Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever-Chapter 38 - I have a job for her

Voren wanted more than anything to cut Ravyn off completely. If Seraphine were the only factor, he would’ve done it already, no hesitation, no looking back, just a clean break, sharp and final, the way he handled most problems.

But Ravyn wasn’t just some business associate, he was his best friend, and standing there across from him now, Voren could see it clearly.

Ravyn looked like hell. His eyes were rimmed red, shadows hollowing out his face, his shoulders slumped in a way Voren had never seen before. He hadn’t slept, that much was obvious.

His suit hung on him like it belonged to someone else, and the tight set of his jaw said he was holding together by nothing but sheer willpower.

Whatever hit Voren was taking right now, would not be worse than Ravyn’s. The realization sat heavy in Voren’s chest, he swallowed the sharp words he’d been ready to throw.

Instead, he straightened abruptly, chair scraping softly against the floor. "I’ll visit the Stone Group first."

Ravyn lifted his head immediately. "I’ll come with you."

Voren shook his head. "You have many things to tackle too." There was too much waiting back at the office, too many fires to put out, and they both knew it. So once again, they went their separate ways.

The underground parking garage echoed with the sound of footsteps and engines starting. Ravyn turned left, Voren turned right.

Same destination in life, different roads. Less than an hour later, Voren stepped into Stone Group headquarters. The air changed the moment he entered, the receptionist froze.

She actually cowered at the sight of him because the news about Voren going against them was everywhere. Things were just picking up and he somehow appeared once again. To her, it was not a good sign, but Voren didn’t raise his voice.

"I’m here to see Mr. Stone," he said calmly, his tone was ice. The girl swallowed, fingers trembling as she reached for the intercom. "I—I’ll inform him."

Her voice shook when she passed the information. "Sir... Mr. Ashkael is here to see you."

On the other end of the line, Desmond blinked in confusion. Voren Ashkael didn’t show up unannounced unless it was either very good news, or very bad news.

Given the chaos unfolding in the markets, Desmond couldn’t tell which one he was about to receive. "Tell him to give me a moment," he said cautiously, before he hung up and immediately dialed Corvine.

The call connected and he spoke before Corvine could utter a word. "Corvine," Desmond said without preamble, "my secretary just told me Voren is here. I hope this has nothing to do with you."

On Corvine’s end of the line, there was silence. Then he slowly turned toward Seraphine. Her fingers were flying over the keyboard, code scrolling across the screen in neat, ruthless lines.

But her smile? That smile was dangerous, calm, satisfied, and deadly. Corvine didn’t even look away from Seraphine as she answered her father. "Tell him you have nothing to do with it." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Desmond closed his eyes, knowing that voice. She was a Luna who carried authority and even in the city, she still spoke as if she handled the position

Confusion wrapped around his thoughts as he ended the call and immediately dialed another number. Seraphine did not look like she was prepared to give him any details, but he knew exactly who would.

Humphrey. The first call rang out, he tried again. This time it was picked up on the first ring. "Desmond, it’s been ages." Humphrey sounded amused, but Desmond didn’t bother with pleasantries.

"Alpha Humphrey, I’m sorry for being direct, but time isn’t on my side. Do you know much about Seraphine?"

There was a pause, then Humphrey said cautiously, "What’s going on?" Desmond explained everything. The sudden surge in stocks, the shifting shares, and Voren standing right outside his office door.

He expected shock, maybe concern, but instead, Humphrey burst out laughing. "Well," Humphrey finally said between breaths, "she did warn him."

Desmond frowned. "I was worried about her at first," Humphrey continued, "but turns out even I don’t fully know how many skills that girl has. Medicine is just the tip of the iceberg."

For some reason, the Alpha’s laughter eased something tight inside Desmond’s chest.

"And if she’s on your side," Humphrey added, voice steady now, "you don’t need to worry. She’s the reason our pack finances stabilized too."

Desmond nodded slowly, gratitude forming in his chest. "Thank you, I’ll update you once this plays out."

Humphrey laughed again. "I’ll be waiting, but honestly? I’m just happy to see Voren down for once, even if it’s temporary. Who would’ve thought his fall would come courtesy of his best friend’s ex-wife?"

Desmond almost mentioned Corvine then, almost asked Humphrey to put in a word, but the intercom chimed before he could. "Alright," Desmond said. "Bye for now."

He turned to the intercom, and before he could speak, Voren’s voice cut through the line, cold and sharp. "Are you too busy to see me, or are you hiding something from me?" He had taken the phone straight from the secretary’s hand.

Desmond inhaled deeply, then he smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. "Mr. Ashkael, I was on the phone. Please come in. I didn’t realize it was urgent."

The intercom clattered softly as it was dropped, and a second later, Desmond’s office door swung open.

Voren stepped inside, tall, impeccably dressed, and controlled. If anyone didn’t know better, they’d think his empire wasn’t currently bleeding from a thousand invisible cuts.

He looked untouched by chaos, almost unbreakable. "Mr. Stone," Voren said calmly, "can we talk?"

Desmond gestured lightly. "You’re already in my office, so what brings you here?"

He didn’t bother standing, as age gave him that privilege. Voren crossed the room with long, urgent strides and took the seat opposite him.

No small talk, no warm-up. Rather, he leaned forward slightly, eyes sharp. "Who is your broker?"

Desmond blinked, confusion spurning his mind, as Voren continued, voice low and unhurried. "I have a job for her."