The Alpha Behind The Mask-Chapter 27: The Meeting

Aurora’s POV

​I stood in the office restroom, staring at the woman in the mirror like she was a stranger. I had used three layers of concealer, but my eyes were still puffy, the edges raw from a night of crying. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt the sensation of his tongue on my skin, followed immediately by the cold, dark image of that tattoo.

​My parents’ killer had touched me. And I had moaned for him.

​I smoothed out my professional pencil skirt, my hands still shaking. I had to be the perfect assistant today. I couldn’t let Alpha Oliver notice something was wrong.

​I walked toward his office, my heart doing a slow, painful thud against my ribs. I pushed open the heavy mahogany doors, clutching a stack of morning reports.

​"Good morning, Alpha Oliver," I said, my voice forced and tight.

​He didn’t look up from his tablet. He was dressed in a charcoal gray suit, looking every bit the powerful, untouchable billionaire. But as I stepped closer to his desk, the scent hit me.

​Pine and expensive soap.

​My stomach did a violent flip. It was the exact same scent as the Masked Dom. I nearly dropped the files. I looked at his wrists, but his French cuffs were buttoned tight, hidden by his silver links.

​"You’re late, Aurora," he said, his voice a low rumble that sent a shiver of pure terror—and unwanted heat—down my spine.

​"I... I apologize. There was traffic," I lied, my voice barely a whisper.

​He finally looked up. His sea-blue eyes were cold, like a frozen ocean, but beneath the surface, there was a fire that made me want to bolt for the exit. He leaned back in his leather chair, his gaze scanning me from head to toe, lingering on my lips just a second too long.

​"Traffic," he repeated, his lip curling into a mocking smirk I had seen in the VIP room. "You look tired. Did you have a long night? Perhaps you were busy... tending to personal matters?"

​I clutched the reports to my chest. "It was just a restless night. I’m fine."

​"Are you?" He stood up, his massive frame towering over the desk. He walked around it with a predatory grace, stopping just inches from me. The air in the room suddenly felt as stifling as the club.

​He reached out, his fingers brushing against a stray lock of my red hair. I flinched, my breath hitching in my throat.

​"You’re shaking, Aurora. Your eyes are bloodshot. You look like you’ve been through a war."

​"I’m just tired," I whispered, swallowing hard. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

​The look he gave me told me he didn’t believe me, but he let it go and walked back to the desk. I watched him take back his seat, then he threw a stack of documents on the desk in front of me.

​"Go through this... we will be attending a meeting in an hour and you need to know all that’s in those files. Which includes the names and backgrounds of the investors," he continued, his eyes tracking the pulse jumping in my neck. "They will ask questions, and I expect you to have the answers ready. Don’t embarrass me."

​I swallowed hard. This was huge. Usually, I just took notes, but he was putting me on the front lines today. I could feel a cold, sharp edge to his voice. He seemed angry at me... It felt like he was punishing me, but for what? Or was he just in a bad mood?

​I took the files and retreated to my desk, my mind racing. I forced myself to focus on the text, memorizing the names, the stakes, and the portfolios.

​"Let’s go," Oliver’s voice boomed a few minutes later as he strode out of his office. I scrambled to grab my tablet and followed him.

​The tension in the elevator was suffocating. He stood at the front, his broad back to me, but I could see the slight stiffness in his right shoulder—the same shoulder where the Masked Dom had been shot. My stomach twisted. I kept repeating the names in my head to keep from screaming.

​We reached the luxury hotel where the lunch meeting was being held. Ten men were already seated around a massive mahogany table in a private suite. They looked like sharks in expensive suits.

​Oliver sat at the head of the table, radiating power. "Hope you’re ready," he murmured to me, his voice barely audible to anyone else.

​I swallowed hard and began distributing the files. The air was thick with the scent of steak and expensive cologne, but all I could smell was his pine-scented warmth.

​"Let’s begin," Oliver told the men, his tone dominant. He turned to me, his eyes locking onto mine with a challenge. "Aurora, give me the file for Jonas. The second one."

​I froze for a split second. Jonas. I remembered the name from the study session. Jonas was the lead investor for the tech merger. But as I reached into my bag to pull the document, my hand brushed against Oliver’s arm.

​The heat from his skin felt like a brand.

​Suddenly, the room seemed to blur. My mind flashed back to the club—the way those same strong hands had pinned my wrists, the way he had growled into my skin. I looked at his mouth as he spoke to the investors, and all I could think about was that exact mouth buried between my legs, licking me, sucking my pussy until I was blind with a pleasure I had never known.

​"Aurora?" Oliver’s voice snapped me back to reality.

​He was staring at me, his brow arched. He knew. He could see the flush creeping up my neck.

​I handed him the file, my fingers trembling. "Here, Alpha," I whispered.

​He took the file, but his fingers lingered against mine, a slow, deliberate caress that made my pussy clench in a traitorous throb.

​He flipped the file open without glancing at it, his eyes still anchored to my face.

​"Since my assistant is so well-prepared," Oliver said, his voice carrying that smooth, predatory silkiness that commanded the entire room’s attention, "I’ll let her introduce our guests. Aurora, why don’t you give the table a breakdown of whom we’re dealing with today? Start from the left."

​It was a trap. He was testing me in front of these sharks.

​I took a breath, forcing my heart to steady.

​"Of course, Alpha," I said, my voice coming out clearer than I expected. I looked at the first man on the left. "To your immediate left is Mr. Silas Thorne. CEO of Blackridge Logistics. He specializes in overseas transport and holds a forty-percent stake in the northern shipping lanes."

​I didn’t pause. I moved my gaze to the next man.

​"Beside him is Marcus Vane, Chief Financial Officer for Aether Tech. He’s known for aggressive acquisitions and recently liquidated three subsidiary firms to fund this merger."

​I kept going, naming them one by one. I recited their names, their companies, and their specific roles in this deal with surgical precision. I saw the investors’ expressions shift from skepticism to genuine surprise.

​Finally, I landed on the man at the far end of the table.

​"And lastly, Jonas Halloway," I said, my voice tightening slightly. "The lead venture capitalist for the Halloway Group. He’s the one who insisted on the ’security’ clause for this project."

​I finished and looked directly at Oliver. My chin was up, my eyes defying him. I’m not just a pretty face. I’m smart.

​Oliver leaned back, his eyes darkening with pride. He looked like a man who had just discovered his favorite toy was even more valuable than he thought.

​"Impressive," he murmured, the word vibrating in the small space between us. "It seems my assistant has an excellent memory for details."

​I smiled... I’ll take that as a compliment.

​The meeting continued and eventually it came to an end.

​Alpha Oliver stood, buttoning his suit jacket with effortless authority. Without looking back, he began walking away, and I followed like an obedient puppy..

Then my phone rang.

The sound echoed through the hallway.

I glanced at the screen.

My heart slammed violently against my ribs.

That number.

Whenever I saw it, it meant two things.

Bad news.

And worse news.

​