Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Isabella’s POV
I sat in my office staring at the image of Ethan Thorpe on my computer screen.
The red-haired man with pale, freckled skin and watery blue eyes didn’t look the least bit terrifying or threatening from his display at the board meeting at Ravencrest Global yesterday.
He was average height, average build, with a receding hairline he tried to hide with an aggressive side part.
His suits were off-the-rack, probably from some mid-tier department store, not the bespoke tailoring the other board members wore.
Everything about him screamed mediocrity.
But I wasn’t concerned with his appearance. What I was most concerned about was how he’d found his way into Ravencrest Global to the point where he had shares in the company’s board. Dimitri wasn’t stupid. He wouldn’t just let anyone gain access to his board.
I clicked between links, reading up articles on Ethan Thorpe.
He was Alpha of Top Hills, a small pack here in Virginia with very little recognition.
Some articles even went as far as describing the pack as “withering”.
And his company, Thorpe Industries, well, let’s just say it couldn’t compete in the big corporate market with the likes of Ravencrest Global.
Top Hills pack was having issues with resources—their pack territory had been reduced by half after a border dispute with a neighboring pack three years ago.
They’d lost valuable hunting grounds and the commercial properties they’d relied on for income.
From what I could gather, they were barely scraping by, dependent on loans and goodwill to keep their pack members fed and housed.
My focus remained tethered to the screen as I continued surfing the net.
Everything I’d read so far pointed to Ethan Thorpe leading a pack in political ruins and desperately trying to climb the ladder in the corporate social world.
But nothing explained how in the world he got a seat in Ravencrest Global.
I spent an hour on the internet. Maybe more.
But when I was done, I had some information to work with.
He’d bought a subsidiary of Ravencrest—Crescent Valley Development—about five years ago.
It might seem innocuous, but in the small amount of time I’d worked in Ravencrest, I knew Crescent Valley was one of their top assets, responsible for most of their real estate holdings in the Pacific Northwest. That was enough to give him some controlling shares, though very little.
That explained why he got onto the board.
That didn’t explain why Dimitri let him get in.
There was no way he didn’t see the rat coming and try to eliminate it.
Unless Dimitri had underestimated him. Or unless someone else had orchestrated the sale.
I leaned back in my seat, blowing out a deep breath.
My back ached from sitting up for so long, and my eyes hurt from staring at screens.
The events of yesterday had left me completely confused.
From a nobody like Ethan Thorpe trying to uproot Dimitri as CEO, to Dimitri being so calm about the whole thing—like he’d seen it coming, like he wasn’t scared of losing his place as CEO.
The meeting had been adjourned and the vote put off for another week.
But something about it all felt wrong. Off.
Selene had the most to lose if Dimitri was removed as CEO. As his wife and Luna, her position was tied to his. If he fell, she fell with him. It didn’t make sense for her to conspire with Ethan unless she had something else to gain. Something bigger than her current position.
I groaned, rubbing my forehead. I could easily just ask Dimitri all the million questions swirling through my head. But I was avoiding him. For obvious reasons.
The image of his face the morning after we slept together was like a horror movie I couldn’t get out of my head.
He’d looked stricken, devastated. And at first, a part of me had been happy that maybe he’d feel the same hurt he’d made me feel.
But that didn’t last long. I hated that I’d crushed his spirit then, lied about how he made me feel.
But I was scared of allowing myself to get roped back in.
And with all the craziness going on right now—with Ravencrest Global, the attacks—I couldn’t afford to be… distracted.
My phone buzzed. Speaking of Dimitri…
It was a text from him.
Dimitri: There’s been a shift change at the penthouse. New guards, and an extra one will arrive for the night. Ordered dinner to the penthouse already.
When I reached the lobby, I found a man waiting just outside the glass door. I didn’t need to see his face to know who it was. His signature eight-panel cap gave him away. Edmund.
My forehead creased, unease curling through my body. Whenever Edmund called, it was usually something serious. And now he’d shown up at my office? That couldn’t be good.
I walked out of the lobby, the wind hitting me and blowing my hair everywhere.
“Edmund, hi,” I called to him, and he turned around with a smile. “Have you been waiting long? You should have called to inform me you were dropping by.”
He smiled softly at me—and Edmund rarely smiled. “I just got here. Plus, it isn’t official business.”
