Alpha's Private Plaything (Elsa and Drake Stone) novel Chapter 299

Chapter 299

Elsa

I sighed, resigning myself to at least a few more hours of captivity in this antiseptic-scented purgatory. As the nurse adjusted my IV, tugging at the tape securing the needle to my skin, I thought about the years I’d spent as Drake’s assistant, how I’d never allowed myself to be sick.

Taking a day off meant leaving him without support, and I’d prided myself on being indispensable, the perfect fucking omega assistant. Now, I realized how pathetic that devotion had been, how completely I’d erased myself for a man who saw me as nothing more than a convenient body.

The nurse had just left when there was a knock at the door. For one ridiculous, humiliating moment, my heart leapt, thinking it might be Drake returning. Instead, Bruce’s broad shoulders filled the doorframe, his expression somewhere between concern and triuraph, like a cat who’d found an injured bird.

“Well, well,” he said, strolling in with an oversized bag that smelled like bacon and coffee. “You look like absolute shit, sunshine.”

I groaned, pulling the blanket higher as if it could shield me from his scrutiny. “How the fuck did you know I was here?” My voice came out raspier than intended, undermining the force of my question.

Bruce set the bag on the bedside table, his smile too casual to be genuine, eyes calculating beneath the veneer of concern. “I have my sources.”

2

“You mean you have people following me?” I pushed myself straighter, ignoring the way the room spun slightly, nausea rising in my throat. “That’s crossing a line, Bruce.”

He waved dismissively, unpacking what appeared to be a complete breakfast from an upscale café-eggs, bacon, fresh fruit, pastries, and coffee that smelled

better than anything the hospital would serve, the aroma making my empty stomach clench painfully.

“You need to eat, he said, avoiding my accusation with practiced ease. “The nurse said you’re malnourished. You look like you’ve lost ten pounds since I last

saw you.”

“You talked to my nurse?” I asked incredulously, fingers clutching the thin hospital blanket. “What the hell gives you the right?”

Bruce shrugged, arranging the food on the rolling tray with methodical precision. “I wanted to make sure I brought appropriate food. Now eat before it gets

cold.

I stared at him, torn between hunger and indignation, my stomach growling traitorously. “Bruce, I appreciate the breakfast, but we need to get something straight. There will never be anything between us beyond friendship. And friends done stalk each other or have each other followed like some creepy

obsession.”

His expression hardened slightly, though his smile remained fixed, a plastic mask that didn’t reach his eyes. You re exhausted and sick. We can discuss boundaries when you’re feeling better.”

“No,” 1 insisted, my voice stronger than I felt, hands balling into fists. We’re discussing them now. I dont know what fucking game you’re playing, but won’t be a part of it. You have no right to monitor my movements or show up uninvited at my hospital room.

Bruce studied me for a long mouent, his eyes calculating, assessing my determination like I was a business prospect. Finally, he sighed, a slight twitch and jow betraying his inuitaties Fine I may have been overzealous. But my concern is genuine. Ele

Your convern would be more welcome if it came with respect for my privacy, I countered, reaching Belux wat hy the flee

Bruce took the chair beside my bed, waiting me sip the site with an mwasity that made my skin staat, I set the cup down with a sharp click against the tray, reuing his gaze directly.

?

end

9:11 am P P

Chapter 299

Lmean it, Bruee. If you want any kind of relationship with me-even just professional courtesy-you need to back the fuck off.”

For a moment, I thought he might argue, his jaw tightening and fingers flexing as if he wanted to grab something-or someone. Then he nodded, a flicker of

something like respect crossing his ice. “Message received. Now eat your breakfast before it gets cold.”

I stared at Bruce in disbelief as he casually explained how he’d discovered I was hospitalized.

“Is my friend who got injured yesterday,” he said with a shrug “Just happened to be in the emergency room when I saw you being wheeled in.”

‘And you just decided to stick around?” I asked, my voice dripping with skepticism. A dull throb pulsed behind my eyes, making me want to bury my face in the pillow and tell the whole damn world to fuck off.

Bruce’s smile widened as he leaned forward in the visitor’s chair. “Actually, I’ve been showing your picture to some of my friends. Told them you’re the

woman I’m pursuing.”

“You’re what?” I rasped, my throat still sore from yesterday’s fever. A wave of indignation burned through my chest, making my already feverish skin feel even hotter. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

He pulled out his phone and turned it toward me. My stomach dropped when I saw my own face staring back from his lock screen-a candid shot taken at some corporate function where I’d been unaware of his attention. I felt violated, like someone had crawled under my skin.

“See?” His tone was smug. I’ve already made you my screensaver.”

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