Alpha's Secret Bride

"You don’t know anything about her."

The smile on her face faded for a moment. She rolled her eyes and lifted both hands in surrender.

"Fine. Whatever." She shrugged. "How was work?"

"It was good."

Gregory didn’t say anything else. He walked toward the main building, and Eira quietly followed a few steps behind. A small smile slowly returned to her face. As far as she knew, Scarlet still hadn’t answered any of Gregory’s calls, and that was enough to lift her mood.

When they reached his bedchamber door, Gregory took his briefcase from Eira.

"Thank you, Eira."

"You’re welcome."

He stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

He set the briefcase on the bed and sat down. As he loosened the buttons on his shirt with one hand, he reached for his device with the other and dialed Scarlet’s number again.

The device rang.

And rang.

No answer.

He stared at the screen for a moment before setting the device aside with a quiet sigh.

After changing out of his work clothes, he went into the bathchamber and stood beneath the warm shower, hoping it would clear his mind. Instead, thoughts of Scarlet stayed with him. By the time he finished and lay down on the bed, exhaustion caught up with him, and he drifted into a short nap.

About an hour later, he woke up and got dressed again.

He pulled on a fitted white T-shirt and left the top few buttons undone. Normally, he preferred every button neatly fastened, but tonight he found himself wondering whether Scarlet would notice the difference.

A faint smile crossed his face.

He slipped into a pair of dark straight-leg jeans, checked his reflection in the mirror, grabbed his keys, and walked out of the chamber.

The moment Eira saw him heading toward his car, she hurried after him.

"Can I come with you?" Eira asked.

Gregory didn’t answer.

He got into the car, started the engine, and drove away.

A few minutes later, he pulled up outside Amaris’s café.

Ama spotted him through the window. She smoothed the front of her dress, tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and hurried outside.

She usually greeted him with a bright smile.

Today, she didn’t.

She stopped in front of him, her eyes searching his face.

"You look different, Gregory. What’s going on?"

Gregory slipped a hand into his pocket. "Different how?"

Ama looked him over, then let out a quiet laugh.

"You look even more handsome than usual. Trying to impress me?" she teased. "Well... it’s working."

A small smile touched Gregory’s lips.

"I have a reason to look good now."

Ama raised a brow and started walking toward his usual table. Gregory fell into step beside her.

"Oh, I get it now." She glanced at him with a grin. "You’re in love with me."

Gregory looked at her.

"What makes you think that?"

She pointed at his shirt.

"For one, every button is actually buttoned today. You never do that." She looked back at him with a playful smile. "And the way you’re carrying yourself? I’d bet you’ve got a woman on your mind."

"When a man who never cared about how he looked suddenly starts paying attention to his clothes, he’s trying to show the best version of himself to the woman he loves." Ama grinned. "Greg... just admit it. You’re in love with me."

Greg ignored the comment.

"Have you hired a new manager yet?" he asked.

Ama’s smile faded a little.

"No. The woman you recommended turned down the offer. She handed in her resignation instead."

Greg froze.

"What?" The glass slipped from his hand and hit the table before crashing to the floor.

Ama nodded. "Yes."

"Did she tell you why?"

She shook her head.

"No. But... I don’t think she’s okay. She’d been losing weight, and she always looked like something was weighing on her."

Greg picked up another glass and drained it in one swallow. He set it down, rose from his seat, and tugged his denim jeans into place.

"You’re leaving already?" Ama asked.

"Yeah." He headed for the door without looking back. "I need to see an ally."

"Alright." Amaris smiled at him. "I want you to know that I love you so much."

Greg answered with nothing more than a crooked smile. Then he turned, walked out, got into his car, and pulled onto the road.

Instead of heading home, he drove straight to Scarlet’s apartment.

By the time he arrived, the moon sky had begun to darken. Greg leaned against the hood of his car and stared at her door. No lights. No movement.

He pulled out his device and called her again.

The call went unanswered.

Just as it had every other time.

