.
"Ready to leave work? I’m downstairs at your building."
