Chapter 2: The answer was already clear.

Alyia's POV

The moment I stepped into the backstage lounge after the press conference, my phone rang. The name on the screen made me pause for a second.

Daniel.

In the past two years, he rarely contacted me on his own initiative, especially when it wasn't work-related.

I stared at that name, my finger hovering over the answer button for several seconds before finally pressing it.

"Come to the Caesar Hotel."

Daniel's deep voice came through the line—no explanation, no inquiry, just the commanding tone of someone accustomed to absolute authority.

"Right now."

I gripped the phone, my werewolf's keen hearing picking up the deliberately suppressed breathing of another woman on his end. I closed my eyes briefly, swallowing the bitterness rising in my throat.

"Understood."

After hanging up, I grabbed my coat and left.

The entire drive, I tried to convince myself with logic: it's just work, just because Sterling Group needs me.

But when the car stopped at the hotel entrance, I couldn't help asking myself—Alyia, what exactly are you still hoping for?

The door to the presidential suite stood ajar.

I pushed it open to find Daniel sitting on the sofa, tablet in hand, scanning through news articles. He hadn't bothered to restrain his presence tonight—the overwhelming wolf authority unique to a top-tier Alpha saturated the room.

His shirt collar hung slightly open, revealing a glimpse of his muscular chest, while his brow carried traces of faint exhaustion.

In the past, I would have immediately gone to him, massaging his temples, soothing his restless wolf through our mate bond.

But now, I simply stood by the door without moving.

Because I could smell it.

Besides Daniel's cold cedarwood scent, the room reeked of sickeningly sweet rose perfume—Della's scent signature.

I suddenly found it almost laughable. I stood on that stage resolving his company's crisis while he was here, keeping another woman company.

"You're here."

Daniel looked up at me, those deep green eyes calm and undisturbed, as if the earlier scandal wasn't worth explaining even a single word to me, his secret wife.

"Have you compiled the media list from the press conference?"

I froze.

"What?"

"All the media outlets present tonight." He set down the tablet. "I need to know which reporters will continue following up, and their past reporting angles."

I looked at him.

"What are you planning to do?"

Daniel leaned back against the sofa, his voice utterly flat.

"I need to ensure there's no negative coverage about Della."

My fingers slowly curled into fists.

Of course. He called me here not because he was worried about me, not to offer any explanation—he just needed someone to handle his problems.

And that someone was always me.

"Understood."

I lowered my head, opened my laptop, and the sound of typing filled the room as I organized the reporter list, media backgrounds, and potential PR risks.

I was far too practiced at this, so practiced I didn't even need to think.

But staring at the text on screen, I suddenly remembered two years ago.

Back then, I had just joined Sterling Group.

Because Daniel made the unprecedented move of involving me in core projects, many in the company refused to accept it. Some said I was just a nobody orphan who'd seduced the CEO by climbing into his bed. Others claimed a low-ranking werewolf had no right to sit in the Vice President's chair.

Those rumors surrounded me like poisoned air.

That was the first time I felt I might not be able to hold on. I went to Daniel with red-rimmed eyes—I didn't even need him to publicly acknowledge our secret marriage. I just hoped he could say one word as CEO, tell everyone I got there through ability, not through improper means.

But at the time, he merely flipped through documents in his hands without even looking up.

"In wolf society, only the weak crave explanations." His voice was ruthlessly cold. "These rumors aren't worth my time. Handle it yourself. If you can't bear it, get out of my company."

That day, I stood outside his office door for a long time. In the end, I said nothing. From then on, I learned to face everything alone, and learned not to expect Daniel to stand by my side.

"You look terrible."

The sudden voice snapped me back to the present. I looked up to find Daniel standing beside me—when had he moved? Because he was so close, the intense, aggressive Alpha pheromones radiating from him instantly enveloped me.

His brow furrowed slightly, his gaze lingering on my pale face.

"You haven't eaten?"

I stiffened, my heart feeling as if something had gently struck it.

He noticed?

"No." I answered instinctively.

Daniel studied me for several seconds.

"Why not?"

Was this concern? For a moment I even forgot to breathe.

This version of Daniel was too rare, so rare it felt foreign.

But the next second, he looked away.

"Don't pass out during work hours. There's still plenty you need to handle."

My fingers froze on the keyboard. That small flicker of hope that had just risen slowly sank back down.

So it was still the same—he didn't care about me, only about his work.

"I understand."

I lowered my head and continued organizing the materials without looking at him again.

Half an hour later, I placed the compiled files in front of Daniel.

"All the media contacts, plus information on reporters who might create negative coverage—it's all here."

Daniel flipped through a few pages.

"Efficient work."

Just one simple sentence, yet my breathing still hitched.

Only hours ago, for Della's sake, he'd pushed me in front of all those reporters without hesitation.

But one ordinary compliment still made me unable to stop myself from believing—maybe I held some small place in his heart after all.

I knew it was pathetic, making excuses for him again and again.

But Daniel always left me unable to read him.

He would humiliate me in front of everyone.

Yet in moments when no one was watching, he'd instinctively take care of me.

When I was sick, he'd call a doctor to the house, then the next day coldly say it was only because he didn't want his VP taking sick leave and affecting work.

When I faced danger, he'd always be the first to shield me, then afterward tell me with a cold expression, "Don't misunderstand. Alphas protecting the weak—it's just instinct."

So I kept telling myself—what he resisted was never me. He simply hadn't accepted the life the Moon Goddess arranged for him.

And because of that, I convinced myself again and again to wait just a little longer.

Someday, he would understand that what he was fighting was fate, not me.

I looked up at Daniel.

"Daniel..."

He raised his eyes, his gaze settling on my face.

"Something else?"

My fingers slowly tightened. I wanted to ask the question I'd buried in my heart for two years.

Just as I was about to speak—

The bathroom door suddenly opened. Della emerged wearing an oversized bathrobe, surrounded by the humid warmth of a recent shower and that pungent rose scent.

Seeing me, she seemed momentarily surprised, then her lips curved into a smile both gentle and provocative.

"Alyia, you're still here? Thank you for your hard work."

I looked at her, could even smell Daniel's scent clinging to her skin.

I said nothing.

Della walked to Daniel's side and nestled into his embrace without hesitation, her arms circling his neck.

"Daniel, thank you for today. If you hadn't been there, I really wouldn't have known what to do..."

Daniel didn't push her away. Instead, he raised his hand and patted her back soothingly.

"It's fine."

Those two words were light, yet they made my chest tighten with suffocating pressure.

I suddenly realized—a person truly could treat others so differently. He could be gentle with Della and cold to me.

And I had deceived myself all along, thinking maybe it was just a matter of time, maybe he just hadn't gotten used to me yet.

But two years had passed. The answer was already clear.

Della looked at me.

"Thank you for your hard work. Daniel's always like this—whenever something happens, the first person he thinks of is you to handle it."

She smiled.

"You really understand him well."

I lowered my eyes.

Yes. I understood him too well. But he seemed never to understand me. He didn't know I could hurt too, didn't know that rumors could kill an ordinary werewolf like wolfsbane poison.

I closed my laptop.

"The materials are ready. If there's nothing else, I'll leave first."

I turned toward the door. Just as my hand gripped the handle, Daniel's voice suddenly came from behind.

"Alyia."

My body went rigid. Then I slowly turned back. Daniel stood there, quietly watching me.

This was the first time in two years he'd taken the initiative to call me back when I was about to leave.

My heartbeat quickened for an instant.

I looked at him, waiting for him to say something.