Chapter 78: Do You Even Have a Heart?
(Killian’s POV)
It was Gina Frost. Seeing that my phone had no signal, I suddenly realized something. I looked at the indifferent Theodore Redgrave and said slowly, “I’m signing a contract with Alpha Theodore. It’ll be over soon. Do you need something?”
Gina replied in one breath, “Professor, all of Leo Redgrave’s classmates are going to his birthday party, and he has specially invited Elara. Elara asked me to ask you if she can go? She really wants to go; she’s already bought a gift.”
After I simply replied “Okay” and hung up, a delayed sense of dread washed over me. I hadn’t expected Theodore’s mind to be so deep, setting up a seamless, interlocking trap to test me. I almost fell for it.
However, I knew that Gina wouldn’t contact me right now, so it must be Olivia trying to probe something. The thought that
Olivia was still concerned about my safety made a warm feeling surge through my chest.
Theodore’s amber eyes studied me carefully. “Interesting timing for that call, Professor.”
I kept my expression neutral. “Children’s birthday parties wait for no one, Alpha.”
The tracker Silas shifted nervously in the corner, clearly sensing the tension between us. Theodore gestured toward the
contract on his desk.
“Shall we proceed with the signing?”
(Theodore’s POV)
Once the contract was signed, I firmly shook Killian’s hand, offering a hollow apology for Elara being pushed into the pool
and for my own irrational behavior at the Aegis Institute when Olivia went missing.
Killian met my grip, professionally thanking me for my selfless support of scientific research.
But I tightened my grip into a threat. “However, if I find Professor Vance making any untoward advances toward my mate again, I can build up the Aegis Institute, and I can also tear it all down with my own hands. I hope Professor Vance won’t
cross the line.”
Remembering the heartbroken look on Olivia’s face the previous night, Killian retorted with equal sharpness, “If you loved her so deeply, how could I ever find an opportunity? I’m afraid it’s Alpha Theodore who doesn’t treat his mate well enough,
hence the worry.”
My eyes narrowed angrily. I released my grip and said coldly, “Rest assured, you’ll never get the chance. But I still advise you, Professor, don’t get too cocky, or sooner or later I’ll have you thrown out.”
Killian didn’t respond, smiling as he bid farewell to me.
The door closed behind him with a soft click. I turned to Tracker Silas, who was still trembling slightly.
“Continue your investigation,” I ordered. “I want to know everything about Professor Vance’s connection to my mate.”
(Olivia’s POV)
At a print shop near the Crestwood Campus, I looked away from an old computer screen, my eyes filled with apology as I faced a man with a limp.
“I’m sorry,” I said, “I didn’t know this would happen. I only heard that your family moved away.”
The man shuddered with a fear that lingered even after many years. He had merely sent me a single love letter, and for
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Chapter 78: Do You Even Have a Heart?
that, Theodore had systematically bankrupted his parents‘ pack businesses.
+ Paints
Their once–prosperous family was ruined, forcing him to drop out of school. He touched an old injury on his leg, begging me not to tell Theodore he had returned to Stonehaven City.
“That Alpha’s jealousy is too strong; he can’t tolerate a single grain of sand in his eye,” he lamented.
The horrifying truth crashed down on me. I recalled Evelyn once mentioning a suitor who had moved away out of embarrassment, and Theodore’s casual, possessive remark: “He knows his place.”
I never imagined the consequences were so devastatingly cruel. The realization that the Alpha I had shared a mate bond with for six years was capable of such utter destruction churned my stomach, and I couldn’t stop myself from vomiting.
The man handed me a tissue, his hands shaking. “Luna, please… I have a family now. I can’t afford to anger him again.”
I wiped my mouth, my heart breaking for what Theodore had done to this innocent man. “I won’t tell him. I promise.”
It was this discovery that prompted me to take immediate action. Realizing that Theodore was trapping Killian, I called
Gina and, with Gina’s help, hacked into the systems of nearby vehicles, creating a local network that allowed Killian and
Gina’s encrypted phones to communicate with each other.
I felt a wave of relief, grateful that I had followed my mother’s advice years ago and hadn’t told Theodore about being
recruited by Matthew.
Back when Theodore had donated a building to enable my entry into Crestwood University at seventeen, I had proven my worth by winning a long–distance cross–country endurance competition. It was then that Matthew Kane from the Shadow
Group recruited me and erased my public records of winning.
I had wanted to tell Theodore, but my mother, still traumatized by Silvanus Thorne’s betrayal, warned me: “The more
important something is, the more it should be kept secret. Even between partners, there should be private space.”
Now I understood why she had been so insistent. Theodore’s possessiveness knew no bounds.
Now, I stood before the twin towers on campus. The one on the left was donated for me nine years ago; the one on the
right, identical in structure, was donated for Clara Thorne four years ago.
The sight of them standing side–by–side made me feel sick. I stormed into the Dean’s office, demanding to retract the
donation for the second building.
Dean Prescott was aghast. “Luna Olivia, you can’t be serious! Am I supposed to tear the building down for you? We’d be a laughingstock!”
I stood firm, stating it was our joint mated property and I had the right to take it back.
The Dean, aware of the swirling rumors, argued that Clara was a talented gymnast and, moreover, my sister. He warned that retracting the donation would lead to Clara’s expulsion.
“She’s not my sister,” I said coldly. “She’s my father’s mistress’s daughter.”
Just as he spoke, Theodore pushed open the door. My gaze turned icy.
“I want you to expel her!” I declared,
Theodore moved to embrace me, trying to soothe me through our mate bond. “My love, don’t be upset.”
The Dean pleaded with him to reason with me. Theodore began to explain, “My love, the second building was…”
I shoved him away, a bitter, cold laugh escaping my lips as I finished his sentence for him. “You donated it for Caleb
Thorne?”
I looked into his perpetually gentle eyes, my own filled with a chilling light. “Her mother destroyed my mother’s mating, her
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father kidn*pped me, she corrupted my pup, and you donated a building for her admission? Theodore Redgrave, do you
even have a heart?”
