The Fake Luna: Marked By The Alpha King

Chapter 241: Chapter 241 The terms of the grandfather’s foundation

It was a message from Damian: [How’s your day going, sweetheart?]

I stared at the words for a long moment, my thumb hovering over the keyboard

Part of me wanted to just ask him directly. To send back: *Who is Vanessa, really? What did she mean to you? Why were you saying her name in your sleep?*

But I couldn’t quite bring myself to type those words.

Because what if the answer was something I didn’t want to hear?

What if asking the question opened a door I wouldn’t be able to close again?

So instead, I typed back: [Busy but good. How are you feeling? Any pain?]

His response came almost immediately: [I’m fine. Stop worrying about me and focus on your work.]

Then, after a brief pause: [I miss you.]

Despite everything swirling through my head, I felt my chest tighten with affection.

[Miss you too,]I sent back. [I’ll be home for dinner. Don’t overdo it today, okay?]

[I promise I’m behaving. Rick is here making sure I don’t do anything stupid.]

That made me smile slightly. At least Damian’s Beta was keeping an eye on him.

I set my phone down and tried once more to focus on the work in front of me.

But Vanessa’s face kept drifting through my thoughts like smoke I couldn’t quite dispel.

*Stop it,* I commanded myself fiercely. *You’re spiraling. This is exactly what Vanessa wanted—to plant seeds of doubt that would grow into something destructive.*

I forced myself to pull up the next set of reports that needed my attention, determined to actually read them this time instead of just staring blankly at the screen.

But even as I worked my way through financial projections and market analysis, a small voice in the back of my mind kept whispering:

*He said her name. In his sleep, when all his defenses were down and he had no reason to hide anything... he said her name.*

And I didn’t know what that meant.

I didn’t know if I wanted to find out.

---

Ethan’s POV

I’d been drinking since the moment Aria walked away from me.

The bar had long since closed, but I stayed, ordering bottle after bottle until the bartender stopped asking if I wanted another. The whiskey burned going down, but it was nothing compared to the hollow ache in my chest.

Everything was gone. The company. My reputation. And her.

Especially her.

By the time dawn broke over the city skyline, I’d finally run out of ways to numb myself. I stumbled out into the cold morning air, my wolf whimpering pathetically in the back of my mind—a sound I’d been trying to drown out all night.