How To Lose Your Billionaire Alpha Husband In 365 Days (Or Less)!-Chapter 94: No Aiden Tonight???

~Jasmine’s POV~

Elena found me within minutes... she always did. Tonight, she wore a black silk dress, and her hair was styled in a perfect bun that must have taken a lot of time to do. She looked me over as if she were assessing my worth.

"Jasmine Frost... she mused. "No Aiden tonight?"

I kept my tone level. "He had more important things to handle."

Her brows lifted slightly. "Important? Hmmm... that’s unlike him."

"As I said, more important matters to handle."

"Pity," she said, taking a measured sip of her wine. "He used to enjoy events like this. Before..." Her words dangled like bait on a hook, and her smirk was faint but deliberate.

I didn’t bite. "Before I learned how tedious they can be?"

The smirk faltered for half a second before returning.

"I suppose that’s one way to look at it." She gave me a parting glance, then drifted toward a cluster of men in navy suits.

I didn’t have time to process the exchange before Alpha Marcus Kane, towering over most of the crowd, his tux tailored to emphasise the fact that he was built like a man who solved disputes with his hands.

"Council dinners aren’t usually your scene, Jasmine Frost," he said, a smile in his voice that didn’t reach his eyes. His gaze flicked to my side. "Where’s your Alpha?"

"Handling business," I said in a cool tone.

He chuckled. "Some say the business is handling him."

"Some say a lot of things," I replied. "Usually because they don’t have enough of their own worth repeating."

His smile widened. "You always had a sharp tongue."

"And you’ve always had selective hearing," I countered. "Must be exhausting."

He gave a short laugh, the kind that wasn’t entirely friendly, then raised his glass in a toast before melting into the crowd.

I moved on before he could see my jaw tighten. Networking here wasn’t just small talk; it was reconnaissance.

Three department heads from rival companies stood near the champagne fountain, chatting about market forecasts and casually boasting. I joined them quietly, giving them a chance to notice me with nods before I jumped in to steer the conversation.

One was already nervous; his company’s numbers had been dipping, and I could smell the unease on him like sweat.

Another tried to downplay a recent acquisition, which only told me how much it mattered. The third kept glancing at the door, probably waiting for someone higher up to save him from talking to me.

I filed every detail away.

The diplomat found me after that, a man with silver hair, a lined face, and the perpetual look of someone weighing the political value of every breath he took.

"Jasmine Frost," he said, taking my hand. "I hear you’ve been... busy."

"Busy keeps me alive," I said. "And in this crowd, that’s saying something."

He chuckled faintly. "You’ve inherited your father’s way with words."

"I’ve inherited more than that," I said. "Including a memory."

His smile thinned slightly.

"Ah. I assume this is the part where you remind me of that little... assistance your father gave me."

"Assistance?" I let the word hang in the air like a challenge.

"Never mind, it’s nothing to worry about." He said and walked away.

I smiled, not the polite one, but the real one, the one that said I’d just claimed another piece on the board. I made a mental note to look him up and find out what assistance my father provided.

I could hear whispers around me about Aiden and myself, floating through the air like smoke. I smiled as I walked, aware that each step I took was part of a game I planned to win.

Somewhere in the crowd, I caught sight of Daniel. He wasn’t alone, standing with a tall brunette in crimson silk, drink in hand. His gaze met mine briefly, unreadable, before he turned away.

Good. Let him stew.

I wasn’t here for him. Tonight was about more than petty family rivalries. Tonight, the wolves were watching, and I intended to prove I could run with them.

—

The car purred quietly as I pulled out from the marble hall’s driveway. My head still buzzed faintly from the noise of the evening, though the champagne had worn off hours ago.

Halfway through the drive, my phone rang through the car speakers. Sofia’s name lit up the screen.

I answered, already hearing the grin in her voice.

"So? How did it go?"

"It went well," I said, letting out a small sigh. "Way better than I anticipated."

"Whoah... that’s nice," she said, drawing out the word like she was actually impressed.

