Richard sputtered. “But Mr. Crane, with all due respect, Ms. Garrett is only an intern. She doesn’t have the experience to be part of a core diligence team.”
“The decision is made. .” Crane’s smile was pleasant, but his tone left no room for argument. “Unless Ravencrest Global has a problem with that?”
Richard looked at me, barely concealed anger in his eyes. First Marcus Chen, now him. I was making enemies with everyone at the office now.
I turned back to Crane. “I’ll make sure this merger proceeds smoothly, sir. You have my word.”
His smile widened. “I have absolutely no doubt about that.”
The days bled into weeks.
The merger was more complex than initially projected. What should have been a week-long trip stretched to two, then three. Additional due diligence, revised terms, endless negotiations.
And through it all—Dimitri’s silence.
I called him every day. Sometimes twice. Every call went to voicemail. Every text showed as read but never answered.
The Mate bond was still there—I could feel him onthe other end, alive. But it was like he’d built a wall between us, shutting me out completely.
I tried to rationalize it. He was busy preparing for his Alpha ceremony. The situation with the engagement was complicated. He was working on canceling it, just like he’d promised.
But doubt crept in deeper with each passing day of silence.
Finally, it was the last night in Zurich. The merger had been successfully completed, pending only the final signatures from both CEOs.
Crane invited me to a celebratory dinner at an upscale restaurant overlooking the lake.
“It was a pleasure working with you, Isabella,” he said over wine. “Ravencrest Global is lucky to have you.”
“Thank you.” I managed a smile. “The feeling is mutual.”
“Please, call me Alexander. I insist.”
“It’s just habit.” I took a sip of wine, trying to calm my nerves. Tomorrow I’d fly home. Tomorrow I’d see Dimitri again.
Tomorrow, everything would be explained.
Crane reached into his coat pocket and pulled out an envelope. Cream-colored, expensive paper. And emblazoned on the front—the Garnia Pack crest.
My stomach twisted.
He pushed it toward me. “Oh, and please convey my regrets to Mr. Ravencrest. I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend his Alpha ceremony and engagement announcement tomorrow. Prior commitments.”
The words didn’t make sense. They couldn’t make sense.
“Engagement announcement?” My voice came out strangled.
“You didn’t know?” he asked.
My mind went blank, then raced.
An engagement announcement? Tomorrow? No. He promised. He looked me in the eye and promised he would end it. Every touch, every whispered word in the dark—was it all just a lie? A game to him while I was away? Goddess, I’m such a fool. I actually believed him. I actually trusted him.
I opened my mouth to say something—anything—but the wordsjammed behind my teeth; I couldn’t force a single syllable past the knot in my throat.
“Dimitri Ravencrest and Selene Ashworth,” he said quietly. “Tomorrow evening. It’s quite the event, from what I understand.”
The room tilted. The wine glass nearly slipped from my numb fingers, but I tried to keep myself in check. I swallowed it down, locked my jaw, and forced the next breath through a throat that felt lined with broken glass.
