Chapter 52 Chapter 52
Violet
I asked but mom snatched his phone from him and began speaking to me excitedly.
“I forced your father to tell you that because you keep risking your life for stupid people. Thank goodness, you don’t have to anymore. You are free to pursue your dream of becoming a designer sweetheart.”
I had wanted to go home and give her the news in person but I couldn’t contain my happiness so I blurted out.
“Thanks. I am holding the appointment letter in my hand.”
Mom shrieked so loudly that I had to push my phone away from my ear. I could literally imagine her jumping around dad while he too rejoiced.
They were the best cheerleaders ever.
“Fantastic news! Should we plan a small party?” Mom asked but I asked her to calm down.
“Relax. You can party with dad. I have to meet Cassie and inform her first.”
However, her name made Mom’s voice grow stern all of a sudden.
“She is that arrogant man’s sister who got hurt and dragged you in her mess, right? Just don’t mingle with the likes of them.”
Mom warned, suddenly growing protective of me.
“She is nice mom and really cares about me. Don’t you worry.”
Mom wasn’t too impressed but didn’t want to hamper my mood so cautioned me.
“Well then just stay away from her brother. His sister is still okay.”
Elijah had a notorious reputation but my mother had no idea her daughter’s body reacted to his touch like magnet to iron.
Though, not anymore.
“Yeah, I gotta go, mom. Bye.”
I disconnected and hastily asked Cassie to come meet me at the nearest cafe. She was more than happy to get out of her ‘swanky cage’ and attracted quite a bit of attention at the cafe when she announced ‘free fries for everyone’
“Cassie, I can’t pay for everybody. I just got a job not a salary, you know.”
She simply shrugged and pulled out that sleek black card to hand out to the cashier.
“Who is asking you to?”
It felt odd to celebrate by splurging Elijah’s money when he was not even my friend but she wouldn’t listen blabbering about how Elijah had more money to burn than the cafe would earn in a lifetime.
“Plus, now you will also earn so you pay for my next meal, okay.”
“About that” I pulled the coke towards me and slupred it. “I am going to get super busy in the coming days. There is this huge launch coming up and I have to give it my best shot.”
I elaborated and Cassie patiently listened to it while munching on the fries.
“Yeah that sounds alright but I hope you are free next week.”
I shook my head. “Did you even listen to me? I said I secured a dream job and I showed you the appointment.”
But she shrugged it off.
“Nope. I didn’t have to. Because, you weren’t paying attention to this.”
She pushed an envelope towards me that had been sitting on the table.
“What is that?”
I asked as I pulled out two thick papers out of it.
There was my name on a plane ticket
“I don’t understand.”
“You are coming with me to Westbrook for the family dinner. Don’t tell me you forgot" she huffed.
“I thought it was going to be at your place, not in another city” I stared at her in astonishment.
She shrugged. “Well now you know. And don’t you dare try to wriggle out of it or dad will kill me.”
I opened the neatly folded piece of paper to read through a fancy dinner invitation and almost dropped it when I read the name.
Alpha Alaric Deveraux cordially invites you to a dinner with us at the Ironcrest Manor.
For a full minute, I stared from the invitation to Cassie, rereading the name again and again.
Then I pinched myself to test if I was dreaming.
“You better be joking, Cassie.”
I warned her but she stared at me with genuine confusion.
“I am not joking. That invitation is true and dad will seriously kill me if you don’t show up.”
I slammed the invite on the table and asked.
“You are telling me that you are the daughter of Alpha Deveraux. THE alpha Deveraux who not only rules the nation but has singlehandedly saved a few states from going bankrupt.”
Cassie smiled at me.
“You are overreacting.”
But I shook my head. “No, I am underreacting. I am fucking friends with royalty. And you got injured in a car accident.”
I started pacing through the cafe and suddenly stopped.
‘Shit what if he thinks I had to do something with the attacks? What if he kills me for putting your life in danger.”
Cassie rolled her eyes dramatically.
“Yeah, you are definitely overreacting.”
I rolled a tissue paper into a ball and threw it at her.
“Shut up. I am sweating. Alpha Deveraux is one of the first powerful alpha who established our werewolf society, . He was the one to lay down most of the rules in werewolf society that govern us today.”
I began reciting the lessons we had all learned in childhood.
“Whatever” Cassie focussed on finishing the fries, completely unbothered by my meltdown.
“Why didn’t you tell me you are a Deveraux?” I groaned and she gave me a look.
“This is why I didn’t. Because I am fed up with people acting like they need to bend backwards to be associated with any member of the Deveraux bloodline.”
I approached her and shook her hard by grabbing her shoulders.
“How do you not understand? I am not prepared to meet the legend. And fuck, I have to start a new job next week. What am I going to do?”
Panic flared inside of me but Cassie held me and gently made me sit back in the chair.
“Ok enough of your drama. Look, it takes months to get Alpha Alaric Deveraux’s appointment even if he is my biological father.”
“Why?” I croaked.
I couldn’t imagine needing an appointment to meet my own father.
“Because he is always busy. And it took a lot of coaxing for me, lots of buttering through El’s mom as well and he will be furious if you aren’t there.”
I had completely forgotten about that bit.
“Elijah is a Deveraux too!” I shrieked hysterically.
That meant he was the heir of the multi billion dollar empire. Yet why the hell was he running his own pack and small group of companies here in Ashville?
“Wait a minute. Why does Elijah call himself a Lockwood then?” I asked her.
“You have his number, ask him” Cassie mumbled while draining her coke but when she saw me go silent on that front, she looked at me curiously.
“What happened to you? Why did you suddenly go silent upon hearing Elijah’s name?”