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"What game?"
"Having Tina hanging around you at the office the whole day." Robert shakes his head. "You've got a fated mate who thinks you can do better than her, and you're flaunting another woman around her. I mean, if this is not a recipe for disaster, I don't know what is."
"I'm not doing anything. Tina is helping me with some things," I protest.
"Does Cynthia know that?" Robert raises a brow. "She's a sweet girl, you know. But you're crushing whatever self-esteem she has left under your foot. That's a cruel thing to do to her."
"I can't tell her the truth." I feel frustrated. "You know I can't."
"Well, you need to tell her something," Robert counters, "before she decides she doesn't have to put up with all this and packs her bags."
"She wouldn't leave."
"Wouldn't she?" Robert arches a brow. "She appears weak, but a woman who can give up her fated mate so that he can be with someone 'more worthy' is a hell of a lot stronger than anyone gives her credit for."
He sits down across from me. "Is that what you're counting on? That she's got no one and nothing so she'll never leave you?"
My jaw hardens, and Robert shakes his head at me, looking disappointed. "Her circumstances make her appear weak, but she's not. You're severely underestimating her. She's a survivor. We both know what she's been put through at the hands of your family, and she's still standing strong. Don't make the mistake of thinking she'll stick around if she thinks you and Tina are a thing. She was getting job offers right, left, and center at the Gala. And considering she's a single unmated female who's made a name for herself in the business world, many families were looking to integrate her into their families. She has options now, my friend."
My lips press into a thin line. "Cynthia was propositioned? By whom?"
Robert leans back in his chair. "I saw at least seven businessmen throw their sons at her feet. Not literally, of course, but they were practically offering them up to her on a platter."
"She never said a word to me," I growl under my breath.
"Was she supposed to?" Robert scoffs. "She kept saying how good of a couple you and Tina make. I tried to dissuade her from that notion, but you've done a good job of making her think you just led her on for funsies."
"Funsies?" I scowl at him. "She was the one jumping through hoops to book dates for us and get her those stupid gifts. I never asked her to."
"You never denied it, either." Robert's words are scathing. "You can't have your cake and eat it too, Adam. You're on the verge of losing your own fated mate. What're you going to do if she packs up her bags and just leaves because she's had enough of your entire family, including you?"
I open my mouth and then snap it shut.
Cynthia's behavior has been troubling me too.
I just want my freedom.
Her words have been eating at me. I wish I had had the time to press her further on that request because it's been haunting me for the past week. The truth is that I am guilty of not clearing up her misunderstanding. I could have created an opportunity to do so, but I thought that perhaps seeing me with another woman would make her jealous and she would give up on maintaining this distance between us. I never thought she would actually think Tina was a better woman for me. It never occurred to me that Cynthia would have so much willpower that she would be able to push away her own desires. Or perhaps my family really had broken her to the point that she doesn't think she deserves happiness.
When she told me about my father's plans to derail my path as the Alpha heir, I thought she had finally chosen me. But that's not the case here. After the incident at the Gala, she showed up for work for a few days, but she's been on sick leave for the past three days now. I did try to visit her apartment this past Monday, but she wasn't there. Tina has been showing up theentire week following the Gala, and Cynthia had catered to her every demand. Perhaps she had enough.
That's the sick fear eating at me, that Robert is right and I finally drove Cynthia away. For two days, I've not been able to contact her. This morning when I stopped by, I could hear something inside, but she ignored me when I knocked.
Does she want freedom from me once I become Alpha? Does she want to leave me?
She's not bound to work for me. But more than her switching jobs is the fear that she might decide to get on a bus and just disappear. I have to make sure she doesn't do that.
I get to my feet.
"Now where are you going?" Robert glances at me.
"To go see Cynthia."
"Sit down," my friend grouses. "What're you going to do? Barge into her home and get her to talk to you? Be smart, Adam. Matters of the female heart are more delicate than you realize, you buffoon. You've already done enough damage. Now because of you, she doesn't like me either."
"Why do you care if she likes you?" I shoot him a look.
"She's funny and sweet." Robert raises his brows. "If you're going to torpedo this relationship, I would like to be able to pick up the pieces."
