Elle’s POV
Raymond had clearly expected my reaction. He leaned back calmly, his fingers steepled. “Look, even though they used shell companies to pull this off, don’t forget what built the Carter family’s fortune. Digging into a company’s real ownership? It’s a pain in the ass, but totally doable.”
His blue eyes never left mine. “This company looks clean on the surface – no obvious ties to Rayne Group. But follow the money trail, and patterns emerge.”
I felt like the floor had dropped out from under me. But why the hell would he do this…”
Stella’s face had turned red with fury. The Blair family was her home, and in just three days, it had been systematically destroyed. And the bastard behind it
was her daughter’s werewolf mate.
Raymond’s mouth twitched as he dropped the real bomb. “Brad Rayne’s always been this way does whatever the fuck he wants, doesn’t give a shit about
others‘ feelings.”
His words were gasoline on fire.
Stella exploded. “Elle, I used to think as long as you were happy, I didn’t care what species your mate was. But Jesus Christ, your Alpha werewolf is really something else! He swept away our entire fortune clean! Is this how werewolves treat their human mates‘ families?”
She whirled to face me, her voice sharp as glass. “Elle, where do you stand now? Are you really planning to completely throw away your human blood and
family?”
My face darkened. “I’m going back to get some answers.”
Stella suddenly looked up at me, her expression eerily calm but her eyes blazing with determination. “I know I don’t have the right to interfere in your life – I’m just the mother who didn’t raise you. But Elle, you’re Blair blood. You’re my daughter.”
Her voice cracked. “The Blair family is everything to me – my whole life’s foundation. That old estate holds generations of our family legacy, decades of memories. And some werewolf just destroyed all of it.”
She took a shaky breath. ‘I know asking you to choose between your werewolf mate and your human family is brutal. But baby, can Mom ask you to really think about your future? For my sake?”
My heart clenched. ‘Mom…”
These past few days, Stella’s been nothing but kind to me. Even before I came back to the Blair family, she was taking care of me, terrified I might be uncomfortable. Now that she knows I’m her daughter, she’d give me her heart if she could.
I keep saying I don’t accept the Blair family, but deep down, I’ve already accepted my biological parents. Why else would I have brought them to the research facility?
I finally found the parents I’ve been missing, haven’t even had time to savor it, and now this shit happens Now we don’t even have our safety net…
My stomach churned. “Got it. Sorry, I’m not hungry. I need to go rest.”
I grabbed my bag and bolted before anyone could stop me.
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Chapter 252
I took a cab straight to the hotel and checked in.
The moment I got to my room, I speed–dialed Brad’s number. I needed to know if he was behind this nightmare.
The phone rang forever. No answer.
Brad’s phone is always with Alex, and Alex knows my number. No matter how busy Brad is, Alex would put me through. If no one’s picking up, it means one thing – he doesn’t want to talk to me.
Dark thoughts crept into my mind. Brad, did you really do this? Why? Are you ready to cut me loose completely? Or do you just not give a damn about my
families?
The possibility made my chest tight with pain. But that’s insane. I never said anything about this to him. How would he even know… Is there something I’m
missing?
I called Brad several more times. Nothing. The last call went straight to voicemail – his phone was off. That made me even more anxious.
My phone buzzed with a video message showing Susan healthy after her treatment. Seeing her okay was the first relief I’d felt all day.
I couldn’t come up with any good solutions.
A knock interrupted my spiraling thoughts.
“Who is it? I called out.
“It’s me.” Raymond’s voice was soft through the door. “Even if you’re not hungry, you need to eat for the baby. I had my chef make you a fresh dinner. Not
much, but please try something.”
Hearing the genuine concern in his voice, I felt my anger cool slightly. The Carter family wasn’t at fault here – they’d actually helped when everything went to hell. And as humans, we needed to stick together.
I opened the door slowly. Raymond stood there alone, carrying a thermal bag himself – no assistant in sight.
He immediately started unpacking, setting out more than a dozen small dishes on my table.
‘Eat while it’s hot,” Raymond said, his smile warm. “The baby needs nutrition right now. Don’t punish your body over this. What’s done is done – being pissed won’t fix it. Let me help you figure out what’s next, okay? We humans need to have each other’s backs.”
My eyes stung a little, and I nodded.
Seeing me finally willing to eat, Raymond’s blue eyes lit up. He quickly arranged everything and handed me chopsticks.
I sat across from him, watching him serve me food. You haven’t eaten either, have you?”
Raymond’s smile widened. “Nope, not yet.”
I felt like shit for storming out on him earlier. “Sorry 1-”
“I sent dinner to your mother too,” he cut me off gently. “She won’t go hungry.” His smile was perfect as he put food on my plate. “Try this – I know you like
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Chapter 252
it.”
I stared at the spread, recognizing all my favorites, but my appetite was shot. Brad was unreachable, and nothing made sense.
Raymond spoke quietly. “You really do care about the Blair family, don’t you? You’re not as resistant to them as you pretend.”
I stayed silent, staring at the untouched food.
Finally, I said, “I just feel like shit for Mom and Dad. The Blair family is one thing, but Mom and Dad are different. I never thought three days away would
cost them everything. Whatever else happened, they genuinely love me. How can I not care?”
Raymond studied me intently. “So do you regret coming back to the Blair family? Do you regret… your choices? Or do you regret becoming an Brad’s mate?”
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I’m really getting pissed with this book and Elle is just too foolish. theses people, do they even think?? I honestly don’t know why I’m still reading this FFS
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
