Chapter 2

Caroline POV

At seven in the evening, Isaac came to pick me up right on time.

He wore a black suit with a white shirt underneath. On the collar was a red lipstick mark.

The lipstick color was exactly the same as the one I'd found in the car.

If this were before, I would have angrily confronted him.

But now, I pretended not to see it and didn't ask a single question.

As soon as I got in the car, he leaned over and planted a kiss on my forehead.

"Good evening, darling. You don't look well."

He held my hand, his brow furrowed slightly, his eyes full of concern. "What happened?"

If I hadn't heard that recording.

I would definitely think I was the happiest woman in the world right now.

I withdrew my hand, pretending to smooth my dress: "Maybe just a bit tired."

Isaac didn't suspect anything. He smiled and started the car: "Then let's go. I'll take you somewhere to relax tonight."

The location was the observation deck bar at the highest point in the city.

You could overlook the entire city's night view.

The waiter arranged a quiet corner for us.

When the appetizers were served, I spoke as if casually: "Isaac."

"Hmm?" He naturally pushed a specially made non-alcoholic cocktail in front of me, the movement smooth and practiced.

"I ran into Bethany today."

I stared into his eyes, not missing a single flicker of expression on his face. "She asked me if I was nervous. She said you prepared a gift for me at the ceremony venue."

Isaac's hand reaching for his glass paused.

Just for a second, too fast to catch.

Then he looked up, his smile flawless: "I wanted to surprise you. Didn't expect you'd find out early."

"By the way..." I gripped the cold glass, my fingertips pressing hard. "Floyd came back to the country recently. Will you..."

"Caroline."

Isaac put down his glass and placed his hand over mine.

His palm was warm, but his tone carried an indisputable firmness.

"Why bring him up? I've told you, I love you. He abandoned you—that's his fault, not yours."

He looked at me, his gaze so affectionate it could drown someone: "I would never do something like that."

"Okay, let's drop it."

I lowered my head and took a sip of the sweet and sour liquid in my glass.

It was clearly a carefully crafted flavor, but sliding down my throat, it left only bitterness.

"Oh, right."

Isaac seemed to remember something. He took out an exquisite velvet box and pushed it in front of me.

"Almost forgot. This is a gift for you."

I opened it.

It was a string of lustrous white pearls, each one gleaming with warm light, worth a fortune.

"Do you like it?" He looked at me expectantly.

I looked at that serene pearl luster and suddenly remembered an Instagram story Bethany posted last month.

In the photo, she was holding an antique jewelry catalog, her fingertip pointing at an illustration of a pearl necklace.

The caption read: [I love this kind of classic, understated luster. Too bad Isaac says pearls are too dignified and don't suit my style.]

I suddenly felt it was ironic.

He doted on Bethany so much, yet said she wasn't suited for such dignified jewelry.

Instead, he gave this necklace to me?

"I love it."

I closed the lid and curved my lips at him. "It must have been expensive?"

"Spending money on you is worth any price."

Isaac ruffled my hair, his eyes full of affection.

I excused myself to the restroom to touch up my makeup.

Standing at the sink, I looked at the woman with perfect makeup in the mirror and pulled a smile uglier than crying.

Since you want to play the devoted lover.

Then I'll help you along.

I took out my phone and called my father's beta, Harlan.

He picked up quickly.

"Ms. Caroline, have you reconsidered the Alpha's proposal?"

I looked at myself in the mirror, my voice terrifyingly calm:

"I won't become alpha. I've said this before—my brother is more suited for that role. But I need you to do something for me."

Over the years, I'd rarely leveraged my alpha father's power.

After all, my brother was deeply insecure about his position as heir.

He always felt that I, his sister who'd been more battle-hungry than him since childhood, would take his place.

Too bad I never had such intentions.

But to avoid unnecessary conflicts, I tried not to do things that could be misunderstood.

Another factor was that neither Floyd's Frostveil Pack nor Isaac's Ironridge Pack were ones we could afford to provoke.

Even if I asked for help, my father wouldn't be able to rescue me.

Only now, I wasn't asking them to rescue me.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Tell my family they don't need to come for my marking ceremony. Also, book me a plane ticket for the day of the ceremony. I'll go back and explain to them in person."

If I bought the ticket myself, it would be discovered quickly.

So I had to ask Harlan for this favor.

After hanging up, I reapplied my lipstick, looking at that crimson color. My heart hardened bit by bit.

Isaac.

I'll remember this last date well.

When I returned to my seat, Isaac was replying to a message.

Seeing me, he quickly turned off his screen and stood up with a smile: "Let's go home."

I took his arm, feeling his muscles stiffen for a moment.

"Okay, home."