Chapter Twenty Eight

KEAGAN'S POV ~

My eyes narrowed into slits, my jaw clenched, and my teeth ground audibly before I forced a composed expression, turning to my kids.

So many emotions and thoughts swirled into my head and I had no idea which to pick. Sylvia was alive and yet they believed she had committed suicide years ago? 

How was that even possible?

"Daddy, are you alright?" Mina's squeaky little voice reached me, and I felt my heart melt.

I shook my head and crouched to the ground, while Mina walked toward me and stroked my hair. "Daddy, tell me; I'll make you feel better, I promise."

Hearing this, I felt my eyes prick with tears. Those were the exact words I said to my kids whenever they felt sad. Fuck, the way they had my heart in their hands was insane. I pulled Mina into my arms and kissed her head.

"Papa is just tired from work. I'll just take a nap, and I'll be rejuvenated," I said, and Mina nodded. I turned my gaze to William, who quickly avoided eye contact, and my chest squeezed with guilt. I didn't intend to hurt the poor boy.

"Hey, buddy, come here," I said, watching his head snap up. He gave me a reluctant look before pushing himself in my direction. 

"I'm sorry," I blurted out, ruffling his hair. "I didn't mean to hurt you. Come on, come to Daddy." William quickly did, and Mina joined the hug, making me chuckle.

These kids were my world.

"I got you your favorite treats; make sure you hide them from Mommy," I said, standing up and sending them a playful wink. They giggled and ran toward the paper bag.

I left William's room, and the smile on my face slipped away. My expression darkened as I slowly walked through the quiet, empty corridor. What was going on?

My curiosity had been piqued earlier, at around 12%, but right now, just after that phone call, it was at its peak. I wanted to uncover every detail about Sylvia. I needed everything.

I checked my phone and saw a message pop up on my screen, but before I could open it, the sound of footsteps drew near, and I quickly locked my phone.

"Hey," Emma said, and I lazily looked at her.

"You need something?" I asked, my voice sounding cold in the empty corridor. Emma's eyes dimmed.

"I can't speak to my husband anymore?" She laughed, giving me a bitter smile, but I wasn't amused.

"I'm going to bed. Have a good night," I said, spinning around to leave, but she stopped me.

"Keagan, wait. There's something you need to know."

Silence engulfed us as more thoughts began racing through my mind. Was it about Sylvia? Does Emma know anything? Did she overhear me?

Slowly spinning around, I tucked my hands into my pockets and gave her a pointed look. "What is it?."

She bit her lip, fumbling with her fingers, and a small smile pulled up the corners of her lips. "I passed the agency test, and I'm now ready to model anywhere in the world. You know how important this is to me, right?" she asked, and I hummed, still not understanding what she was hinting at. "So, hubby, I was wondering if you could give me my first endorsement deal. I heard from someone that you were looking for a good model—maybe I could be the one?" She tilted her head to the side and gave me a hopeful expression.

My brows shot up. "Give you an endorsement deal?" I pretended not to hear her, and the light in her eyes dimmed again as her shoulders dropped.

"Y-Yes."

"Oh, my bad! Someone else has the role," I quickly said, and the color drained from her face.

She gulped, forcing a smile on her lips, and asked, "What about being the company's ambassador? I can—"

I cut her off with an annoyed expression. "Someone else has that too."

Her shocked expression quickly morphed into one of fury, and she glared at me. "What the fuck, Keagan! I'm your wife! I deserve full rights to those positions! How could you give them to others when you clearly know I've been fighting for years to become a famous model!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, her face turning red with anger and disappointment, but I didn't feel an ounce of guilt or regret.

Deep down, if I were to offer this deal to anyone, it would still be Sylvia, again and again. Even I, had no idea why. 

"Are you done?" I asked her in a bored tone.

"You're so cruel to me, Keagan! How could you treat me this way when all I've done is love you? What have I done wrong?" She broke down in tears, irritating every nerve in my body.

I didn't bother to reply before striding away from her.

"Keagan! Please, why are you doing this?!" Her voice became weak and distorted as I disappeared from her sight.

I left her wailing in the cold, empty corridor and didn't bother to check if she had gone silent or retreated to her room. Of course, this was the real me—the cold and ever-heartless Alpha. I kept wondering how Jessica had been able to put up with me all those years we were together. My heart clenched, and my feet carried me straight to the bar, where I grabbed the strongest liquor and poured myself a drink. I was going to drink myself to sleep.

My phone began to ring, and I slammed the tumbler that was about to reach my lips onto the table and picked up the call.

"Hello?" I said gruffly.

"We spotted Sylvia; she'll be attending the Senator's ceremony, Alpha Keagan. Is there anything else you'd like us to check on?" he asked, and I took a deep breath.

"I'll text it to you," I said and slowly hung up. I was hesitant about what I was about to tell my private investigator because I was really uncomfortable with Emma being around. I had no idea how her mind worked these days.

Now it was time to get dressed.

~

"Right this way, sir," the two ushers said, dressed in black pants and white shirts, leading me toward the front door of the seven-star hotel. My bodyguards formed a circle around me, never letting the ushers come too close.

Cameras blinked white flashes into my eyes, my security warding off the paparazzi trying to question me.

The moment I entered the large hall, the cool air from the a.c hit me, and my body seemed to hum with a new sensation, which was strange. My eyes searched for Sylvia, but she was nowhere to be seen.

My security continued leading me until we were in the elevator, gliding up to the first floor.

The ushers kept muttering their rehearsed introduction for every guest, but I didn't bother to respond. My eyes kept searching for that one person, and I yearned to see her. How strange.

I swallowed hard, making my way to the reserved table while the ushers ensured I was properly seated.

"What would you like to have, sir?" one of them asked, and I waved them off.

"Nothing, thank you."

They gave respectful bows before moving away from me, and I reclined in my chair to take out my cell phone from my pocket. 

There were no messages from my guards that they had spotted Sylvia, so I tucked my phone back into my pocket and turned my gaze toward the door, assessing every single person who walked through that day.

My cell phone began to ring, and I saw the caller ID flash with a hidden number, which belonged to my private investigator. I knew I should have picked it up and found out why he was urgently calling, but my gaze was already trapped on the figure making her way into the large hall.

My breath seemed to seize entirely as I took her in, the shock in my body making my mouth run dry. I felt the insane urge to move across the room and yank her towards me, shaking her for fucking answers. But her eyes were already gliding toward me.

What the fuck?!

 Slowly, I found myself rising to my feet as the vein in my jaw ticked.