"I'm going to let them hang themselves." I turned back to face Edmund. "Keep the surveillance on Selene. Track every call, every meeting, every movement. I want to know who else is involved, what the endgame is."
"And the wedding?" Edmund asked carefully. "It's in two weeks."
The wedding. The final seal on the Ashworthalliance. The moment I'd chain myself permanently to a woman who was conspiring against me.
A woman who was not my Mate.
"The wedding proceeds as planned," I said, my voice cold.
Two weeks later, I stood at the altar in a cathedral filled with flowers I hadn't chosen and guests I didn't want.
Selene walked down the aisle in a white dress that probably cost more than most people's cars, her smile radiant, her eyes gleaming with victory.
But she had no idea that I knew.
The ceremony was brief, professional. When the officiant asked if I'd take Selene as my wife, I said "I do" with a voice that didn't waver.
And when it came time to exchange rings, I slipped the wedding band onto her finger. The band was platinum, set with diamonds that caught the light. Beautiful. Expensive. Exactly what a Luna should wear.
And embedded in the band was a tracking chip smaller than a grain of rice.
She gasped at the ring, grinning from ear to ear, admiring how it looked on her finger. Little did she know that she was going to walk right into my trap. This wasn’t going to be a marriage. This was going to be a chess match.
And she didn’t even know she was on the board.
Chapter Seven
Isabella’s POV
“Would you like anything else, ma’am?”
I accepted the glass of champagne the private jet attendant held out to me with an appreciative smile. “Thanks, Scott. And no, I’m good.”
“And how about little Miss Adele here?”
I followed his gaze to the small girl whose back was turned to us as she pressed her face against the window, taking in the sight of the clouds below. I didn’t need to see her face to know her eyes were wide with wonder, her little jaw slightly open in awe. It was an especially cloudy and beautiful evening—the kind where the sunset painted the sky in streaks of gold and rose, turning the clouds into something magical.
I laughed softly. “I think she’s occupied with more fascinating things right now.”
“All right then. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call me, Ms. Crawford.”
I grimaced inwardly at the formality. “Please, Scott. Call me Estelle.”
“Right. Estelle.” He smiled warmly and walked away, disappearing toward the front of the cabin.
I took a sip of my champagne, then clicked open my iPad to continue the due diligence reading on what Alexander termed, “Crane’s next big project”. But the sound of Adele gasping over something she saw outside made me look up.
As I glanced out the window at the endless expanse of sky, I felt my own thoughts drift away.
It had been five years since I’d felt the Mate bond shatter, taking pieces of my soul with it. Five years since I’d run from the Ravencrest mansion, feeling like my entire world had crumbled into ash and dust. Five years since I’d been Isabella Garrett. The whore’s daughter. The charity case. The girl who didn’t belong anywhere.
Now, I was Estelle Crawford. Vice President of Crane Internationale, one of the most powerful tech conglomerates in Europe.
The name change had been a necessity, an armor against my past, representing everything Isabella Garrett never was and never could be. Estelle was a woman who commanded boardrooms, closed multimillion-dollar deals, and earned every ounce of respect through sheer brilliance and relentless determination.
Plus, they couldn’t track Estelle Crawford. That was another crucial reason for the change. I didn’t want to be found. The night I left Virginia, I’d wanted to shed every trace of that weak, naive girl who’d been foolish enough to believe an Alpha could love her.
I took another sip of champagne, letting myself feel the quiet satisfaction of how far I’d come. The transformation still felt surreal sometimes, like I was living someone else’s life. But I’d learned that those motivational quotes weren’t complete bullshit after all—you really could become anything you wanted if you put your mind to it.
