Chapter 0156 Chapter 0156 Alexander POV Ella always managed to surprise me in ways I didnât expect When we met at the gym, it wasnât necessarily her strength or speed that caught me off guardâIâd expected her to have some athleticism. What surprised me was her enthusiasm.
For someone who claimed she didnât exercise regularly, she threw herself into each part of the workout with an energy that was rare to see.
After she left, I met with each of the trainers to discuss her results, and though none of them openly praised her, I could see they were as impressed as I was. It made me feel an odd surge of pride.
Of course, any public praise of Ella reflected positively on me due to our ârelationship,â but that wasnât why I felt this way.
Ella had endured more in the brief time Iâd known her than most people face in a lifetime, and all of it at the hands of someone who claimed to love her. Yet, despite the pain sheâd suffered, she continued to push forward, to improve herself, and to find ways to reclaim her life. There was a quiet strength in her, a resilience that was rare.
In a way, I admired her. She somehow balanced that strength with a gentleness that most people would have lost long ago. It was a balance that very few people could maintainâand one I struggled with myself.
âSir,â Augustâs voice cut through my thoughts. âIs there a reason you keep checking your phone?â
I shook my head, looking up at him as I set my phone down on the desk. âI apologize,â I said. âIâ distracted this morning.â
âI see that,â he replied. âIs anything wrong?â
little âNo, itâs nothing like that,â I said dismissively. âIâm simply waiting for a response from Ella. Iâm trying to decide on my plan for the day, and her input is needed.â
August raised one eyebrow at me but didnât say another word. He didnât have toâhis disapproval was clear enough. Heâd already voiced his concerns about me becoming too attached to Ella numerous times.
His concerns were unfounded. I was simply being thorough. After all, I had to be careful to maintain the illusion. of a close relationship with Ella if I wanted people to believe we were a couple.
I knew Ella had her first therapy appointment this morning Her hard work to reconnect with her wolf was only just beginning, and while she hadnât said it outright, I could sense her nervousness. Hoping to encourage her and, admittedly, to open the door for a more substantial conversationâI sent her a message early this morning.
The wedding needed proper planning, and Ellaâs input was crucial. There was too much to sort out for me to handle it alone, and this arrangement wouldnât work without her full involvement.
It didnât surprise me that she hadnât responded right away. Ella wasnât the type to be glued to her phone. But as the minutes ticked by, I found myself growing more concerned by her silence.
Maybe âconcernedâ wasnât the right word. It wasnât that I thought something was wrong, exactly, but I couldnât shake the feeling that something else was weighing on her or distracting her to the point where my message was the least of her worries.
Ella had the bad habit of taking everything on herself, even when she had allies ready and willing to support her. She wouldnât even go to her father for assistance in situations where, to me, it seemed like the most logical solution.
Chapter 0156 +25 BONUS It was clear she was hiding somethingâa secret she was afraid to let others get involved in. Considering what David had tried to do to her at the hotel, I couldnât help but wonder if he had more blackmail material. Perhaps it was something she was too embarrassed to share.
Then again, it could easily be something else entirely. Ella didnât exactly confide in me, nor did I expect her to, but it would make things infinitely easier for both of us if I knew the full extent of what was going on.
Still, it would be hypocritical of me to press her for answers. There were plenty of things I wasnât transparent with her about, things she hadnât asked, aboutâyet.
Even so, her silence after my message bothered me far more than it should have.
âAs I was saying,â August continued, pulling me from my thoughts once again, âDavid Lake is getting a lot of attention in the public eye lately. Heâs being very showy about his wedding planningâparading his mate around the capital in expensive dresses and buying her jewelry from the finest boutiques.â
âThatâs not surprising in the least,â I said. âHeâs trying to maintain his reputation after losing all that land to Ella. He doesnât want people to think itâs hurting him financially, although it obviously is. He wonât be able to sustain this kind of spending for long. If he keeps it up, he wonât be able to afford the actual wedding.â
âSo, do you think the best approach is to wait and allow him to continue?â
âHeâll damn himself if he does, but I think waiting might be a mistake. We need to be strategic about this. My contacts are already looking into his actual financial situationâIâll have the figures soon.â
âAnd what exactly do you plan to do with that information? August asked, his tone curious.
âI havenât decided yet,â I admitted. âI want Ellaâs input on that as well. But whatâs more curious discovered about Davidâs recent travel.â
âWhat do you mean?â August asked, leaning forward.
at Iâve I pulled a paper from the stack on my desk and slid it over to him. It was a timeline compiled using border crossing information.
Augustâs eyes widened slightly as he scanned it. âIt seems Mr. Lake has been spending a lot of time in the northernmost regions of the kingdom,â he said softly. âBut what does it mean?â
âMaybe nothing,â I replied: âBut maybe everything. Iâm going to keep looking into it.â
The sound of my phone buzzing drew my attention, and I couldnât help the small smile that spread across my face when I saw Ellaâs name in the notification bar. I opened her message and quickly tapped out a response.
When I glanced up from the screen, August was giving me that concerned look again. I ignored it. I knew Ellaâs appointment hadnât started just yet, so it would be a little while before she called, but the mere prospect of hearing her voice warmed my heart.
I knew it shouldnât. But I wasnât going to deny myself the small pleasure of speaking to her.
Iâd already allowed myself to get too attached to Ella, but as long as I could control my urges when she was near, it couldnât do any real harm. Iâd never been a man who struggled with selfâcontrol, so this shouldnât be any different.
Even as I thought that, a small part of me knew it wasnât entirely true.
As I smiled down at the screen, the weight of the truth pressed against the wall of denial I had built. I was in danger of losing the battle against my feelings for Ella. Maybe I was wrong to believe that I could manage itâthat I was stronger than these emotions.
Chapter 0156.
But deep down, I knew better.
I was in too deep now to even consider cutting things off.