Bonds

Chapter 119

-Maya’s POV-

Three weeks.

That’s all it had been, and I was already this close to throwing myself off the nearest tall building. Seriously,I didn’t know what game Alex thought he was playing, and honestly, Ivan’s behavior was just as confusing.

Let’s start with Ivan. He’d been beyond upset, practically demanding to end the whole marriage when I refused to distance myself from Alex’s whole… vortex. Now, all of a sudden, Alex kept showing up at the office, and instead of putting a stop to it, Ivan was acting like he didn’t care?

And it wasn’t just the whole Alex situation messing with my head. Ivan was acting strange in general. He’d play endlessly with the twins, keeping them entertained for hours, but with me, it was a different story. He just seemed… distant. When I tried to ask him what was wrong, the answer was always the same nothing.

–

I tried my best to focus on work and avoid Alex at all costs, which was proving to be a herculean task. To make matters worse, my wolf wasn’t exactly on my side. Every time we were in the same room, she’d practically vibrate with the urge to jump him. Honestly, I was going crazy.

“You don’t look so good, Maya.”

I lifted my head, my irritation flaring like a match at the sound of that voice. There he was, the bane of the frustration of my existence, standing casually in the doorway, his blue eyes glinting with something that made my annoyance boil even harder. It was like a switch flipped inside me, completely ignoring the low purr emanating from my rebellious wolf at the sight of him.

Taking a deep breath, I opted for the silent treatment, burying myself further into the paperwork in front of me. These were reports for Ivan, who had conveniently vanished from the office mere minutes before Alex’s grand entrance.

“You know,” he started, but I cut him off before he could finish.

“What exactly is your deal, Alex? Seriously. Three weeks of this? Whatever game you’ve decided to play, I think you’ve had your fun.” My voice came out sharper than I intended, but the frustration was a tightly coiled spring inside me, ready to snap.

The irritatingly charming smile on his face only widened. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, really? Care to explain what you’re even doing here? Don’t you have a billion–dollar company to run, or maybe a war with escalate?”

my

father to

fuel his amusement, and a fresh wave of annoyance washed over me. Why did he have to be so good–looking? It made the whole

wrong with

I even engaging with

curdle milk, I slammed the papers back down on my desk and forced myself to focus on the

between us, thick with unspoken tension. Alex, seemingly unfazed by my obvious irritation, leaned nonchalantly against

drawled, his voice dripping with amusement, “what are you working on there, huh? Looks

where he could shove his fake curiosity battling with the very real need

on, Maya, don’t be like that. Can’t a guy just make friendly

throwing him a withering look. “The last time I checked, you weren’t exactly an employee

“Look, I know things have

over, you know? Like

even get here? Just a few months ago, he could barely look at me without growling. Now, he was acting like some friendly neighborhood consultant, offering workplace small talk. There were so many unanswered questions, so many hurt feelings that needed to be addressed. But the very

pushing the papers around on my desk in a futile

“Oh,

persisted, his voice taking on a playful

ર

Chapter 119

“What are you even doing here?” I demanded, my

before the familiar smirk returned. “That, Maya, is

venture. You’re here for a reason, and

low, rumbling sound that sent a shiver down my spine despite myself. “Now, Maya,

eyes. If he thought he could sweet–talk his way

filling the space around me. My wolf whined a low warning in the back of my mind, and I fought

haven’t been easy between us. But maybe we can at least try to be civil, for the

him, his blue eyes holding a mix of

regret? It was hard to tell. One thing

word tasting like ash in my mouth. “Civil. But that’s all. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to

across his face. “Good,” he said simply, before turning and sauntering out

office.

slumped back in my chair, letting out

What just happened?