Estelle’s POV

I looked between her and Sarah, completely bewildered. “I was told no one had made an offer yet.”

“Because I needed time to get the money!” The redhead’s voice rose another octave. “I put in a verbal commitment yesterday!”

Sarah looked mortified. “Miss Hart, I explained that without a deposit, we couldn’t hold the property—”

“Miss Hart?” I interrupted. Something about that name was familiar.

The woman lifted her chin proudly. “Vivian Hart. Daughter of Alpha Matthew Hart of the Scarletfang Pack.”

That certainly explained why this lady was so full of herself. The Scarletfang Pack was one of the most influential territories in this region. Wealthy, powerful, and not known for backing down from conflicts.

“Well, Miss Hart,” I said carefully, “I’ve already paid in full and signed the contract. It’s mine now.”

“Like hell it is!” Vivian whirled toward Sarah. “You’d better fix this. Give me that villa, or my father will have something to say about your business practices.”

Sarah’s face went pale. “I’m sorry, but the transaction is already complete. All the paperwork has been processed—”

“Then unprocess it!”

The office door chimed again. An older woman in an expensive business suit walked in, took one look at the chaos, and immediately approached our group.

“What seems to be the problem here?” she asked in a crisp, authoritative voice.

“I’m the property manager,” she continued, extending her hand to Vivian. “Rebecca Stone.”

Vivian ignored the handshake and launched into her complaints. Rebecca listened with growing concern, her eyes occasionally flicking to me with obvious disdain.

I could practically see her making judgments. My simple jeans and sweater probably screamed ‘small pack’ to someone used to dealing with wealthy clients like the Harts.

“I see,” Rebecca said when Vivian finished. “This is quite the mix-up.”

She turned to examine the contract, then looked me up and down with barely concealed contempt.

“Unfortunately, there seem to be some irregularities with your paperwork,” she announced.

“What irregularities?” I demanded.

Rebecca picked up the contract, squinting at the ink stain where Vivian had knocked the pen from my hand.

“This signature is smudged. And I’m not entirely sure all the financial verification has been properly processed.”

My jaw dropped. “The bank transfer was confirmed. Your employee verified everything—”

“Sarah is new,” Rebecca cut me off smoothly. “She may have missed some crucial steps in the approval process.”

I looked at Sarah, who was staring at her manager with obvious confusion. It was clear she’d followed all normal procedures.

Rebecca didn’t even bother to conceal the smugness in her expression. She simply shrugged.

“I’m afraid we’ll have to void this transaction,” Rebecca declared with fake regret.

My hands clenched into fists. The injustice of it all made my blood boil. Rebecca was clearly playing favorites, and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it.

Vivian smirked triumphantly. “See? I told you that car was mine.”

“This is ridiculous,” I said, my voice tight with anger. “I followed all your procedures. I paid in full.”

Rebecca’s expression remained coldly professional. “Miss, I understand your frustration, but business is business. We simply cannot complete a transaction with incomplete paperwork.”

“The paperwork was fine until she—” I pointed at Vivian, “knocked the pen out of my hand.”

“Accidents happen,” Rebecca said dismissively. “Sarah, please prepare the refund paperwork for this young lady.”

Sarah looked between us helplessly. “But manager, everything was properly processed—”

“Sarah.” Rebecca’s voice carried a sharp warning. “Do as you’re told.”

I felt completely powerless. This was exactly the kind of politics I hated. Money and connections trump everything else.

“Well, well. What do we have here?”

A familiar voice made me turn around. Oliver stood in the doorway, his kind eyes taking in the tense scene. Behind him was a tall man with graying hair and sharp features.

Oliver’s face lit up when he saw me. “Estelle! What a pleasant surprise.”

Relief flooded through me. At least one person here was on my side.

“Oliver,” I said gratefully. “Perfect timing.”

He walked over and gave me a warm smile. Then he gestured to his companion. “I’d like you to meet someone very important. This is Beta Killian Jackson.”

The man stepped forward and extended his hand. “It’s an honor to finally meet you, Estelle.”

Something in his voice made the entire room go silent. Even Vivian stopped gloating long enough to stare.

“Beta Killian was your father’s closest friend and advisor,” Oliver explained. “He’s currently overseeing the Blackmoon Pack’s affairs.”

I watched Rebecca’s face go white. Sarah’s mouth dropped open. But it was Vivian’s reaction that surprised me most.

Her smug expression vanished completely. She looked genuinely shocked.

“Father? The Blackmoon Pack?” Vivian whispered. “But that’s impossible. Alpha James Harper died without any biological heirs.”

“Actually,” Killian said smoothly, “Alpha James had a daughter. She went missing fifteen years ago, but we recently discovered she’s been living in the Moonveil Pack this entire time.”

His eyes found mine with unmistakable warmth. “Estelle is the rightful heir to the Blackmoon Pack.”

The silence in the room was deafening. I could practically hear everyone’s thoughts racing.

The Blackmoon Pack was legendary. They commanded respect from every other pack on the continent.

Rebecca cleared her throat nervously. “I... I had no idea. Miss Harper, please accept my deepest apologies for any confusion.”

“Confusion?” Killian’s voice turned dangerous. “What kind of confusion?”