Chapter 66: Theodore Heard That She Was Leaving
Chapter 66: Theodore Heard That She Was Leaving
Manager Corbin immediately pulled up the surveillance footage from the lounge entrance. The screen flickered to life, showing Theodore storming out in a rage.
Then Clara emerged from the room, adjusting her disheveled appearance. But between Theodore’s exit and Clara’s emergence, absolutely no one else left the room.
“This is impossible!” Clara stared at the monitor in disbelief. “I swear I saw them leave the pantry and rush out of the lounge before me.”
She grabbed Theodore’s sleeve desperately. “Brother–in–law, you have to believe me, I really-”
Her familiar address immediately drew disapproving glances from the nearby guests. The whispers started again, noting how inappropriately she addressed the Alpha.
Suddenly, a pack servant from the Thorne family gripped Clara’s arm firmly. “The Matriarch requests the young Luna to touch up her appearance. The betrothal ceremony is about to begin.”
Clara tried to protest, but she was dragged away before she could finish her sentence. Theodore watched her go with growing suspicion.
He turned back to Manager Corbin. “Send this video back to the pack headquarters. Have the tech department check if there’s anything wrong with it.”
Manager Corbin nodded immediately. “Of course, Alpha.”
Just then, Evangeline Thorne approached Theodore. The elderly matriarch’s expression was stern and unforgiving.
“Theodore,” she said coldly, “from now on, I hope you will not interfere in the affairs of Caleb and Clara.”
Her tone was final and brooking no argument. “This farce should end here.”
Theodore, knowing he was in the wrong, gave a slight nod of assent. The old woman’s authority was not something he could challenge publicly.
In the backstage lounge, Clara was forced to her knees by the pack servants. The cold marble floor bit into her skin through her dress.
Evangeline Thorne pressed the silver head of her cane onto the back of Clara’s hand. She slowly applied pressure, watching Clara’s face contort with pain.
“You cheap b***h,” she hissed. “Did you think I wouldn’t know what you’ve done?”
The silver burned against Clara’s skin. “You piece of trash, how dare you be picky? Mating into our family is a blessing you couldn’t earn in several lifetimes, yet you still dare to make eyes at Theodore!”
The old woman’s voice was ice–cold. “If I find out you’ve done this again, I will beat you again.”
She pressed down hard, and Clara let out a sharp cry of pain. The silver left an angry red mark on her pale skin.
Rosalie, standing nearby, rushed to the old woman’s feet. “Grandma, please don’t hit Mommy! Hit me instead!”
The childish plea seemed to soften the matriarch’s grim expression. A flicker of appreciation appeared in her withered
eyes.
“A loyal pup, I see,” she remarked. “Get up. I won’t hit you. A pup shouldn’t pay for an adult’s mistakes.”
A servant helped Rosalie to her feet. The matriarch fixed her gaze on the little she–wolf.
“From now on, as long as you behave, you will always be the young lady of the Thorne family. But if you are disobedient, I will cast you out immediately.”
Rosalie flinched in fear. She remembered her mother’s instruction that she had to stay in the Thorne family and accept Caleb as her father.
She nodded obediently, her small hands trembling.
Satisfied, Evangeline Thorne gestured for the servants to pull Clara to her feet. Clara dared not show any resentment, but her heart churned with boundless hatred.
“Now, change your clothes and clean yourself up before you come out,” the old woman commanded. She left with her entourage, her cane tapping against the floor.
Once they were gone, Clara opened the door to the pantry. She searched frantically, looking for any evidence of Olivia’s presence.
But she found nothing out of the ordinary. The small space looked exactly as it had before.
Rosalie, trying to help, peered around the cramped area. “Mommy, this is so pretty!” she exclaimed suddenly.
She picked up something shiny from a corner. It was a silver bracelet with an intricate design.
The intertwined, diamond–studded ‘O‘ and ‘T‘ stung Clara’s eyes. But a triumphant smile spread across her face.
Here was the proof she needed. Now, she would see how Olivia could possibly explain this away.
After the betrothal ceremony concluded, Theodore dismissed the pack warriors who had been present at the hotel. He rushed immediately to the Crimson Infirmary.