"I’m so exhausted. When we see each other, you’ll get the full story."

"I trust you will," she replied, and I could picture the little knowing smirk on her face.

The call was about to end when I suddenly remembered. "Oh... and guess what?"

"Ummm..." She went quiet for a beat. "I have no idea," she admitted, chuckling.

"Daniel showed up."

"The hell? You serious right now?" Her voice jumped an octave.

"Totally serious, Sof." I nodded even though she couldn’t see me.

"Did he...?" she trailed off, the implication hanging there.

"Not at all... He couldn’t even maintain eye contact."

Sofia burst out laughing. "Perhaps he was too shy to."

I laughed too, shaking my head.

"You should have seen the look on his face."

"Oh, I can definitely imagine."

Her laughter lingered in the car even after we ended the call. It felt good to laugh again after an evening of measured smiles and polite verbal fencing.

By the time I reached the manor, the driveway lights had dimmed, and the building loomed in near silence. The housekeeper must have gone to bed; every window was dark except for one faint glow from the upstairs hallway.

I kicked off my heels the moment I stepped inside, the cool marble floor biting pleasantly at my sore feet.

The dress felt heavier now that the night was over, clinging like it didn’t want to let go. I peeled it off and let it pool onto the bedroom chair before slipping into a hot bath.

The steam curled around me.

My muscles unwound, but my mind didn’t. Flashes of the evening kept replaying: Elena’s smirk, Marcus’s jab, the diplomat’s sharp gaze.

When I finally stepped out, wrapped in a towel, I padded quietly down the hall toward Aiden’s room. His door was slightly ajar.

Inside, he was sprawled across the bed, one arm draped over his eyes. His breathing was slow, deep, steady. The suppressant Alara had given him must have knocked him out completely; even in sleep, he looked... muted somehow.

I stood there for a moment, leaning against the doorframe, my fingers tightening on the edge of the towel.

Affection and frustration tangled in my chest in a knot I couldn’t quite pull apart. He looked peaceful, but he also looked far away, as though there was a wall between us that I couldn’t see but could feel pressing in.

In a week, I’d be turning twenty-seven.

I wondered if he’d even remember.

I lingered at his door longer than I should have, towel still clutched tight against my chest. The room was dim, the faint golden glow from the hall spilling across Aiden’s face.

He looked softer like this, less Alpha, less untouchable CEO, more... human.

Lyra stirred in my mind, her voice a low murmur. "You’re staring."

I rolled my eyes but didn’t move. "I’m thinking." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Thinking about how much you want to crawl into that bed?" she teased, a purr curling around her words.

"No," I muttered, though the heat in my cheeks said otherwise. "I’m thinking about the fact that he’s a walking complication, and I don’t need more of those."

"Mmhmm. And yet here you are, standing at his door half naked, watching him breathe."

I scowled. "You’re insufferable."

"I’m honest. You like him, Jasmine. You hate admitting it, but your body already gave you away earlier. That man so much as looks at you through a screen, and you melt."

Her words hit too close. I tightened the towel around me and leaned my forehead briefly against the doorframe.

"I can’t afford to melt, Lyra," I whispered. "Not with him. Not when I don’t even know if... I don’t know. Do you think he’s even going to remember my birthday in two weeks?"

Lyra’s tone softened, surprising me. "He remembers more than you think. The problem isn’t him forgetting... it’s you not trusting."

My throat tightened. She wasn’t wrong, but I didn’t want to admit that either.

I glanced at Aiden again. His chest rose and fell steadily, lips parted, the lines of tension around his brow finally smoothed out. Whatever Alara had given him was strong; he wouldn’t be waking soon.

For a split second, I almost walked in. Almost.

But instead, I turned away.

The hallway was quiet, the silence pressing against my skin as I padded back to my own room. I pulled on a cotton slip dress, collapsed onto the bed, and let the exhaustion of the evening finally sink into me.

As sleep pulled me under, Lyra whispered one last thing. "You can keep lying to yourself all you want. But when the bond snaps tight, you won’t be able to run."