Alpha's Regret After Her Rebirth by Aurora Starling

Chapter 0189

Hannah

6

+25 BONUS

The second I entered the private restaurant, my eyes were already scanning the room critically. Everything had to be perfect for Drake and Zoe’s date–everything. Not even saying a word to the hostess, I moved swiftly to the table in the corner and began nervously smoothing out the white tablecloth, rearranging the candles, and primping the flowers.

“Hannah?” Drake’s voice startled me as he entered. “You got here early.”

I didn’t even bother to look up, keeping my gaze focused on preening the pretty pink rose petals in the vase. “Just making sure everything’s ready,” I replied. “You’re early too.”

Drake nodded as he stopped in front of me, and upon a brief glance I could see his eyes darting around nervously despite his handsome appearance. “Yeah, I… I wanted to thank you again for setting this up. I know it wasn’t easy.”

A pang of guilt twisted in my stomach. “So, um… About that,” I began, biting my lip. “I sort of had to tell Zoe that I had a business proposition for her. It was the only way to get her here.”

Drake’s eyebrows shot up. “What? Why?”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “She’s been looking for a job, I guess. I don’t know… it was the only thing I could think of that would guarantee she would show up.” It was true; I had considered everything. Unless Noah was in the picture, which he obviously couldn’t be for something like this, I was certain that Zoe would have said no to an invitation to meet me for dinner.

“Hannah,” Drake groaned rubbing his hand over his face, “that’s… that’s not good. She’s going to be furious.”

“I know, I know,” I said quickly. “I feel terrible about it. But I promised I’d help you, and… well, this was the best I could do in the amount of time I had.”

Drake was quiet for a moment, then he nodded and smoothed down the front of his suit. “Okay. Well, if she gets angry, I won’t let you take the blame. I’ll tell her it was all my idea.”

I murmured, not feeling much better. If one of us went down, then both of us surely would. I doubted that Zoe would discriminate with her

I kept myself busy by unnecessarily rearranging things, while Drake paced back and forth, clutching a single rose in his hand and repeatedly smoothing his hair in the window’s reflection. He kept his back turned,

in. The hostess said something to her and led her across the crowded restaurant, finally bringing her

What’s going on?” she asked haltingly,

could answer, Drake turned around and stepped forward, offering Zoe the rose.

Chapter 0189

+25 BONUS

then narrowed to dangerous slits. She looked from Drake to

hissed, pointing at me. “You lied to me, didn’t you? There’s no job,

gesture. “Zoe, Drake has been

said gently, taking a step closer. “You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to, and we would understand. But this was

face twisted with fury. “You bitch,” she growled, causing me to flinch. “After all that talk of understanding my situation? After promising me that you would stay out of it? How long have you two been

that Zoe waited for an answer, anyway; she was already turning back to Drake and snatching the

spat, holding the rose up between them. “I told you that I’m not interested, time and time again. Who the hell do you think you are?” She paused, her teeth grit as she looked back and forth between the two of us again.

stomped on it, grinding it beneath her heel.

he started, but she was already storming out of the

exchanged a brief, panicked look before I nodded at

slammed behind them, leaving me alone in the suddenly too–quiet restaurant. The nearby patrons had paused their dining, their eyes turning to me. I sank into the nearest chair, burying my face in my hands in the hopes that they would return

went spectacularly,” I muttered under my

left, climbing back into my waiting car and instructing the driver to take me home–home, where I could finally, blissfully, sink into a hot bath and shut myself off from the world, if

the house was dark and quiet. I kicked off my shoes with

feet

my head cut off since early morning, barely having gotten any sleep after helping Noah the night before and spending the day curating the perfect blind date for Drake and Zoe, only to have it explode in