While He Played Love, I Played War Chapter 03
I looked up and saw that Cassie’s eyes were red.
“He said Alpha thinks he knows too much. Once this month’s paycheck is issued, he won’t need him as a driver anymore.”
I understood immediately.
Derek wasn’t stupid.
Logan had been with him for years and knew far too much. Now that Morgan was pregnant, Derek was clearing the field.
I slid an envelope across the table.
“There’s eighty thousand dollars in here. It’s not hush money. It’s to help you get through the transition.”
Cassie immediately shook her head.
“Luna, I didn’t come here for money.”
“I know.”
I met her gaze, “But neither of you should be taking this risk for free.”
She covered her face and started crying.
That evening, Derek came home unusually early.
He was carrying a jewelry box.
“This is for you.”
I opened it. Inside was a black pearl necklace.
The design was old-fashioned, and it wasn’t particularly expensive.
“What’s with the sudden gift?”
He sat down, his tone noticeably softer, “I’ve been busy lately. I’ve neglected you.”
I placed the necklace back into the box, “Is Morgan coming to your mother’s birthday dinner party?”
The warmth immediately faded from his face, “My mother likes having a lively gathering.”
“A pregnant woman attending your mother’s birthday party to celebrate with her?” I smiled faintly. “That certainly sounds lively.”
Derek stared at me. “What exactly do you want?”
I asked calmly, “Have you ended things with her?”
He didn’t answer, so I asked another question, “Is the baby she’s carrying yours?”
He slammed his glass onto the table, “Madison, can you stop being so aggressive?”
I looked at the water splashing across the tabletop, “Since when is asking for the truth considered aggressive?”
He stood up, “What happened between Morgan and me isn’t what you think.”
“She’s had a hard life. She came to our pack alone seeking protection. She’s pregnant and has nobody to take care of her.”
“I’m helping her because she trusts me.”
A laugh escaped me before I could stop it.
Derek’s face instantly turned cold, “At my mother’s birthday party, you’d better not cause a scene.”
“Several important pack allies will be there. If you embarrass me in front of them, neither of us is going to have a good time.”
“Okay.”
I agreed so quickly that he seemed surprised. Then I pushed the jewelry box back toward him.
“Keep the necklace for Morgan.”
“She needs comforting more than I do.”
Five days before the birthday party, I went to the bank.
Inside my safety deposit box was a file folder.
It contained every document from the early days when Derek and I built our business and helped establish the pack’s foundation.
The lease agreement for our first store.
Records of my transfers.
The startup loan my Alpha father had lent him.
And a handwritten promise Derek had personally signed.
Back then, he had knelt in front of my father and promised he would treat me well.
My father hadn’t made things difficult for him.
He’d only said one thing, “Madison can endure hardship with you, but you must never humiliate her.”
Derek had immediately written and signed the agreement.
Any major marital assets would require joint decisions.
If the mate bond ever broke due to his fault, he would voluntarily surrender management rights to both the company and the pack, allowing me to take over the liquidation and restructuring.
Back then, the company was tiny. He’d signed without hesitation.
Later, when the business grew successful, he found excuse after excuse to keep me away from management.
He wouldn’t let me participate in company affairs.
He wouldn’t let me involve myself in pack governance.
Slowly, he turned me into nothing more than a decorative Luna, a trophy wife.
“Your health isn’t good.”
“You’re not suited for business entertaining.”
“Someone has to manage the pack house.”
Back then, I believed every word.
Now, looking back, trust was a joke.
I photographed every document and saved copies.
Then I went to the pack hospital.
The fertility examination records from years ago were still there.
Derek had azoospermia. The pack doctor had recommended IVF treatment.
Derek tore up the report himself, saying he didn’t want his mother to worry.
After that, whenever Luna Sienna criticized me for being unable to have children, he never once defended me.
Not once.
When I received the copies of the records, my hands were perfectly steady.
Steadier than I expected.
Three days before the birthday party, Morgan sent me a message.
“Madison, I heard Luna Sienna’s birthday is coming up.”
“Would it be okay if I attended her dinner party?”
