Chapter 147
SOPHIA’S POV
I went straight to Damien’s villa after my shift ended.
Franca opened the door before I even knocked. As soon as she saw me, her face broke into a wide, warm smile. “Luna Sophia! Come in, come in. Are you hungry? Let me make something p>
“I’m fine, Franca. Thank you.” I stepped inside and looked around the familiar hallway. Everything was exactly where it had always been. “Is he here p>
Franca’s smile faded a bit. “Alpha Damien said he’d be back soon p>
I nodded and settled on the sofa to wait.
An hour passed. Another hour passed after that.
He didn’t come.
I called him. The line rang three times and then cut off – rejected. I stared at the phone in my hand in anger then set it on the cushion beside me and looked at the ceiling.
Of course.
Typical Damien. What else did I expect?
A few minutes later, his number flashed across my screen. I answered immediately.
It wasn’t Damien. It was his Beta, Will, that answered “Luna Sophia. I apologize for the inconvenience. There’s been an emergency at Stone Group. A major project has fallen through, and Alpha Damien had to attend an emergency board meeting. He asks that you reschedule the signing to tomorrow p>
I let out a deep breath “The Harrington contract p>
A pause. “Yes p>
Stone Group had been working on that deal for months. That was a significant loss. I understood business enough to know that when your pack’s company bled, everything else waited. Hearing this, my anger faded. I felt sorry for Damien.
I knew how important this deal was to him and the company.
“Tell him tomorrow is fine,” I said. “Goodnight, Will”
I ended the call, stood, and walked out of the villa without eating a single thing.
The next day, Damien called me during my lunch break.
“Come outside,” he said.
There was no greeting, no explanation. Just that.
I finished writing my patient notes, grabbed my coat, and walked out of the hospital to find his black car idling at the curb. I got in.
He pulled away from the hospital before I had even buckled my seatbelt.
We didn’t speak.
The silence between us wasn’t the comfortable kind. It was the kind that had weight – years of unsaid things between us. My wolf senses picked up his tension. His heartbeat was slightly elevated.
I could smell the stress in his scent. The Stone Group loss was still eating at him. I kept my eyes on the road and said nothing.
His phone rang twice. Both times he answered and spoke in short sentences about damage control and investor reassurance. He was Alpha even when he was tired. That had never changed.
Then the third call came.
Tiffany.
His voice changed. It dropped lower, softer “I know. I’ll explain later. Yes, I’ll be home soon.” A pause. “I know, Tiffany p>
I turned my face to the window.
When we pulled up to the villa, Franca appeared in the doorway and blinked at the two of us stepping out together. She looked surprised. I didn’t blame her. Damien didn’t explain. He just said, “Go to bed, Franca. I need the room,” and she nodded quietly and disappeared.
The living room felt very still with just the two of us in it.
Damien reached into his jacket and produced a folded document. He placed it on the table in front of me. “Read through everything. If you want to change anything, say so p>
I picked it up. I went through it carefully.
The terms were clear. Damien would hold full custody of Ashley. I would receive a thirty million dollar cash settlement.
Alexander Villa and Stone Villa were excluded from compensation – I had expected that. For the next several years, I could not remarry or have children. I was required to appear whenever Ashley needed me, but visitation had to be approved by both Damien and Ashley herself. And Grandpa George was to remain unaware of the divorce – we would maintain the appearance of a couple in his presence for as long as necessary.
I read every clause twice.
When I set the document down, Damien was watching me. “Any objections p>
“None p>
Something shifted in his expression. I saw it in his eyes.
He studied my face, like he was searching for something. I knew Damien well enough to know what he was thinking. I could see the thought forming behind his eyes: Is this an act? Is she doing this to make me chase her?
And then I watched him realize it wasn’t.
For the first time in years, he actually looked at me. Not through me, not past me – at me. He looked at me from head to toe. I saw the way his eyes scanned every part of my body. Something moved across his face that I couldn’t name and didn’t want to.
He picked up the pen and signed.
Then he held it out to me.
I took it. My hand was steady as I added my name beneath his. The ink dried fast. That was how quickly seven years ended.
Damien leaned back in his chair, quiet for a moment. “We’ll meat at the courthouse, early tomorrow morning p>
I nodded, “I’ll be there p>