I hooked a brow. “It’s not?”
“Yeah. I just wanted to…talk to you.”
I nodded slowly, assessing him with a confused expression. “We should get off the road, Isabella. After what happened four days ago, we can’t be standing around.”
“Um…” I looked around. “I was heading home, but there’s a cafe around the office. We could sit there and talk.”
He shook his head. “It’s fine. I came along with my car. You could ride with me, and I’ll drop you off at the penthouse. A guard will come around to get your car.”
I didn’t make a fuss about riding with Edmund. It was Edmund, after all. I nodded and got into the backseat of the car. Edmund entered too. He indicated to the driver my address, and we were on our way.
“I know it’s been crazy for a week now,” he said.
I turned to look at him properly. In the dim light of the car, he looked older, more tired. Lines I hadn’t noticed before creased his forehead. But he was still as active and agile as ever.
“How is he?” The question slipped out before I could stop it. “Dimitri, I mean. How… how is he handling everything?”
Edmund’s expression softened. “Honestly? Not well. He’s been sadder than usual since he came back from the safe house. Quieter. He goes through the motions—works, attends meetings, makes decisions—but it’s like the light’s gone out of him.”
Guilt twisted in my stomach.
“He won’t talk about it,” Edmund continued. “But I’ve known that boy since he was in diapers. I know when something’s eating at him.” He looked at me pointedly. “Or someone.”
“Edmund—”
“I’m not judging, Isabella. I don’t know what happened between you two, and it’s not my business. But whatever it was, it’s tearing him apart.”
I looked out the window, unable to meet his eyes. “It’s complicated.”
“It always is with you two.”
We drove in silence for a few moments. The city lights blurred past, streaks of color in the darkness.
“He’s facing a lot of trouble with the Pack Council,” Edmund said finally, his voice heavy. “Selene’s accusations at the board meeting? They’re being taken seriously. There’s pressure on him to denounce you and Adele publicly. To prove his loyalty to the pack over… over his personal entanglements.”
My head snapped toward him. “What?”
“Strategic rumors have been placed about Adele. About the circumstances of her birth.” His jaw tightened. “They’re alluding to the child being the result of an unnatural union. Saying that because you and Dimitri were raised as step-siblings, even briefly, that Adele is somehow…tainted.”
Rage, white-hot and blinding, exploded through me.
“They’re attacking my daughter?” My voice came out low, dangerous. “They’re spreading lies about a four-year-old child?”
“I’m sorry, Isabella. I wish I had better news.”
“Who?” I demanded. “Who’s spreading these rumors?”
“It’s hard to trace. But the timing, the specific details being leaked—it has Selene’s fingerprints all over it. And Ethan’s resources behind it.”
I clenched my fists so hard my nails bit into my palms. “They bullied me. Five years ago, they destroyed me, ripped me apart, made me feel like I was nothing. Like I deserved every horrible thing they said and did.” My voice shook with fury.
“But I will be damned if I let them do the same thing to Adele. She’s innocent.
She’s a child. And nobody—nobody—gets to hurt her like they hurt me. ”
Edmund was quiet for a moment. Then he smiled, wistful and sad. “You remind me of your mother.”
I blinked, thrown by the sudden change in topic.
“She had that same fire. That same fierce protectiveness. That same refusal to back down when people she loved were threatened.”
“You…you knew my mother?”
“Asher was my best friend,” Edmund said simply.
“I knew him better than anyone. I knew how unhappy he was with Maia. How trapped he felt in a Mate bond that was supposed to be sacred but felt more like a cage.” He turned back to me.
“And I knew Alicia. I saw what she and Asher had together. Real love. The kind that doesn’t come around often. ”
My throat felt tight. “I didn’t know.”
“Not many people did. Asher kept it quiet, tried to protect her from the fallout. But I knew. And I saw how happy she made him.” Edmund’s smile turned sad.
“You have her spirit, Isabella. Her kindness. Her strength. That’s what drew Asher to her in the first place. And that’s what draws Dimitri to you.”
The car slowed, pulling up in front of my building as the driver announced we’d arrived.
Edmund turned to me again. “Isabella, I know Dimitri hurt you, but I assure you, he’s spent the last five years being utterly miserable. I hope one day you can forgive and trust him competently.”