Once at one of the parties, Alex could not stand it and lectured the young fifteen-year-old girl on how she should behave. But the girl ignored his warning, deliberately seducing her best friend. He quarreled with his friend and stopped all communication with Amelia.
"You blame me for the fact that your father deprived you of support. But have you ever thought about what it's like for him to wake up in the morning and see articles in a tabloid newspaper about your new scandalous affair? Maybe he just decided to get even with you this way?"
The girl looked at the man in bewilderment.
"The reporters just came up with another sensation!" Amelia blurted out. "It's not my fault! He was just trying to hit on me!"
Alex snorted and almost laughed:
"Well, of course! Everyone knows that you, Amelia, are a night clubber who is ready to do anything to be the center of attention not only of werewolves but of people. You are only interested in men and their wallets. Don't forget that!"
The girl only smirked at such a sarcastic remark.
"Who's mooing, Alex! You've messed around with so many women that even a werewolf can't afford, let alone people!"
The man gave his interlocutor a commanding smile, knowing that this would anger her even more.
"Remember one truth, baby. No man would want to marry a loose woman. You'll live alone until you meet your match."
Amelia frowned and narrowed her eyes, asking: "So, you're giving up me and the inheritance?"
Alex shrugged indifferently and smiled: "It's just money, my dear. If I wanted, I could earn it in a couple of years."
"But that's a fortune!" the girl exclaimed, widening her eyes.
"So what? I'm already rich," he answered, as if nothing had happened.
No matter how hard the girl tried to hide her true emotions, this time she failed. Indignation slid into every phrase she said: "It's not just you, it's me too! I need that money!"
Alex, as if nothing had happened, moved slightly away from the table, giving himself more space and stretched out in his chair.
"Then find a job."
Those who are not born rich have to work. You might even enjoy doing something other than going to parties. You've never tried to earn a little money yourself, have you?
"But I don't want to work!" the young she-wolf raged. "I want my money!" she declared.
Amelia pursed her lips, turned away from him and began to pace around the office, fortunately the carpet muffled her steps. Alex watched her, still sitting in the chair. He understood her state perfectly.
The girl was in a panic. Living on credit, the debt of which her father paid month after month, she did not have a penny in her pocket. In addition, she had not worked a day. What's more, she did not even finish school. She was expelled from all of them, including the parish school.
Amelia paced around the spacious office for a while and then turned to the man again.
"Alex, please," she whispered. "Please, help me. I beg you. Just a year and you will be free, I promise!"
A year. A whole year, and that's twelve months that they will have to live as husband and wife to receive the money bequeathed.
"We won't even put a mark, because there is no word about it in the will."
The young she-wolf looked at Alex pleadingly. No matter how you look at it, she was right. There was a huge fortune at stake. If her part was not so large and valuable, then he simply could not risk the lives of the members of his pack who trusted him as their Alpha.
Alex will fulfill the terms of the will. And Amelia is right. There is not a single word about the mark in it. He will only need to protect himself during this time, while she is considered his mate. No matter how you look at it, he does not want to be known as a cuckold. Therefore, he will fulfill the terms of the will, but not because Amelia asked for it.
The man pushed his chair away from the table and stood up.
"We'll talk about this later," he said. "Right now I have to go to Nipoli on business. I'll be gone for a couple of days. I'll call you when I get back and we'll continue our conversation."
Amelia stopped mid-step and blinked in confusion. What? Did she hear right? He was just going to drop everything and leave?
"You're going to make me wait?!" she asked indignantly.
Alex gave her a mocking smile.
"While I'm gone, you can look for a job. Maybe by the time I get back, you'll be so into it that you won't even want to get married!"
"You... You... You're a bastard, Alex! That's who you are!" the girl growled.
Taking her purse, which she had left on the table, she gracefully threw it over her shoulder. Casting a cold glance at the owner of the office, she said through her teeth as a parting shot:
"You'll regret this, Alex. You'll see!"
Alpha watched his future wife leave the office with a swaying gait. Whatever he said, she attracted him, so much so that his pants felt tight again. "Well, well," he cursed. "This year is going to be hard and long."
***
Amelia
The young and confident girl arrived in Naples closer to five o'clock in the evening and immediately headed to the hotel. One of her friends, journalist Fabio, said that Alex was staying at the Renaissance Hotel, where she rented a room.
Amelia knew from reliable sources that the Alpha of the southern wolf pack would be at a meeting until eight in the evening, which meant she would have time to prepare. The only thing she could not find out was where Alex was going to have dinner, and most importantly with whom - alone, how often he did it or with another admirer whom he took with him.