"She said… she said your fiancé isn't half as capable as Alain. Elaine, isn't Alain supposed to be your fiancé? What is going on? Oooh…" Claire broke into hiccuping sobs.
What kind of twisted logic was that?Elaine slammed her hand onto the piano keys; her face was pure fury. Alain watched the little wolf bristle like that and couldn't help smiling, did she not feel the pain in her hand? "Logic? Don't make me laugh," he murmured, though in truth he was slightly confused himself, not knowing the full story.
"People have been gossiping since the start of the year! A lover that arrogant, Alain must be a shameless, philandering jerk, hmph!" Elaine unleashed every insult she could summon.
"Hey now, little rascal, that's enough…" Alain tried to intervene, though his tone didn't quite sound reproachful.
"Talking behind someone's back like this, does that make you look any better?" he said evenly.
"Hmph! If I ever meet him, I'll tear his skin off! Drink his blood! He knows who his fiancée is yet refuses to show up and even stays with that papaya girl, disgusting!" Elaine snarled, practically breathing fire.
Alain's expression shifted. He cleared his throat lightly, needing several seconds before asking, "Did I hear that right? You just said… 'his mistress'?"How exactly had this become his problem?And how did he end up dragged into this conversation?
Elaine ignored him entirely, still boiling.She turned to Claire. "Don't worry. I'll make that papaya girl choke on her own arrogance. Go to the study hall before the professor scolds you."
"Elaine, don't you dare go outside!" Claire pleaded, still worried, then reluctantly left.
Silence fell.
Elaine sat there fuming, her violet eyes narrowing at Alain as if plotting a hundred wicked ideas. Alain stiffened, this little rascal was definitely up to something.
"Wait..." he said quickly, trying to mediate. "Those rumors aren't true. Alain isn't what you think."
Elaine blinked, suspicious. "You know him?"
"I..." he hesitated.
"You must know him, right? Otherwise why defend him?" Her eyes flashed with a warning glint.
"I'm Nicolas."The words slipped out before Alain could stop himself.The name dropped like a stone into deep water.
He swallowed hard, she was too sharp. If she discovered he was actually Alain Lancaster, things would explode instantly. He couldn't let that happen. So he snatched the nearest shield, his friend's name.
"I really do know Alain," he said. "I'm his friend. Nicolas."
Elaine froze, eyes widening."What did you say?"
Her tiny hands flew to his face, cupping his cheeks as if he were a divine revelation."You're Nicolas? The CEO Nicolas?!"
Her touch, soft and sudden made him falter. He hadn't expected her to believe it so quickly.
She promptly climbed into his lap messy, bold, improper and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him."You're not lying, right?! You're really Nicolas? Say it! Say it!"
Flustered, Alain quickly held her wrists, rubbing his brow."I'm not lying. I'm Nicolas."
For a brief moment, he questioned himself was borrowing his friend's name this cowardly? But he had no better choice. Nicolas would probably scold him later, but too late now.
Elaine trembled with excitement."Perfect! Perfect!"Her dimples appeared, bright as dawn; her arms flailed in wild delight.
Watching her, Alain felt equal parts fear and amusement.What unholy plan was she about to unleash? Her eyes gleamed with a wicked spark that, even as an Alpha made him uneasy. He could face political wars and corporate battles, yet this one little rascal had him cornered.
Then, like a sudden beam of sunlight, she announced:
"You… will do it with me!"
Alain shot to his feet, stunned."Wha...?"
Elaine fell flat onto the floor with a thud."Ow! Hey! You're too tall, give a warning before you move!"
She faked a dramatic grimace just to tease him.
"Little rascal! How dare you!" he burst out, his thoughts tangled like a chaotic knot.She called him Nicolas, believed him instantly, and then behaved like a mischievous wolf pup claiming a new toy.
"I'm Nicolas. Alain's friend," he reiterated, sounding weary from the lie.
Elaine huffed. "If you weren't his best friend, I wouldn't dare treat you like this!" She brightened again, leaning forward slyly. "So? Will you teach me?"
Alain folded his arms, elegant yet faintly intrigued."So you're planning to use me… to provoke Alain?"
Elaine nodded proudly. "Not just that. I want that pig-headed Lancaster to know he's not the only outstanding man in the world! If his friend can do better, he'll choke on humiliation!"
Alain was torn between laughter and bewilderment.She wanted to use him, him of all people to torment… him?
The absurdity almost made him dizzy.
A bizarre bond formed in that moment, half rivalry, half alliance, the kind of connection that could turn an entire Pack upside down.
Alain sighed internally. He recalled his guards' reports: the little rascal sneaking around Westbridge Haven, causing trouble, teasing rivals… It matched her perfectly.
He rubbed his temple. What am I doing, letting this tiny menace push me around?
He turned toward the door.
"Hey, you haven't promised me yet! You can't leave!" Elaine blocked his path, spreading her arms.
"Little rascal, you don't have to go this far." His voice was calm, but something warm flickered beneath it.Using coquettish threats wouldn't work on Alain Lancaster or so he thought.
He rested a hand on the doorknob, then glanced back at her tense posture.A faint sigh escaped him.
"Let me give you some advice," he said. "Don't overdo it. Not everyone you meet will be as… harmless. Picking fights with the wrong person can get you hurt."
It was a warning. A sincere one.
But Elaine refused to budge. She darted in front of him again, blocking the door with her whole body, small but fierce.
"No! I said you can't go!"
"You...!"Alain stared, stunned. No one had ever confronted him like this.Yet the stubborn fire in her eyes made him… smile.
"I want you to do it for me!" Elaine tilted her chin, issuing a challenge.
"You're… asking me?"He was genuinely baffled.Did she even know what she was asking?But seeing her small, earnest face, he suspected she had no idea about the deeper implications.
Elaine frowned, then brightened suddenly:"Yes! Why not? And another thing..."
Her voice softened into wounded sweetness:
"Are you really going to let Judy bully me? You're Alain's best friend. Don't you have any sense of responsibility? How can you leave me like this?"
She rushed toward him, hid her face against the piano, and began crying.Except it was the fakest cry imaginable, half stifled laughter, half sniffles.
Yet something about it punched straight through Alain's chest.
"Don't cry."His voice dropped, velvet-soft.No arrogance. No distance. Just a strange, unfamiliar tenderness.
She kept her face turned away, shoulders trembling just enough to twist his heart another notch.
He stepped closer and laid a large hand on her shoulder.The touch was gentle reassuring something no Alpha offered lightly.
"Alright… alright," he murmured."Little rascal, stop crying. I'll agree."