Alpha's Twins Chapter 99

I glared at him, my patience wearing thin. This guy seriously had nothing better to do than mess with me. Sure, plenty of women in every pack had ex-husbands, but none of them had to deal with what I was going through. My ex happened to be the head Alpha of another pack. And since I was an Alpha's daughter, I couldn't avoid running into him at every damn event and meeting.

Adrian held my gaze, unflinching. I couldn't read those eyes of his—never could, not even years ago. Why was he always so impossible to figure out? What was his endgame here? How far would he go to destroy me and my pack just because I'd bruised his precious ego?

"Natalia?"

Eric's voice came from behind Adrian. Adrian stepped back from me and turned to face him.

Eric looked between us. "What are you doing here? Everyone's waiting outside for you."

Adrian let out a dismissive laugh. "Can't you see two CEOs having a conversation? How rude of you to interrupt. Where are your manners, Beta Eric?"

"One of these CEOs isn't worth talking to, so I came to save the other one from wasting her time," Eric shot back with a smirk.

Adrian's expression darkened. He shook his head like he was deeply disappointed. "So unprofessional."

"Yep, that's me."

I watched these two go back and forth like a couple of kids on a playground. I sighed and walked past them both. I didn't have time for their pissing contest.

I stepped outside and spotted our cars. Damia stuck her hand out of one of the windows, waving me over.

"Boss, over here!"

I walked to the car and slid inside. The driver was waiting for Eric before we could leave.

I glanced back at the hall entrance and saw Eric coming out. He looked pretty grim. I couldn't blame him—talking to Adrian Miller could ruin anyone's day.

Eric got into the passenger seat and glanced back at me before turning to face forward. The driver started the engine and we headed to the hotel.

"Boss, you okay?" Damia asked, studying my face.

"Why do you ask?"

"You really wanted this deal. Just checking in."

"It's fine, Damia. Their pack's project was probably better than ours—that's why they won. They've got a huge team working on it. We shouldn't see this as a loss. We'll do better next time."

Damia stared at me in amazement. "Boss, you're so understanding and kind. I'm really proud of you."

I chuckled and ruffled her hair. Then I turned to look out the window. Even though I was saying all the right things, I couldn't deny that it hurt. Not because of all my hard work, but because of the faith my family had placed in me.

When we got back to the hotel, I went straight to my room and called my brother to apologize.

"Jason, I'm so sorry. I couldn't get the deal."

"Hey, baby girl, why are you so upset? One deal doesn't define you."

His words stopped me cold. How was it possible that he'd said the exact same thing Adrian had said to me? Jason was trying to motivate me, but what was Adrian's angle?

Was he actually trying to encourage me too?

No way. There was absolutely no universe where I could trust that man. I continued my conversation with Jason.

"How are Mom and Dad? And how's Uncle doing?"

"They're at Uncle's pack. His condition is really bad. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it—he's hanging on by a thread."

My heart clenched. Dad and Uncle were practically the same age. The thought that something like this could happen to either of my parents was too much to bear. They meant everything to me. No matter how old they got, I couldn't imagine losing them. I wanted them by my side forever.

After I hung up with Jason, I felt a little better. I was so lucky to have a brother like him. He still treated me like his baby sister, and I knew that as long as he had my back, nothing could really hurt me.

The next morning, I video-called my twins. They'd kept their promise and hadn't given anyone trouble. I wanted to promise them I'd be home soon.

But then I remembered the promise I'd made to someone else. I couldn't let Damia down. Since I'd promised to tour the Storm Forest pack with her, I told Eric to handle everything for the day.

But Eric told me that Alpha Wade had just invited us to his victory party.

"Do you want to go? It's not exactly our celebration," Eric asked.

"If I stay in his pack and skip the party, everyone will think I'm jealous of Adrian. They don't know our history, so they'll assume whatever they want. I'm not just representing myself here—I can't damage my pack's reputation. We need to show them we're not so weak that one lost deal would break us."

Eric looked impressed. "When did this sweet girl become so tough? Your words are blowing my mind."

I laughed at his reaction. He agreed to go to the party that evening. I went back to my room and spent the whole day video-chatting with my kids.

When it was time to get ready for the party, I stood in front of the mirror and took a deep breath.

I thought about that ruthless man and his cold stare, and it sent a chill through me.

"If I have to become stone-hearted, then so be it. But I'll never let you win, Adrian."