Chapter 46

Fiona POV

I can’t tell if Nolan is incompetent or if he’s doing this on purpose.

Either way, neither option is good. An incompetent King and CEO will only drag their people down. Someone who makes other people’s lives miserable on purpose is even worse, for it takes deception and ill intent to hurt somebody.

“As my date, you can be at my side the entire night while also keeping me on schedule since I can’t remember,” Nolan says, and I grit my teeth- something I’ve been doing a lot lately. I’m not sure how Nolan got anything done before I came here, because for the last week, he’s been constantly forgetting and misplacing things.

Most of the time, it happens while I’m either not around him or after I’ve already left work, which is why I can’t tell if he’s pretending or not.

I understand that as a King and a CEO, he has a lot on his mind, especially with the festival coming up, but it’s irritating. He leans on me and expects me to pick up and fix every little thing that goes wrong.

“Your date?” I ask, crossing my arms. “I am your assistant and nothing more, King Nolan, and I will be your assistant at the event tonight. Not your date.”

He watches me with calculating eyes, but I don’t back down. He doesn’t get to wave his hand and magically name me as anything he wants. That’s not how this world works, even for a King.

“I have no one else to go with, but I see your point,” he states, nodding.

“What about Tara? Is she too busy to attend the event with you?” I ask, digging in and letting him know I won’t be guilt-tripped into thinking differently. Honestly, this childish act of his is getting old.

Nolan’s brow arches at the defiant tone to my voice, but I don’t back down.

“She’s busy,” he says curtly, waving his hand in the air and adding, “Be back here at a six.”

He then dismisses me to get ready, and when I walk back to my desk, a white box sits on top of my stack of papers. Confused, I lift the lid. A navy-blue, off the shoulder dress lay neatly folded in the simple box, and I blink. I don’t have anything this nice in my closet, and as I glance at Nolan’s office door, I realize he knew this.

While I would rather wear my own clothes, I know I don’t have much of a choice because my usual outfits are not nice enough for the event tonight.

“You look lovely,” Nolan says as I climb out of the taxi. His eyes move down my body, taking in the slightly too tight dress and the expanse of my legs. I couldn’t find any tights, so my bare legs are out for everyone to see.

Usually that wouldn’t bother me, but without tights on, the long scar on the back of my thigh is visible. It’s one reason I wear pants often. A lot happened in the prison, and there were many times that the guards were overly harsh in their discipline.

“Shouldn’t we get going?” I ask, tugging on the hem of the dress in hopes that it will hide a bit more of my scars. I follow Nolan out to the car and climb in when he opens the door for me. I forcefully ignore the butterflies that swarm in my chest and keep my eyes on the scenery outside the window as we travel.

The ride is silent, thankfully, but it also leaves a tense air between us.

I don’t address it, though, because it shouldn’t be my place to teach him the proper way to treat an employee.

When we finally arrive at our destination, I again follow Nolan inside where a large group of high-status wolves mingle. Some of them are familiar, and I spot several of them that were at Chloe’s birthday party. The ones that aren’t familiar, I can guess are other businessmen and women.

“You’ll want to greet the hosts first,” I whisper, looking for the two people I’d studied about in preparation. However, before I can find them, my eyes land on a man who I immediately recognize as Billy… except, he doesn’t exactly look like Billy.

He has the same face and kind smile. He’s tall with a strong form. His hair is also dark like Billy’s, but that’s where the similarities end. The cowboy outfit has been replaced with a sleek, black suit. His joyful appearance is now serious and determined as he talks with the group of men around him.

Then, as he turns to leave them, our eyes connect, and I know it’s Billy. Recognition sparks in his gaze as his eyes widen when they land on me. I’m stuck where I am, so when he walks over and greets Nolan, I don’t move.

“Alpha King Nolan.” Billy bows, his usual nonchalant tone gone.

“William, I wasn’t aware you would be here tonight,” Nolan says stiffly. “Your father must be pleased that you’ve been invited.”

They share a look I can’t decipher because my mind is still stuck on one word.

“William?” I question, looking between the two of them.

“Fiona, you look as gorgeous as ever,” Billy, or I guess William, says with a smile. The flirty tone doesn’t distract me like he probably meant for it to.

I shake my head, “No. Don’t do that. Is your name William? How do you two know each other?”

The confusion I feel shifts to annoyance when both of them stay silent. Nolan merely watches as I look back up at Billy for an answer. When Billy doesn’t say anything, Nolan’s warm hand settles on my back.

“Fiona, this is the second son of my biggest rival, William Johnston,” Nolan declares.

Billy glares at Nolan when he says this, and at the same time, he reaches out for me. Unsure of what’s happening, I dodge his hand, resulting in an angrier glare in Nolan’s direction when I step away from them.

How am I always so blind to the people around me?

I can’t stop my mind as it pulls theories out of thin air. Had Billy approached me to get to Nolan? If he did, that means I’ve been tricked yet again by another playboy who has been hiding things from me.