Watch Me Win, Alpha

Chapter 18

Olivia's POV

Amelia kept calling repeatedly. | let it ring, half-hoping she’d give up. But when she called again and | still didn’t

an- swer, she sent a sharp text instead.

“Be at Ashmoon Hotel by 7:00 p.m. tonight. Or the original $150 million settlement stands. Don’t test my

patience.”

It was the kind of message you'd expect from someone who had the Hawthorne ntied around their neck like

a sword. | stared at the phone for a second before putting it down on the coffee table.

Ava'’s voice echoed in my head-“Be careful with Amelia.”

Maybe tonight's meeting wasn’t just about documents. Maybe she would try to downplayand trapinto

some- thing.

| didn’t respond yet.

Just then, a new message lit up my phone. This one was from Mike.

“Miss Whitmore, has Mr. Green's suit been scheduled for return? | can coordinate timing if needed.”

Right. The suit. | could’ve just handed it to the property staff and let them drop it off upstairs. After all, Alexander

lived one floor abovenow. But something about that felt... too casual. Too cold. And frankly, | didn’t want to

coff as dismissive, not to someone like him.

| sat back and thought it through. Deliver the suit personally. Keep it quick, professional, polite. And since | was

al- ready heading out to meet Amelia, | might as well line it all up.

| texted Mike back:

“8:00 p.m. tonight. I'll drop it off in person.”

After that, | headed upstairs to get dressed. Light makeup. Neutral tones. A white blouse, clean black slacks. No

per- fume. Nothing that could be mistaken for “trying.”

| packed the suit carefully in a garment bag and left the house. But | didn’t head straight for Alexander.

First, | drove to my parents’ place.

I'd caught a car idling outside Duskhollow Pines earlier. Nothing conclusive, but the way it kept its distance and

didn’ t pull away even after ten minutes-it was enough to makecautious. That incident with Ethan outside

the complex had already remindedthat privacy wasn’t something I could rely on anymore. Especially not

with a soon-to-be ex- husband who still acted like | was his Luna.

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13:29

On the drive, Ethan called. | considered ignoring him, but that would only make him suspicious. | picked up.

“Are you napping?” he asked casually.

“No,” | said, keeping my voice even. “I'm dropping off the suit at my parents’ place.”

A pause. He was testing me.

“Just that?” he asked.

“Just that.”

He hung up without another word. But | knew better-he’d have someone watchingbefore the end of the hour.

By the t| pulled up to my childhood home, it was already late afternoon. My mother, Polin, opened the door

and looked surprised to see me.

“Why aren’t you at work?” she asked, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, eyes scanning my face.

“I took a day off. Needed a break.”

She stepped aside, lettingin. “You've lost weight again. Is Ethan treating you poorly?”

| gave her a soft laugh. “If he wasn't, I'd be getting a divorce.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Olivia...”

“1

| cut her off before she could go any further. “Relax, Mom. I'm just joking.” | changed the subject to her garden,

her latest book club -anything that could steer the conversation away from Ethan.

| wasn’t ready to tell my parents yet. Not until everything was finalized. Not until | had papers in hand. Until

then, I'd keep it to myself. One last responsibility before | closed this chapter for good.

We had dinner together. Simple hfood. Comfortable silence. | missed this.

When | finished, | stood up and said, “I'm meeting a friend tonight. Might stay over.”

My parents nodded.

| kissed my mother’s cheek and said goodbye to dad. Then | went to the elevator.

As soon as the doors closed, | pulled a mask from my purse and slid it on, then added a black cap. Staying

anonymous would be my greatest asset right now.

The elevator reached the ground floor, and | slipped out through the back door. A second later, a car turned

down the block, but | was already gone-cutting through the alleyway to my parked sedan three streets over.

| wasn’t about to lead anyone to the Ashmoon Hotel.

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13:29

Chapter 18

| arrived at the destination just before seven.

It was one of those quiet, upscale places that looked like it existed for secret deals and discreet affairs. The kind

of place where people wore smiles like masks and silence cost money.

| stepped inside and handed Alexander's suit to the concierge at the front desk. “It’s for Mr. Green,” | said softly.

“Please have someone deliver it to his suite.”

The concierge gave a slight nod, no questions asked. That was the vibe of this place. | checked my phone and

mes- saged Amelia to say I'd arrived. Within a minute, a hotel staff member approached and leddown a long

hallway to a private tea room.

When | walked in, Amelia was already seated. She wore a dark green dress, fitted to perfection, with her hair

swept up neatly. The scent of rose and cardamom clung faintly to the air around her. She smiled, but there was

no warmth in

“Sit,” she said calmly, gesturing to the seat across from her.

| sat down but didn’t bother with pleasantries. “Where's the agreement?” | asked, keeping my voice flat. “I don’t

have tto play games.”

“Have stea first,” she replied smoothly, motioning to the pot between us. “Let's talk slowly.”

“I'd rather not,” | said. My eyes narrowed as | stared at the cup. “Unless this is poisoned?”

Her smile sharpened. “If you're that afraid, don’t drink.”

| pushed the cup aside without touching it. “Then stop wasting time. Let's get to the point.”

Her expression tightened. She pulled out a folder and slid it across the table to me.

| opened it and began reading. It was

mostly about compensation-like the

previous version-Ruy thy ofieWAs!

much ager Nerv pages or more.

Buried between legalese and

irrelevant filler were a few red flags

that madepause. The content is

on novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

| scanned each section, my jaw

tightening the further | read. Shewas

cou NiNGOR, roedosihd patience,

maybe even skipping past important

clauses. The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

| flipped back to one that stood out in

bold:" Should either party engage in

any intimate or inappropriafe® m

[

refatiorShipwith another individual

prior to the official registration of

divorce, the settlement agreement

shall be considered void.” The

content is on novelenglish.net! Read

the latest chapter there!

My stomach tensed.

| wasn’t guilty of anything, but the wording gave too much room for interpretation. And it madefeel like

someone was setting a trap.

“I need to show this to my lawyer,” | said coolly, closing the folder. “I'll respond by tomorrow noon.”

“No,” Amelia said quickly, her tone suddenly sharp. “It must be signed today.”

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13:29

| looked at her, unimpressed. “You just said it can be modified. So why this urgency? Why this version?”

She didn’t answer the question. Instead, she leaned back and folded her arms. “Because it must be this

agreement.”

| offered her a small, tired smile. “Fine. Then I'll call my lawyer. If they say it’s fine, I'll sign.”

Without waiting for a reply, | stood up, clutching the folder. “Givea minute,” | said, already turning for the

door.

She didn’t stop me.

The moment | stepped out of that tea room, | moved quickly. | didn’t want to stay another second in that place.

In the elevator, | stared down at the folder in my hand. Ten pages.

It was too long, too vague, and too dangerous.

Especially that clause.

| had a bad feeling about it.