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CHAPTER 15
~Zara's POV~
I froze, my finger still hovered over the doorbell as the scene unfolded in front of me.
Ella stood passionately kissing a shirtless guy—who, by the way, was clearly younger than her. My eyes widened as they pulled away, both of them turning to look at me.
The young man, muscles and abs on full display, smirked and waved casually, completely unfazed. I blinked, quickly peeling my gaze off his toned body and fixing it on Ella, whose hoodie was half-lifted, exposing a red lace bra.
Yep! That's my bestie for you.
Ella grinned, her usual chaotic self, hair in a messy bun, and still in her oversized hoodie. But this time, there was something a little more... daring about her.
"Uh... Ella?" I managed to say, feeling like I had just walked into something I really wasn't supposed to see.
She didn't miss a beat, grinning even wider. "Zara! You made it!" she cheered like nothing about this situation was strange at all.
Before I could even process a response, she playfully slapped the guy's ass, laughing as he started to gather his things. "We'll finish this later, babe," she said, winking at him.
He nodded, throwing me another wink before heading out the door like this was all completely normal.
I stood there, utterly shocked as Ella turned to face me, narrowing her gaze as if she was waiting for me to say something.
After a moment of silence, she threw her hands up dramatically and groaned. "Don't give me that stare, Zara. I know what you're thinking, and I don't wanna hear it!"
I raised my hands defensively, stepping inside the apartment. "I didn't say anything! But seriously, Ella… I was not expecting that."
Ella grinned, shrugging as she closed the door behind me. "What can I say? Life's too short to be boring."
We moved to the living room and I handed her the wine I'd bought. "Here, I brought the wine."
"Wine and cookies? You must've had one hell of a day."
"You have no idea," I muttered, heading straight for the couch. "I figured you'd appreciate this. After whatever... that was."
Ella let out a laugh, taking the bottle from me and plopping down on the couch. "You know me so well," she expressed, eyeing the wine appreciatively. "Now, spill and tell me everything. Starting with... what's going on with your marriage and who the hell you ended up marrying."
I figured that by now, she'd have found out I didn't marry the call boy she got me. And that only bred questions.
I sighed, sitting beside her and taking a deep breath. "Well, funny story…" I began, but Ella's intense stare made me laugh nervously. "Okay, so… I got married to Alpha Snow."
The wine bottle slipped from Ella's hands, almost crashing onto the floor before she caught it at the last second. "Wait… what did you just say? Alpha Snow?"
I nodded, biting my lip, trying to gauge her reaction. "Yeah. Alpha Snow... CEO of Aurora Conglomerate Inc., Snow Zephyr."
Ella stared at me like I had just told her the moon was made of cheese.
Her jaw dropped and she blinked several times in disbelief. "Hold up. The Alpha Snow? The ridiculously powerful, insanely hot, richest guy in the whole damn country—that Snow Zephyr?"
I nodded again, feeling the weight of her words hit me all over again. "Yep. That one."
Ella's face twisted in shock, her hands flying to her head. "You married Alpha Snow Zephyr?! How is this not bigger news?! Zara, are you freaking serious right now?!"
She stood up, eyes wide like a kitten, waiting for my reply.
I sighed, letting the full weight of it sink in but deep down I too was in shock. "Trust me, I'm still processing it myself."
Ella threw her hands in the air, pacing back and forth in front of the couch. "I—what—how?! How did this even happen? And when were you going to tell me this? Oh my God, Zara, you're married to the most eligible Alpha in the world!"
I couldn't help but laugh at her reaction, though part of me knew this was exactly how I felt when I realized who Snow really was.
"It's complicated, Ella. I didn't even know who he was when we got married."
She stopped pacing and stared at me, wide-eyed. "Wait, you didn't know?! How the hell don't you know who Alpha Snow is? Everyone…" she paused, her fingers halting their movement on her chin to think.
"Wait a minute… you wouldn't know. You weren't with me at the Alpha Press. As one of the country's most elite journalists, I happened to be there and you... You fell sick but still wasted your time helping that scoundrel rather than attending."
I rolled my eyes at her. "Father was attending. I am just an Alpha's daughter," I corrected her.
Ella scoffed and shrugged. "You do not give yourself credit. Tsk. It is why that fleabag had the nerves to walk over you like he did."
At this point, all I did was shut up and let her scolding continue. It was not in hiding that she hated Ivan and he knew.
When it didn't seem like she'd stop, I stood up and silenced her myself, taking her to sit on the couch.
"Nope. I had no idea. I thought he was… someone else. It wasn't until later that I figured out I'd married the Alpha of Ivory Crescent Pack, CEO of Aurora Conglomerate."
Ella collapsed onto the couch beside me, shaking her head in disbelief. "Only you, Zara… only you could pull off something this insane."
I couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, well, life's been throwing me curveballs lately."
Ella shook her head, still in shock. Good. I had not yet prepared myself to tell her the truth about my rebirths.
I knew she'd freak out but for now, I was happy to see my best friend again.
"So… what's he like?"
"Hmm?"
Ella rolled her eyes and straightened her back. "What's your husband like? The big bad Alpha?"
I blushed, remembering our encounters, especially the most recent one where he had me cornered in his office. "He's... intense. And infuriating."
"Oh, do tell. Is he driving you crazy already?"