Chapter 416-Make Her Apologize To Me

Verity:

I had been going through files since morning because this trip was important.

It was supposed to last a few days, though the exact length had not been decided yet.

I could tell it was the same trip Jaguar had wanted to take me on.

And I had a feeling that, this time, the two brothers might end up arguing over who would go with me.

That was probably why Ragnar had stepped in himself.

Whatever happened, I just needed to focus on my work because, in the end, I had to be the one going on that trip.

My presentation needed to be so good that Ragnar would think taking anyone else instead of me was impossible.

But why did I even want to go with him?

I honestly didn’t know.

There was already so much going on in my head that I eventually shut the file and leaned back in frustration.

"Why?" I asked no one in particular, staring up at the ceiling. "Seriously, why?"

Why couldn’t my mate have been someone simple? Or was the entire world somehow supposed to be my mate?

"What exactly are you trying to do to me?" I complained to the Moon Goddess. "There are two men I hate, two men I wanted revenge on, and somehow you’ve put me in this confusing situation where my heart starts racing whenever I’m near them."

I exhaled sharply.

"And on the other side, there’s this Fox King who might actually be a serial killer. What exactly do you want from me?"

I was so absorbed in staring at the ceiling and complaining to the Moon Goddess that when someone suddenly knocked on the door, I jumped so badly I nearly gave myself a heart attack.

I got up from the couch and made my way toward the door.

The moment I opened it, I was in for a surprise.

Theodore rushed inside and locked the door behind him.

He looked like a mess.

He was wearing a white shirt with several buttons undone, paired with black pants. I hated how good he looked.

And the stress written all over his face?

That was almost worth watching.

But then why the fuck was my first instinct to look him over and make sure he wasn’t hurt? To make sure he was fine?

I hated that the thought had even crossed my mind.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, forcing a calm smile as I tried to ignore the strange reaction inside me.

"It’s been days," Theodore muttered, his body trembling badly. "It’s been days. How are you able to live without me?"

I looked away from him, but Theodore approached with even more urgency, reaching for my hand.

"I’ve been feeling these pains all over my body, Verity. Every time my phone beeps, I check it because I think it’s you calling me. But another part of me is terrified because what if you’re calling to tell me you’re rejecting me?"

He paced back and forth in front of me.

"I’m going crazy, Verity. I don’t know what you’ve done to me."

His entire body was trembling.

He kept running his fingers through his hair before clutching fistfuls of it in frustration, and somehow, seeing him like that made me worry about him.

But then I reminded myself who this man was.

I wasn’t supposed to feel sorry for him.

He had never cared about me.

"It’s not just the mate bond, Verity. It’s the feelings we’ve developed for each other. Don’t they bother you?"

He came straight toward me, forcing me backward until my back hit the wall.

Theodore planted both hands against the wall beside me, striking his palms against it in frustration.

"Don’t you feel the same way about me? Don’t you miss me?"

His voice shook.

This wasn’t the Alpha King everyone knew. Not the man who delivered punishments without hesitation.

Not the Alpha King who had so visibly enjoyed my brother’s suffering.

Now, he was the one falling apart.

And somehow, it reminded me of my brother.

He had once desperately wanted to get this close to Gigi and ask her why.

Why had she done all of that to him?

Why had she betrayed him, cheated on him, left him, and lied about so many things that she had destroyed his reputation?

And what about their baby?

Finally, I looked Theodore in the eyes, placed both hands against his chest, and shoved him away.

Shock flashed across his face.

"You think I don’t care about you?" I yelled. "I miss you too, Theodore. I have feelings for you. I want to be near you, but..."

I stopped.

The moment he heard my confession, the tension in his expression eased.

He started moving toward me again, clearly taking my words as permission to come closer, but I stopped him before he could.

And he listened.

"But after what your brother said to me, after the way he humiliated me, and after Gigi called me a slut, do you seriously think I can throw away my dignity and self-respect again?"

I pressed both hands against my chest.

"I can’t forget the way Oliver stripped me naked when I asked him for money for my brother’s operation."

Theodore’s gaze immediately dropped.

He remembered too.

He remembered how everyone had abandoned me while my brother was being crucified.

"No. Look at me, Theodore. Look at me!" I screamed.

He finally met my gaze.

All I could see in his eyes was guilt.

"And then his sister had the nerve to call me a slut."

I gestured dismissively, as though Gigi were nothing more than garbage to me.

That was how I needed to think of her, even if only for the sake of my own sanity.

"Is it because of what Gigi said?"

He came toward me again, wrapping both arms around me and lowering his face until our foreheads touched.

"Then I’ll make her apologize to you. Would that be enough?"

As he spoke, he cupped my cheek with one hand and gently brushed his thumb over my skin.

I took a slow breath and looked up at him, staring blankly into his eyes.

He tilted his head and leaned closer, his lips barely brushing mine.

A strange shiver ran down my spine.

My hands immediately closed around his wrists, but not because I wanted to push him away.

"I’ll give you the respect you deserve, Verity," he murmured.

Then he slowly pressed his lips against mine.