Chapter 137 With A Sterling
Briar's POV
I offered Oscar a polite smile, but my attention had already fractured. Twenty feet away, Lucian examined that blue topaz brooch while the woman in emerald green leaned closer, her laugh grating on my nerves.
"It's quite alright, Mr. Castellan," I said. "These things happen."
Oscar excused himself. I couldn't stop watching Lucian with that woman. Moving closer behind an alexandrite display, my heel caught a cord. I went down hard—knee cracking against marble. Pain exploded as guests stared. Staff tried reaching me but were blocked by the crowd.
Oscar had already turned back, his hand extending toward me, but Lucian materialized with startling speed. His hand locked around my waist and he lifted me completely off the ground, cradling me against his chest.
"You're hurt," he stated flatly, turning toward the side corridor without waiting for response.
I wanted to scream at him but we were surrounded by Seattle's elite. So I hissed curses into his ear as he carried me through the corridor, each word dripping with venom. "You absolute bastard. Put me down right now or I swear I'll make you regret every second of this."
His arms only tightened as he shouldered open a VIP lounge door and kicked it shut behind us.
Ten minutes later, locked door, leather sofa. Lucian knelt, examining my swelling, bloodied knee.
The woman in green flashed through my mind. Before I could think, I kicked at him. He dodged—but my palm cracked across his cheek.
His head snapped to the side, a red mark blooming. We both froze, the only sound our harsh breathing.
Then he stood and walked to the door. My heart raced as he turned the lock with deliberate precision. When he turned back, Fenrir's golden eyes flickered at the edges of his irises. He crossed the distance, his hands coming down on either side of my thighs, caging me against the sofa.
"I just wanted to look at you properly, Briar," he said quietly. "That's all I wanted."
The tension drained from my shoulders. I'd been bracing for violence because Julian had conditioned me to expect it, but this was Lucian, who had never once used his strength against me.
His fingers ghosted along my jawline. "We broke up, Kincaid. Or did you forget while you were chatting up that woman in the green dress?"
He kissed me hard. I bit his lip until blood filled my mouth—three months of separation compressed into anger and need. We pulled apart breathing hard, his blood on my lips, my hands fisted in his shirt.
I hated that even now, some part of me had never truly doubted his feelings for me.
Lucian pressed his forehead against my shoulder, his voice muffled. "Just wait a little longer for me, Briar. You're smart enough to know what I'm saying."
Understanding hit me like a physical blow. He'd gone back to the Sterling family with a plan. That dash cam video hadn't appeared by accident. Lucian had stolen it, committed an actual crime to give me leverage, and now the theft charges were completely legitimate.
This was Beng Yun all over again, Lucian deciding unilaterally what risks to take, never bothering to consult me.
I shoved him away hard enough that he had to catch himself on the sofa arm. "What makes you think I'll just understand and forgive you, Lucian? What makes you think I'll wait?"
I stood, smoothing the qipao with deliberate care. "That impulsive kiss just now? Don't read too much into it. I was bored and you were convenient. Simple as that." I picked up my clutch. "Next time it might be someone else. After all, isn't that just wolf nature? Always looking for the next interesting thing?"
I watched the words land like physical blows, saw something crack behind his composure as he stared at my cold gray-blue eyes. Then I walked out with my head high, determined not to show weakness.
The moment I cleared the doorway my limp returned, my knee screaming with every step.
The cold air outside hit me like a wall. I wrapped my arms around myself and turned back toward the entrance, admitting I'd forgotten to call my driver.
I nearly collided with Oscar and Maya emerging from a consultation room. I pressed myself against the wall to let them pass.
Oscar stopped, his amber eyes taking in my distress. He withdrew a white handkerchief embroidered with gold thread, holding it out without a word.
I stared until Maya's soft voice cut through. "Your mouth, Briar."
My hand flew to my lips and came away with blood, Lucian's mixed with my own from our kiss. I accepted the handkerchief and wiped my mouth, the fabric staining red.
"I'll buy you a replacement," I managed.
Maya laughed. "You can't buy a replacement. Grandmother embroidered that for Uncle Oscar herself."
"Then I definitely can't keep it," I protested, trying to hand it back.
"It's just a handkerchief, Miss Vance," Oscar said. "Throw it away if you'd like."
I stared at him in horror. "That seems incredibly disrespectful to your mother's craftsmanship."
Oscar and Maya exchanged a look before both smiled. "It's really just a handkerchief, Briar," Maya assured me.
Oscar offered a car. I declined. As he left with Maya and Liam, I studied him properly—refined features balanced between masculine and delicate, scholarly gentleness oddly at odds with werewolf nature. I wound the handkerchief around my fingers, waiting for my driver.
A month later, Vance Botanicals' conference room. Owen presented to the full board—every director present, including Reginald and Oscar. Eric had helped compile comprehensive alliance data.
Owen clicked to a new slide. "The domestic supplement market is saturated. Natural ingredients are baseline now. Real growth lies in two directions: tech-integrated personalization, and functional foods expansion."
Eric would lead functional foods domestically. Owen would focus on international markets, using the alliance to establish our green health coalition brand across multiple countries.
When Owen reached capital allocation, Oscar leaned forward as if to ask a question, but I was already speaking.
"The projected ROI assumes stable supply chains," I said sharply. "What contingencies have you built in for raw material price fluctuations, particularly given increasing competition for organic certification?"
Owen pulled up a supplementary slide detailing our supplier diversification strategy. I fired three more questions at him, each targeting a potential weakness. He fielded them all with impressive preparation.
By the time Owen finished, the other directors had relaxed. My aggressive questioning had forced every concern into the open. Oscar and Reginald exchanged a brief glance before both raised their hands in approval. The vote passed unanimously.
Reginald caught me afterward to discuss marketing coordination but had to leave quickly. Oscar lingered as the room emptied.
"I had it cleaned," I said, handing back the handkerchief. "I know you said to throw it away, but it seemed wrong to discard something your mother made."
Oscar accepted it and folded it into an elaborate flower shape, tucking it into his breast pocket with a small gold corner visible.
"That's beautiful," I said. "I've never seen anyone fold a pocket square like that."
The conference room had emptied. Oscar picked up a piece of paper from the table and began folding with quick movements. Within seconds he'd created a paper flower that he held out to me, rotating it slowly.
I laughed despite myself, accepting the delicate creation. He turned it once more in my fingers before speaking casually.
"Maya told me she has a date tonight."
"That's nice," I replied automatically, still admiring the paper flower.
"With a Sterling."
My polite smile froze on my face, the paper flower suddenly feeling like it weighed a thousand pounds in my hand.