Alpha's Private Plaything (Elsa and Drake Stone) novel Chapter 303

Chapter 303

Elsa

I silenced the medication alarm on my phone, exhaling deeply as the cool night air hit my flushed face. My hands were still trembling with barely contained rage.

The restaurant’s entrance was elegantly lit, but I moved away from the golden light, needing darkness and solitude to recenter my fucking scattered thoughts.

“Goddamn it,” I muttered under my breath, pacing in small circles and digging my nails into my palms. My heart was still racing from Bruce’s public declaration. The nerve of that arrogant bastard, putting me on the spot like that in front of all my new colleagues.

I leaned against the stone wall of the restaurant’s garden, letting the cold seep through my thin blouse, welcoming the chill against my overheated skin.

I need to make it absolutely clear to Bruce that I’m not interested, I thought, rubbing my temples vigorously. There was no way he actually liked me-men like him just enjoyed the chase, the conquest. Once they had you, they moved on to the next challenge.

“Shit, shit, shit,” I whispered, kicking at a small decorative stone with the toe of my heel. I decided to give myself thirty minutes

outside before returning to the private room. By then, maybe my colleagues would have moved on to other topics besides my love

life.

God, I hated being the center of attention like this.

The garden was quiet, with only the distant sound of traffic and the occasional burst of laughter from inside the restaurant. I wandered deeper into the landscaped area, following a winding stone path illuminated by soft ground lights, my arms wrapped tightly around my middle as if holding myself together.

Suddenly, a strong hand grabbed my wrist, yanking me backward with enough force that I stumbled on my heels.

“Bruce, what the hell are you doing?” I tried to wrench my arm free, twisting my body violently away. “Let go of me, you asshole!”

view

he restaurant windows. My back hit the The grip tightened painfully, and I was pulled behind a tall stone wall, hidden from rough surface with a thud that knocked the breath from my lungs, and I found myself staring not into Bruce’s face, but Drake’s.

“Fuck,” I gasped, my pulse skyrocketing. My breath caught in my throat as my body went rigid with shock. His eyes were bright with intensity, almost glowing in the darkness like a predator’s. The sight of him this close made my stomach clench with a familiar

mixture of desire and dread.

“Bruce, is it?” Drake’s voice was dangerously soft. “You don’t even call me Stone anymore? You moved on quickly, Hale.”

I glanced nervously toward the restaurant, my eyes darting frantically as I scanned for witnesses. I was terrified someone from my dinner party might see us, but realized we were positioned in a blind spot-visible to no one. Drake had chosen the location

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Chapter 303

perfectly, as he always did, the calculating bastard.

Why didn’t you reject him to his face?” Drake demanded, his face inches from mine. I could smell his expensive cologne, that familiar scent making my traitorous body respond even as my mind screamed in protest. “Instead you ran out here like a coward

tried to pull away, my chest heaving with indignation, but in the struggle, my hand caught on his shirt. A button popped off, the silver disc hitting the stone path with a delicate ping.

Drake looked down at his now-gaping shirt, a cruel smile playing on his lips. “Eager, aren’t we, Elsa? Can’t wait to get my clothes off? This suit was custom-made.”

The irony wasn’t lost on me-I had ordered that shirt from his preferred designer months ago. It felt both familiar and alien to see

it on him now, to be the one tearing it apart. My cheeks burned with a mixture of embarrassment and fury.

I didn’t reject Bruce because men like him-men like you don’t handle rejection well,” I spat, finding my voice as I jabbed a finger

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