An elderly man from the neighboring apartment spotted him and walked over. Greg recognized him immediately. He was the same neighbor who always greeted Scarlet with a warm wave whenever she came home, treating her like a moonally

"Looking for the quiet young woman?" the old man asked.

Greg nodded and reached out to shake his hand.

"Yes. Have you seen her?"

The old man sighed.

"She packed her bags and left. She looked heartbroken." He paused. "I think she’s gone to another city."

Greg’s jaw tightened.

"Heartbroken?"

The old man nodded.

"A woman drove up in a car about as expensive as yours. They talked for a while, and after she left, the poor girl came back inside looking crushed. I waved to ask if she was alright, but..." He gave a small, helpless smile. "She only waved back, picked up her bags, and left. Maybe I’m just an old man. Maybe I wasn’t the shoulder she needed."

He gave Greg’s shoulder a gentle pat before turning and walking away. This time, Greg watched him go without saying a word.

Gregory pulled out his device and dialed Scarlet’s number again.

Her device was still off.

He slammed the car door shut and hurried after the old man.

"Sir!" he called.

The old man stopped and turned around.

"Could you do me a favor?" Gregory asked.

The old man smiled. "Of course."

Gregory took a business card from his wallet and held it out.

"This has my number on it. If you see Scarlet again, please call me right away."

The old man looked at the card, then back at Gregory.

"Greg?"

Gregory nodded. "That’s right."

The old man tucked the card into his shirt pocket.

"I’ll keep an eye out for her."

Gregory reached into his back pocket, pulled out a few bills, and pressed them into the old man’s hand.

The old man’s face lit up.

"Don’t worry. The moment I see her, you’ll be the first person I call."

"Thank you."

Gregory hurried back to his car and pulled away from the apartment.

He didn’t have to guess who had shown up in the expensive car.

Eira.

His fingers tightened around the steering wheel as he tried Scarlet’s number one more time.

The same message greeted him.

Her device was still off.

"I swear, Eira..." he muttered, pressing harder on the accelerator. "I hope you didn’t do something you’ll regret."

A while later, Eira pushed open the front door of the mansion. The butler spotted her at once and hurried over.

"Miss Eira, Mr. Gregory has been trying to reach you."

"I know."

She slipped her device into her handbag without checking the screen and started toward the staircase.

"Should I let him know you’ve returned?" the butler asked.

"No." She didn’t slow down. "Not yet."

She had only climbed the first few steps when a familiar voice echoed through the chamber.

"Eira."

She stopped.

The servants exchanged uneasy glances before quietly drifting away, leaving the two of them alone.

Gregory walked toward her with slow, steady steps. His eyes never left her face.

"Where’s Scarlet?"

Eira turned around as if she had all the time in the world. A faint smile touched her lips.

"Who’s Scarlet?"

Gregory stopped a few feet away. His jaw tightened.

"Don’t play games with me. You were the last person seen with her."

The smile on Eira’s face flickered for the briefest moment before she quickly recovered.

"I have no idea what you’re talking about."

Gregory took another step closer until only a short distance separated them.

"I went to Scarlet’s apartment. Her neighbor told me a woman confronted her this moonrise." He kept his eyes locked on hers. "The moment he described her, I knew it had to be you."

He paused, watching her face.

"Now Scarlet’s gone, and her device is switched off." His voice hardened. "Tell me I’m wrong, Eira. Tell me you had nothing to do with this."

Eira didn’t look away. She met his eyes as if his accusation meant nothing.

"And if I did?"

Gregory’s jaw tightened.

"Eira."

She folded her arms across her chest, the faint smile on her lips only making his anger burn hotter.

"Maybe you should stop looking for her."

A chill ran through Gregory.

"What did you do to her?"

Eira’s smile widened just enough to unsettle him.

"By the time you find her..." She paused, letting the silence stretch between them. "It’ll already be too late."

Gregory’s face lost all color.

"What the hell does that mean?"

Eira didn’t answer.

She turned, climbed the stairs without another glance, and disappeared down the hallway.

Gregory remained rooted to the spot, staring after her.

For the first time since Scarlet vanished, fear settled deep in his chest.

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