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It came as a surprise to Ronald. When lan heard Dane say that, he assumed that he was trying to avoid appearing vulnerable in front of him.
He was about to mock him, but before that, he noticed Dane turning his head and looking at the window glass. “My favorite woman is someone else,” he muttered.
Ian followed his gaze and noticed Ava walking into her office. She hurriedly grabbed some papers from her desk and left the room.
Ian’s jaw clenched.
It was as if all of the barriers holding him back had nearly crumbled. He was about to get up from the couch and rush to Dane, but Ronald grabbed his hand.
Ian’s eyes grew darker as he stared at Dane. If looks could kill anyone, he would have killed Dane.
Ronald had no idea how to manage the situation. He wondered what might have happened if he had not come here. Ian turned his head at Ronald, who was shaking his head. He mind–linked him and said,
“Just take it easy, Ian.”
At that time, Dane turned his attention back to Ian and said,
“Well-”
Ronald interrupted him and said,
“You called my Alpha here to visit your office.”
“You are right. Considering that it is his pack, I believe that he ought to look around the organization. Despite the fact that we are competitors, we should have some sort of inner connection. At least, I believe so.”
Ian rose up from the couch after putting the glass on the table.
His black eyes pierced Dane’s brown eyes as he muttered,
“Let me look around your office; maybe I will get some inspiration from your old experience.”
After that, he walked to the door. He did not even glance at Ronald or wait for him to follow him.
Immediately after Ian opened the door, he heard Dane’s voice coming from behind him.
“I am not a villain. You are welcome to come and talk to me at any time. I will tell you about my experience like a hero.”
Ian understood that Beta Bruno had told him what he had said to him.
Ronald could see that his best friend was losing control.
He got up and said,
“Do you still think he needs your experience after you lost a lot of deals for him?”
Dane rolled his eyes and crossed his legs before saying,
“He should know who is the real king of hearts, No matter how successful he becomes, the woman I want will always choose me over him.”
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+25 BONUS
Ronald paid no attention to what he had to say and proceeded to approach Ian. He walked out of the room while holding lan’s hand and prevented Ian from exploding with age at Dane. He did not want to break a war between the two rivals.
When Ronald drew him into a corner, Ian yanked his hand away from him.
“Did you not hear the way that he was speaking to me?”
Ronald heaved a sigh and shook his head in response. “I expected something like this to happen. He will provoke you, as he did years ago, and you will act foolishly.”
Ian gritted his teeth in anger and muttered,
“What was he talking about? Experience? I will shove his experience into his ass-”
“Calm down, Alpha.” Ronald cut him off.
Ian shut his eyes, running his fingers through his hair.
It was not Dane’s provocation that made him angry. The things that Dane had said to him while he was looking at Ava had an effect on him.
From there on, his mind went insane.
Ava went through the file that Dane had provided for her to read. She was totally taken aback when she discovered that there were a large number of high–paid sponsors from a variety of packs who were interested in working with Freya.
Dane was cruel enough to cut all of her works, kind of boycotting her from everywhere. At this point, the only businesses that were able to negotiate with her were those that were affiliated with Ian’s company.
Ava tried to make herself understand that it was called exclusive deals. But she could not help but feel sorry for Freya. If she found out, she would come to Dane crying.
Twenty minutes later
Ava looked down at her watch. She thought she should go to the canteen and grab something for herself.
She went to the second floor and headed to the canteen.
As she made her way there, she went by a few rooms along the way.
Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed her hand, and it pulled her inside a room that was completely dark.
Without any idea what was going on, Ava let out a gasp.
When she realized the door was closed, she tried to break her hand free.
Her eyes widened when her back pressed against a wall.
“WHO THE HELL-”
She screamed in anger, but a hand came to the mouth to shut her mouth.
When she felt the familiar touch, she became completely silent. She realized that she was so shocked that she forgot to smell the familiar scent.
The scent hit her nostrils, causing her heart to slow down.
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+25 BONUS
In the dark room, the silence was eating her alive.
She knew who the person was.
“Mmmmm”
She attempted to speak up.
But the hand pressed firmly against her mouth, causing her to pause again.
A flashback of past memories reflected on her mind.
She was in a dark room and feeling afraid, but she was not allowed to leave. It was a dare that she wanted to fulfill. She was startled when she heard a sound and nearly fell to the ground after tripping on something on the floor. But a hand grabbed her waist and lit a lighter to show her the light.
Remembering that moment from four years ago, Ava blinked in the dark.
Inside the darkness, the closeness was too much for her, reminding her of the past that she had to let go of years
ago.
Unexpectedly, a flame appeared in front of her face, lighting up the surrounding area.
The man in front of her came into view. Her eyes paused when they locked with his dark gaze.
Looking into her eyes intently, he spoke,
“Are you still afraid of the darkness?”
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