Meanwhile, in the back of Killian’s vehicle, Olivia closed a laptop. She handed it back to Cain Nightwood with a satisfied expression.
The moment Olivia discovered that Clara already knew they were in the storage room, she had sprung into action. Just as they left the hotel, she had seamlessly edited the surveillance footage of the lounge entrance.
She used the advanced techniques that Gina had taught her during their time together in Europe.
Cain looked at her with admiration in his eyes. “Luna Olivia, you’re amazing. Can I become your student?”
Olivia chuckled softly. “Take on students? I’m still a student myself.”
Killian, who had been deep in thought, finally spoke up. “Olivia, Gina says you’re very talented and that you might surpass her soon.”
Noticing Killian’s heavy mood, possibly due to Elara falling into the water, Olivia nodded in agreement. “Alright, I’ll keep trying. Once I learn it, I’ll teach Cain.”
Leo crossed his arms and snorted. “You’re all so strange. My mom is just a pretty she–wolf who doesn’t know anything.” His voice was dismissive and cruel. “Everyone says she’s just a pretty decoration. When she goes to parties, she just sits there quietly. Even I can do that!”
Elara immediately defended her. “Auntie is amazing!” she declared fiercely.
“Beautiful Auntie, Elara wants to be your student too.”
Leo retorted sharply. “Absolutely not! She’s my mom, she can’t be your teacher. Besides, she doesn’t know anything and
can’t be a teacher.”
+8 Point
The two wolf pups began to argue. Their voices grew louder and more heated.
The argument gradually escalated into a playful fight. They rolled around in the backseat, throwing small punches at each
other.
Caught in the middle, Olivia took a few stray punches. She finally understood the helplessness and frustration of dealing with several wolf pups at once.
The three adults looked at each other and couldn’t help but burst into laughter. The tension in the vehicle finally broke.
In the Crimson Infirmary emergency room, both Leo and Elara underwent full check–ups. The healers wanted to ensure there were no lingering effects from their fall into the water.
While Cain watched over them, Olivia and Killian went to the atrium. The space was quiet and private, perfect for a serious conversation.
“Killian, I’m so sorry about what happened to Elara,” she began. “Please, for my sake, can you forgive Leo just this once?”
Killian shook his head gently. “Leo is only five. With patience, he can be taught. I’m not blaming him.”
Olivia looked at him, confused by his troubled expression. “Then why are you so troubled?”
Killian sighed heavily. “Elara is a pitiful pup. Both her parents are dead.”
His voice was filled with pain. “I thought that by treating her as my own daughter, giving her everything I could, I could make up for the parental love she lost. I never imagined she was still so sad inside.”
Olivia’s eyes widened in shock. “Elara isn’t your biological pup?”
She remembered him saying the pup’s mother was a war correspondent who had sacrificed her life. But what about her father?
In that instant, a cascade of disconnected facts clicked into place in her mind. She suddenly realized that Killian’s affection for her might actually be real.
Killian met her stunned gaze, then quickly looked away. “It’s nothing. He was someone you don’t know.”
But the flicker of recognition in his eyes before he spoke told Olivia otherwise. He had changed his words precisely because he knew she did know the person.
The man was likely someone from the Shadow Syndicate, someone whose story was shrouded in secrets.
A wave of empathy washed over her. “Killian,” she said softly, “I can adopt Elara. I can be her adoptive mother.”
Theodore arrived at the infirmary just in time to see Olivia and Killian sitting on a bench in the atrium. They were talking and laughing together like old friends.
Then he heard her offer to become Elara’s mother. The image of them as a family–Killian the father, Olivia the mother- ignited a searing fire in his heart.
“But,” he heard her add with a touch of helplessness, “I have to leave in a few days. I won’t be able to stay with Elara for long.”
Her voice was gentle but firm. “It’s better not to give her hope only to have it taken away. She would probably be even
more heartbroken.”
Theodore’s brow furrowed deeply. What was their relationship? Why did she call him by his first name so familiarly? And where was she going in a few days?
He strode towards them, his steps swift and determined. His hand reached into his coat pocket.
Reaching them, he pulled out a faded, yellowed photograph and held it out. “My love,” he said, his voice dripping with insinuation, “look what I found. An old photo of you and Professor Vance, with a few lines written on the back.”
