Chapter 168- Victor Toussaint III

Victor Toussaint:

She must be joking!

"Arabella, you’re offering me someone’s half-finished plate. Why?" Irritation finally got the better of me. "Are you trying to disrespect me?"

She was staring at me quietly, then she looked at the bun between us. "Exactly, Victor."

I frowned, not understanding what she was trying to say.

"That’s what you used to do for me. You gave me whatever you could sneak away and then went back to your normal life." She pushed the plate a little closer to me. "Now you’re sitting here telling me you helped me like I should be grateful for the crumbs."

I had nothing to say to that because suddenly, I remembered. Back then, I had actually thought I was being a good brother.

Damn.

Arabella stood and picked up her notebook from the table. "I’m not that Arabella anymore, Victor."

"Ara—"

"Go home and think about what I asked." She tucked the notebook against her side. "If you help me find out what happened to my mother, I’ll do everything I can to find Anika’s real killer and clear your name."

She took a few steps before stopping and looking back at me.

"If you don’t want to help me, that’s fine too. But don’t come to me asking for something you were never willing to give." After that, she walked away. I stayed there with the half-eaten bun sitting in front of me.

For the first time, I wondered how many times I had given Arabella scraps and convinced myself they were enough.

***

I was almost out of the palace when one of the guards near the security office stopped me. "Sir, we’ll need the form you were given when you arrived."

"The form?" I stood there for a second before remembering the paper they had handed me at the entrance.

Damn it.

I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead. I had taken it with me to the garden but completely forgotten to fill it out. It was probably still on the table, or worse, Arabella had picked it up with her notebook.

"I forgot to fill it out," I admitted. "I think Arabella might have it."

The guard glanced toward the phone on his desk. "I can call and ask her to send it over."

"Yeah, please. Thanks."

He made a quick call and asked me to wait. I dropped into one of the chairs near the wall. I wanted to get the hell out of this palace.

I sat there, tapping my foot impatiently as I waited.

Being surrounded by royal guards again was bringing back memories I didn’t need right now. Thankfully, Arabella didn’t take long. "You forgot this."

I looked up as she walked into the office, waving the form in her hand. "Yeah. Sorry." I got to my feet and took it from her. "Thanks." She was about to say something when someone followed her inside.

Bradley.

"Arabella, everything alright?" He asked my sister.

She glanced over her shoulder. "Yeah, I’m fine. Victor just forgot his form."

"Alright." Bradley gave her a small nod before his attention shifted to me. "Just wanted to make sure."

Then he looked at me only for a second, and that was enough. I knew that fucking look.

Three years later, and I still wanted to punch him every time I saw his face. I still couldn’t stand the sight of him.

Once he left, I turned to Arabella, unable to hold back any longer. "Why does that bastard keep following you around?"

Her brows pulled together. "Excuse me? Who?"

"Bradley. I’ve heard he’s always around you. He accompanied you when you visited our pack, didn’t he? And now he’s following you everywhere in the palace too."

Arabella stared at me as if I had lost my mind. "He’s the royal Beta, Victor. It’s literally his job to be around the royal family. They asked him to stay with me all the time."

Of course she would defend the asshole.

I glanced toward the door Bradley had disappeared through. "I don’t care what his job is. I hate that man."

Confusion was now evident on her face. "Why? What did Bradley ever do to you?"

I looked toward the doorway as if he was still there. "That fuckface was Anika’s fated mate."

Arabella seemed to freeze. For once, she had nothing smart to say. "Wh... what did you say?"

"You heard me, Arabella."

"No." She stepped closer. "What the hell are you talking about? Bradley was Anika’s mate?"

"Fated mate," I corrected. Even saying it left a bad taste in my mouth. "The Goddess paired them."

She stood there for a moment, clearly caught off guard. This was clearly news to her.

"But you just told me you and Anika were together."

"Come on, Arabella. I told you we were chosen mates. Anika didn’t want him." My fingers curled around the stupid form I was still holding. "She even rejected him, but the asshole never accepted the rejection."

From the way her face changed, I could tell no one had ever mentioned Bradley and Anika to her before, which surprised me considering how close she seemed to be with him now.

The door opened behind Arabella, and I looked past her to see Bradley walking back into the security office. One look at his face and I knew the bastard had heard every word.

Oh, fuck.

I barely had time to prepare myself before Bradley lunged.

His fist slammed into my face hard enough to send me stumbling back into the edge of the desk. Pain shot through my cheek, and Arabella screamed somewhere beside us.

"No! Bradley, stop!"

But he had picked the wrong man if he expected me to stand there and take it. Before Arabella could get between us, I swung back and drove my fist straight into Bradley’s nose.

Bradley staggered back, blood already running from his nose, but the look he gave me said we were nowhere near done.

"You stay the fuck away from Anika’s name," he growled, coming at me again.