Too Late To Regret, My Alphas

Rosalie:

The moment I saw the face of the man standing between me and the three women, my entire body went still.

Kaiser.

For a brief second, I simply stared at his broad back, unable to process why he was here of all places. His large hand still held the woman’s wrist firmly in place, not hard enough to break it but more than enough to stop her from moving. His expression was colder than I had ever seen it, his eyes devoid of even the slightest warmth as they swept across the three women one after another.

"I’ll say this once," he spoke in a voice so calm that it somehow sounded more threatening than shouting ever could. "Leave."

The oldest woman, who only moments ago had been screaming at the top of her lungs, swallowed nervously before trying to recover. "Who are you to interfere? This woman-"

"I said," Kaiser interrupted without raising his voice, tightening his grip just enough to make her wince, "leave."

The air inside the bookstore seemed to grow heavier. Even the customers fell silent.

One of the women tried to gather her courage. "We are only exposing what kind of woman she really-"

Kaiser finally let go of the first woman’s wrist only to take one slow step toward them. "I don’t care what story someone paid you to tell," he said, each word clipped and controlled. "You walked into a private business, harassed the owner, disturbed innocent customers, and just attempted to assault her."

His gaze hardened further as he continued, "If I see any one of you anywhere near this bookstore again..."

He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t have to. The warning hanging in the air was far more terrifying unfinished.

The three women exchanged frightened glances before hurriedly backing toward the entrance. None of them dared utter another insult. Within seconds, they had disappeared into the street, taking their audience with them. The people gathered outside slowly dispersed as well, though many continued whispering while walking away. Several even offered me encouraging smiles through the glass before leaving.

Silence slowly settled over the bookstore again.

Kaiser finally turned toward me. For several long moments, neither of us spoke. There was relief in his eyes. Guilt too. But neither emotion erased the memories standing between us.

"I need to talk to you," he finally said.

I looked at him steadily as I spoke, "I’m working."

His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, yet he nodded once. "Then I’ll wait." His answer caught me slightly off guard. "I’ll wait until you close the store," he continued quietly. "If you still refuse to talk to me then... I’ll leave."

He didn’t wait for my answer. Turning around, he simply walked out of the bookstore.

I watched him disappear down the street before forcing myself to inhale deeply. Then I smiled at the customers. "I’m sorry about the disturbance," I said politely. "Can I help anyone with anything?"

Business... continued. At least on the surface. Inside, however, my thoughts refused to settle.

As I helped customers find books, prepared drinks, arranged newly returned novels onto the shelves, and answered questions about stationery, my mind kept replaying what had happened earlier. I didn’t need anyone to tell me who was behind today’s incident. Charlotte’s methods had always been the same. She preferred letting others dirty their hands while she stood somewhere in the background pretending to be innocent.

The only difference now was that I wasn’t the same Rosalie anymore. Months ago, something like this would have shattered me. Today it still hurt. It still left an ugly feeling sitting in my chest. But it didn’t destroy me. If anything, it only reminded me that Charlotte hadn’t given up. Which meant I couldn’t afford to lower my guard either.

The bookstore wasn’t just my workplace anymore. It was the first thing I had built entirely with my own hands. My safe place. My dream. And I refused to let anyone destroy it.

About an hour later, the familiar bell above the entrance rang again. I looked up to find Grandma Maggie hurrying inside much faster than someone her age normally walked.

The moment our eyes met, she came straight toward the counter.

"My dear." Before I knew it, she had wrapped both of her hands around mine. "I heard what happened." Her worried gaze carefully searched my face. "Did they hurt you?"

I smiled reassuringly. "I’m alright."

"Are you sure?" She asked.

I nodded before adding, "They didn’t get the chance."

Her expression softened only slightly before she patted my hands affectionately. "I knew there had to be some misunderstanding." She glanced around the bookstore with obvious pride. "I have watched you build this place from nothing these past months. Anyone with eyes can see what kind of person you are."

Those simple words warmed something inside me.

"Thank you, Grandma Maggie."

She squeezed my hands gently. "Don’t thank me." Her eyes narrowed toward the entrance through which the women had left earlier. "People who spend their time trying to destroy someone else’s reputation rarely have much of one themselves."

I couldn’t help smiling. "I’ll remember that."

She stayed for nearly half an hour afterward, chatting with customers as though nothing unusual had happened. Somehow her mere presence calmed both me and everyone else inside the bookstore.

The rest of the day passed surprisingly smoothly. Regular customers continued dropping in. A mother bought three children’s books. An elderly gentleman borrowed two history novels. A pair of teenagers argued over which manga volume to buy.

Life... simply moved on.

And I silently thanked every single person who chose to walk through the bookstore doors despite the morning’s drama, as well as the ones who stood up for me today.

By the time the wall clock struck nine, exhaustion had finally begun settling into my bones.

I locked the cash drawer, balanced the day’s accounts, switched off the café equipment, checked the refrigerators one last time, and slowly turned off the lights floor by floor until only the warm entrance lamp remained.

After locking the front door and lowering the shutters, I stepped outside with my backpack resting on one shoulder. The evening breeze greeted me immediately. And so did the man waiting beneath the streetlamp across from the bookstore.

Kaiser.

He hadn’t left. He was exactly where he had promised he would be.

The Alpha straightened the moment he saw me step outside, his gaze meeting mine across the quiet street.

Neither of us moved.

For one long moment, we simply stood there in silence, separated by only a few meters... and by everything that had happened between us.

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