Chapter 4 No.4

Nathaniel looked at me with an unreadable expression before glancing at Tessa, an icy coldness radiating from him. Though he masked it well, I could feel his anger simmering beneath the surface.

"You two sure have a lot of energy," he said, his voice dripping with disdain. "As the director, should you really be fighting and causing a scene in front of the employees? Is this how you set an example? What do you think this company is?"

The employees quickly shrank back, too frightened to even look directly at us.

Tessa, without a shred of shame, spoke up confidently. "CEO Blackwood, I was working just fine when Director Seraphina suddenly stormed in, yelling and making a scene. Then she hit me for no reason. How can someone like her possibly deserve her position?"

Nathaniel's gaze shifted to me, his tone as cold as ice. "Apologize."

I took a deep breath, my fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles turned white. "I'll apologize only if Director Tessa apologizes to me first."

As the director, hitting someone in the company was wrong, but I had no regrets. I'd face the consequences, but only if Tessa apologized first.

Tessa looked at Nathaniel with a wounded expression. "CEO Blackwood, I don't even know what I did wrong..."

Just as I was about to respond, Nathaniel cut me off with a sharp command. "Apologize!"

His voice was forceful and left no room for argument.

I stared at him in disbelief, my eyes stinging. He didn't even care to ask what had actually happened.

Nathaniel's Adam's apple moved slightly as he spoke again, his voice cold and unfeeling. "I'll say it one more time. Apologize."

My nails dug into my palm, the pain grounding me as I fought to stop my hands from trembling. With great effort, I forced the words out. "Director Tessa, I'm sorry."

Tessa flashed a smug smile. "Director Seraphina, it won't happen again."

"But... can Director Tessa explain why the V&R ambassador was replaced?" I asked, challenging her.

Tessa smiled and glanced at Nathaniel. "Of course, it was CEO Blackwood's decision."

Her words caught me off guard, and I turned to Nathaniel, stunned.

Nathaniel didn't deny it. Instead, he stood up and walked toward his office. "Director Seraphina, come to my office."

I took a deep breath and shot one last cold glance at Tessa before following Nathaniel to his office.

"Nathaniel, why did we replace Mirella?" I asked once we were inside.

Nathaniel sat behind his desk, his gaze briefly flicking to me before he spoke. "How's the divorce agreement coming along?"

My expression stiffened, every breath feeling like a struggle. "I've been busy these past couple of days. I haven't had a chance to look at it. But if Alpha's in a hurry, I'll look at it tonight."

Nathaniel's gaze deepened, his tone heavy. "Good."

I could hear the finality in his voice, and it twisted something inside me. "If... I mean, if we had a Little Howler, would you still reject me?"

Without a second thought, Nathaniel replied, "There's no 'if.' Even if there was, I wouldn't let him be born."

"...I understand."

It felt like I couldn't breathe, my heart constricting painfully. I just wanted to leave, to escape this suffocating conversation. "Nathaniel, you already approved the project plan. Why are we replacing Mirella now?"

This was such a minor issue. Why should he, the busy Alpha, be the one to handle it?

"There's a reason for replacing her," he said calmly.

I couldn't hold back. "I've been in charge of V&R since its inception. You've rarely interfered with its development. If you're changing someone, we should've discussed it first."

Sure, as the Alpha of the pack and the CEO, he had the authority to make this decision. But he didn't understand that replacing someone meant a huge amount of extra work for me and my team. A lot of plans would need to be adjusted.

Nathaniel leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs. "The new ambassador is Isolde."

The words hit me like a thunderclap. My mind went blank, my head buzzing as I tried to process it. After a long pause, I asked, "Isolde?"

"Yes." Nathaniel's fingers curled slightly, tapping rhythmically on the desk. "Isolde needs more recognition. This new ad campaign will help both humans and wolves get to know her better."

I took a deep breath, feeling as if the very air around me had turned into sharp blades, cutting through my chest and causing a sharp pain in my heart.

The bathroom.

I kept gagging, but nothing came up.

I placed my hand on my stomach, soothing the Little Howler inside me.

The mirror across the entire wall reflected my pale face and the redness around my eyes.

I splashed cold water on my face repeatedly, hoping to calm down. The overwhelming sadness and tension had made me fragile.

It's okay... It's okay.

It's just about making Isolde the spokesperson, right? Just following up on her ad shoot?

This is my job. I'll be fine.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror, forcing a weak smile.

I promised Mom and Dad that after they left, I would stay strong no matter what happened. They'd be watching me from above, and I couldn't disappoint them. I couldn't disappoint Little Howler either.

...

Back in the office, I returned Mirella's agent's call, apologizing and assuring her that I'd assigned Mirella another small perfume brand endorsement. I promised to prioritize Mirella for any suitable future projects, and only then did Callista relent.

After hanging up, I had Elowen bring me Isolde's full profile and gathered the department for a meeting.

A busy day later, we had three potential options.

I had Elowen contact Isolde's agent and set up a time for us to discuss the endorsement.

Leaning back in my chair, I massaged my brow and tiredly opened the folder in the corner of my desk, only to see the glaring word on the first page-"Divorce Agreement."

I skimmed through it briefly.

Nathaniel sure knew how to be generous; he wasn't at all stingy when it came to giving me the breakup compensation.

Two villas, $20 million, 5% of the company's shares, and continued protection within the pack.

Alpha Nathaniel, how generous of you, I thought bitterly.

In the meeting room, the relevant staff had arrived. But after half an hour, there was still no sign of Isolde or her team.

I said to my assistant, Elowen, "Contact Isolde's agent and remind them of the time."

A while later, Elowen returned. "Director Seraphina, I called them, and they said they're on their way."

Yet another hour passed, and still, no one showed up. I was starting to get frustrated. "What's Isolde's agent's phone number? Send it to me."

Just as Elowen was about to speak, the door to the conference room opened, and a group entered.

"Ms. Isolde. CEO Blackwood, you're here too?" The staff quickly greeted them.

Leading the group were Isolde Thornfield and Nathaniel Blackwood.

She was wearing a pale yellow gown, intimately linked with Nathaniel's arm.

And Nathaniel, dressed in a sharp suit, was wearing the very one I had picked out for him this morning and laid on the bed.

Seeing how close the two were, the staff exchanged knowing glances, as if they understood something.

There had been rumors about the big star, Isolde Thornfield, being Nathaniel Blackwood's first love, and now it seemed to be true. What a perfect match!

A sharp pain throbbed in my chest. My fingers clenched. On the outside, I forced myself to remain calm as I stepped forward. "CEO Blackwood, Ms. Isolde, since you're here, let's start the meeting."

Nathaniel had said that even after the divorce, he'd still consider me a sister. But I knew deep down that someone who had truly been loved could never be just a friend. Watching him and Isolde so deeply in love, I couldn't pretend I didn't see it.

Once he formally rejected me, I'd retreat far away, healing on my own and raising Little Howler by myself. I was going to leave this pack that I had lived in for 25 years.

Isolde, seeing me, seemed pleasantly surprised as she grabbed my hand. "Seraphina, you're here too!"

I glanced at her hand briefly, then pulled mine back subtly, nodding coldly.

Isolde seemed unaware of my hostility. "We haven't seen each other in three years. You've become so distant. I still remember when we were in college. Every holiday, you'd drag Nathaniel and me out to watch the sunset or go barbecue in the wild."

I've always known I couldn't compete with Isolde. Her schemes ran deep, and she always played the helpless card to earn Nathaniel and his friends' sympathy, just like when we were kids. I used to think Nathaniel and Isolde were meant to be the perfect mates, but I never understood why she suddenly left three years ago.