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,l didn't know what gAlex 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 snothing.

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 twe were in the sroom, 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 gyou've decided to play, I think you've had your fun." My voice cout 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 My words only seemed 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 situation even more infuriating.

What was wrong with me? Why was I even engaging with him in this nonsense? With a final glare that could probably curdle milk, I slammed the papers back down on my desk and forced myself to focus on the mind-numbing task at hand. Ignoring Alex was the plan, and I was sticking to it, no matter how much my traitorous wolf whined in protest.

The silence stretched between us, thick with unspoken tension. Alex, seemingly unfazed by my obvious irritation, leaned nonchalantly against the doorway, his arms casually crossed.

"So," he drawled, his voice dripping with amusement, "what are you working on there, huh? Looks important.

I gritted my teeth, the urge to tell him exactly where he could shove his fake curiosity battling with the very real need to keep my sanity intact. "It's none of your concern," I finally replied, my voice clipped and short.

He didn't even blink. "Con, Maya, don't be like that. Can't a guy just make friendly conversation with his colleague?" "Colleague?" I scoffed, throwing him a withering look. "The last tI checked, you weren't exactly an employee here,Alex." "Details, details," he waved a dismissive hand. "Look, I know things have been.. tense lately. But hey, maybe we can start grown-ups?" over, you know? Like There it was again, that infuriatingly charming smile. How did we even get here? Just a few months ago, he could barely look atwithout growling. Now, he was acting like sfriendly neighborhood consultant, offering workplace small talk. There were so many unanswered questions, so many hurt feelings that needed to be addressed. But the very idea of having a conversation with him, of opening that emotional Pandora's box, filledwith dread.

"We have nothing to start over, Alex," I said flatly, pushing the papers around on my desk in a futile attempt to appear busy.

"Oh, con," he persisted, his voice taking on a playful edge, "I'm just trying to be nice.

☐ Chapter 119 My head snapped up, my annoyance momentarily forgotten. "What are you even doing here?" I demanded, my voice sharper than I intended.

He raised an eyebrow, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his features before the familiar smirk returned. "That, Maya, is the million dollar question wouldn't you say? Or should I say billion? Besides I am here for work." My frustration bubbled over. "Don't play dumb with me, Alex. We both know this isn't srandom business venture. You're here for a reason, and whatever it is, it probably involves making my life a living hell." He chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that sent a shiver down my spine despite myself. "Now, Maya, that's just not fair. Maybe I just missed your lovely company." "Yeah, right," I muttered, rolling my eyes. If he thought he could sweet-talk his way back into my good graces, he was sorely mistaken.

He uncrossed his arms and took a step closer, his presence filling the space around me. My wolf whined a low warning in the back of my mind, and I fought the urge to shrink back in my chair.

"Look," he said, his voice softening slightly, "I know things haven't been easy between us. But maybe we can at least try to be civil, for the sake of work, if nothing else." I stared at him, his blue eyes holding a mix of amusement and something else trust him for a second. maybe regret? It was hard to tell. One thing was for sure, I didn't "Fine," I finally spat, the word tasting like ash in my mouth. "Civil. But that's all. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." He held my gaze for a moment longer, then a slow smile spread across his face. "Good," he said simply, before turning and sauntering out of the office.

The moment he was gone, I slumped back in my chair, letting out a shaky breath.

What just happened?

I threw myself back into the paperwork, trying to drown out the unwelcthoughts swirling in my head. But with every passing moment, my focus wavered. The door creaked open again, and I braced myself for Ivan, hoping he'd returned with sexplanation for his sudden disappearance. Instead, Alex walked in, and to my surprise, he wasn't empty-handed. He held a takeout bag, the aroma of food filling the air. My stomach grumbled in protest, remindingI'd skipped lunch entirely in the chaos of the day.

"Decided to be civil, so now you want to poison me?" I asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

A slow smile spread across his face. I waited for a witty retort, but he simply placed the bag on my desk. "Eat. You look like you haven't eaten all day." As if on cue, my stomach let out another loud growl, sending a blush creeping up my cheeks. Whatever gAlex was playing, it was clearly getting to me, and I didn't like it one bit.

With a sigh of defeat, I picked up the bag and peeked inside. It was my favorite Thai place. I stole a glance at him, but his face was unreadable, a contemplative frown etched between his brows.

My stomach growled again, effectively breaking the awkward silence. I took a bite, forcing myself orcing myself to ignore Alex who had settled into NO the Chair opposite me, unwrapping his own food. We ate in uncomfortable silence, the only sound the clinking of utensils and the occasional satisfied sigh escaping his lips. My phone buzzed on the desk, momentarily distracting me. A text message from Ivan. He informed me, in a short, impersonal message, that he had to travel unexpectedly for the next two weeks.

Seriously? What was going on? I dialed his number immediately, a knot of worry tightening in my stomach. But his line went straight to voicemail.

An irritated groan escaped my lips. This was ridiculous. I would get to the bottom of this whole mess as soon as I left the office.

I looked up at Alex, his gaze still distant. Then, a new wave of frustration washed over me. Ivan had been a buffer, a shield against whatever Alex had been trying to pull for the past three weeks. Now, with Ivan gone, I was left exposed. Two weeks alone with Alex, with my traitorous wolf practically vibrating in excitement every the was near. Two questions gnawed ☐.

me.

One: What the hell was going on with Ivan?