Chapter 4He Left Me in a War Zone for His Coworker

On Saturday afternoon, the company announced a mandatory team event at the biggest hotel in Goldstone.

It seemed odd, but I went.

I opened the door to a dark room, and then the lights came on.

"Maya, congratulations..."

Everyone stood with party poppers raised, but no one set them off.

I didn't understand.

"What are you all doing?"

Ethan quickly pulled me aside and switched the lights off again. "Keep your voice down. It's a surprise party for Maya. She's about to get promoted."

My voice turned icy. "So this whole thing is for Maya, and everyone had to show up for it?"

He was listening for the door to open and didn't notice my tone.

"Yeah. I had my father set the whole thing up. It took a lot of work."

I laughed.

"Ethan, I don't want to see you again."

The party poppers and cheers drowned me out. As Maya came through the door, I walked out.

First thing the next morning, my parents told me they'd arrive that afternoon and we'd have dinner with Caleb Thorne.

Caleb was the son of the Goldstone pack's Alpha.

I said yes.

When my parents arrived at my place, a big, solidly built man stood behind them.

He stepped forward quickly and gave a polite nod.

"Hi, Sienna. I'm Caleb."

I gave him a polite smile.

"Hi."

We were ordering at the hotel restaurant when Ethan called.

I didn't pick up, but he kept calling, and in the end I answered.

He sounded rushed. "Sienna, where are you?"

I didn't want to respond, but he wouldn't leave me alone, so I sent him my location.

He hurried over soon after, his clothes rumpled.

He saw my parents at the table and stopped short. Then he pulled me aside.

"What's going on? Why didn't you tell me your parents were here? I thought you weren't even talking to them."

I looked at him coldly.

"It's none of your business."

He ignored me. "What's all this talk at the office? Why is everyone saying I dumped you for Maya?"

I scoffed. "No, they've got it wrong. You and I aren't together anymore.

"Whatever's going on between you and Maya is none of my business. I don't want to get involved."

Maya had been watching from the side, and she burst into tears.

"I never tried to come between you two. They're spreading lies about me."

Then she grabbed onto Ethan's leg.

"Ethan, I swear I never made a move on you. But now everyone's talking, and if these rumors keep spreading, I'm going to lose my job. The company won't want someone with this kind of scandal attached to their name."

Ethan tried to calm her down. "It's okay. None of this is your fault. I'll have my father clear everything up when we get back. At worst, they'll just hold off on your promotion for a while."

I watched the ridiculous scene without a word.

My parents came out.

My father gave Ethan a hard look.

"Are you done?"

Startled, Ethan stumbled back and stepped on Maya's dress.

"If you're done, go home. We're trying to eat."

Then my father clapped Caleb on the shoulder.

"You dare pull this stunt in front of your future Alpha? You've got some nerve."

The color drained from Ethan's face. Maya didn't dare make another sound. She quickly got up and bowed.

Caleb saw the cold look on my face and said to Ethan, "Stop bothering Sienna. I like her, and she doesn't want you anymore."

Then we went back into the private room.

Ethan stayed outside with a blank expression. He didn't move for a long time.

Finally, he managed to speak. "No. This can't be happening..."