Chapter 177 CHAPTER 177

Chapter 177 CHAPTER 177
Michael’s POV

I saw them through the window of my room. They stood awkwardly like two lovers, hiding to see each other. The garden stretched wide beneath my balcony, dusk laying its quiet claim over the estate. The violet dusk-flowers were open. And beside them stood Anna Trent. And Alpha Raymond.

They weren’t close enough to be improper. Not touching. Not whispering conspiratorially. Just standing. Speaking. Yet something in the space between them felt intimate.

She was startled at something he said. He looked almost uneasy, in a way i had never seen him before. Alpha Raymond was a man with a commanding presence and seeing him look so little in front of Anna Trent told me all I needed to know.

I leaned against the railing, arms folded, unsure what exactly I was feeling about it. It wasn’t anger. It wasn’t approval either.Anna Trent was sharp. Observant. A woman who moved with intention even when she pretended not to. If she was standing in that garden at dusk, it wasn't a coincidence.
And Alpha Raymond looked like a man trying not to drown in shallow water.

I exhaled slowly. This was none of my business. And yet, everything under this roof was my business. Before I could decide whether to stay or walk away, the door to my room slammed open.

“How could you do that to me?”

I didn’t need to turn around to know that voice.
Rosaleen.
She stormed in like she owned the air in the room, silk robe swaying around her ankles, eyes blazing with anger.

“I assume you knocked,” I said dryly.

“Oh, spare me.”
I straightened slowly, facing her.

Her gaze flicked toward the balcony doors before landing back on me. “You brought her here.”

“If you’re going to accuse me of something, at least be specific.”

“Your mistress,” she spat. “You brought her into this house.”
I laughed once. It wasn’t amusing.

“If I had a mistress, Rosaleen, you would not need to guess.”
Her face flushed crimson.

“Anna Trent and her sister need to leave,” she demanded. “Tonight.”

“That’s not your decision. She is my mother and she has more right to this place than you do.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “It becomes your decision when she deliberately hurt me.”

“And you got your compensation for that, didn’t you?” I said, coldly.

She stepped closer, her voice lowering but losing none of its venom. “We have a contract, Michael. An agreement. A public image to maintain. And you’re jeopardizing it by parading with Evelyn Moon. and now, her mother.”

I felt something cold slide into my veins.

“Be careful.”
She ignored the warning.

“If they are not gone by tomorrow, I will break the contract.”

There it was. The threat again I stepped toward her, closing the distance deliberately.

“You can break whatever you like,” I said evenly. “But understand this. If you do, there is no turning back. And i will find out the truth about what happened.”

Her eyes flickered.

“The truth about what?”

“The attack,” I said without hesitation. “On Philly. On Anna Trent.”

She went still. For half a second too long. My jaw tightened.

“I don’t know what you’re implying.”

“You don’t need to,” I replied. “I’ll find out.”
She scoffed, but it lacked confidence now.

“You’re losing your mind over women who mean nothing.”

My chest tightened with anger. I didn’t mince words.

“There has never been love between us.”
The silence that followed was sharp enough to cut.
“You knew that,” I continued. “From the beginning.”

Her lips parted, but no sound came out.

“I won’t pretend,” I said. “Not anymore.”

“Pretend what?” she snapped, regaining her fury. “That you don’t look at that Evelyn Moon like she hung the stars?”

I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to.

Her laugh was brittle. “You think I care if you love her?”

“I don’t particularly care what you care about.”
She stepped closer again, invading my space.

“Love her. Worship her. I don’t give a damn. As long as you’re not with her.”
My expression hardened.

“That’s not how this works.”
She reached up suddenly, her hands sliding against my chest.

“Then remind yourself how this works,” she whispered.

I caught her wrists immediately. Not gently.

“Don’t,” I warned.

“Why?” she challenged. “Afraid you’ll enjoy it?”

For a split second, something old stirred inside me. That cold, detached man I used to be. The one who didn’t feel, didn’t hesitate, didn’t care who he hurt as long as he maintained control. He would have let her. He would have used the moment to assert dominance, to remind her of her place. I saw it clearly. The ease of slipping back into that version of myself. The man before Evelyn. Before the spark of her eyes.
Before her laugh.

Evelyn’s laughter wasn’t loud. It wasn’t reckless. It was soft and surprised, like she hadn’t expected joy but found it anyway. And her eyes. Gods! They laughed before her lips ever did. Warm. Alive. She looked at the world like it might still be worth saving. Like I might still be worth saving. I wanted to see her smile and laugh with so much ease and carefreeness again.

The thought snapped something inside me. I shoved Rodaleen’s hands away. Hard enough that she stumbled back a step.

“I am not that man you used to know,” I said quietly.

Her breathing was uneven.

“You think she changed you?”

“I know she did.”
The words felt strange spoken aloud. Exposed.
“And I won’t pretend otherwise.”

Her face twisted. “You’ll ruin everything for a girl who doesn’t even belong here.”

“She belongs more than either of us,” I replied.
That landed. She straightened, smoothing her robe as if reclaiming dignity through fabric.

“Fine,” she said coolly. “Love her. Just remember that you’re still bound to me.”
For now, i thought.

Her eyes flashed with warning, then she turned and left without another word. The door slammed. Silence swallowed the room. I stood there for a long moment, staring at my own reflection in the darkened window. The cold man was still there. He would always be there. But he no longer led. And the only thing I wanted, more than contracts, more than alliances, more than power, was to see Evelyn Moon laugh with her eyes every single day.

That realization was terrifying in its simplicity. I didn’t think. If I thought, I would talk myself out of it. I grabbed my keys and left the house. The engine roared to life beneath me as I drove out of the estate gates.

The city lights blurred past. My pulse steadied the closer I got to her office. I didn’t care about appearances. I didn’t care about timing. I just needed to see her. To make sure she was safe.
To tell her that I needed to see that look again.

The one that made the world feel less like a battlefield and more like something worth standing in.