Chapter 816 She’s Definitely Up to Something

Hayley’s POV:

I tapped into the message–just as I thought, it was about the Bennetts’ birthday party.

“Come with us to the Bennetts’ banquet tomorrow night.”

Finished

It was a flat directive. There was no request for my opinion. Yet he casually lumped Freya and himself together as “us.”

I stared at the message, sneered, and didn’t bother replying.

Right then, a friend request from Truman popped up. I declined it and sent back a message. “I already have plans tomorrow. Find another date.”

He messaged back almost instantly, “With whom? Who else dares to steal you from me?”

I gave the screen a cold glance. This guy sure thought highly of himself.

I wasn’t planning to respond, but more messages followed.

“What time? Where? Maybe we won’t even overlap. Only doing one thing a day is such a waste."

“Tomorrow at 2 p.m., at the International Center. It’ll be over by 6. What about you, Ms. Sander?"

“Come on, with sincerity like mine, don’t I deserve a shot?”

When he finally sent “Are we really going to keep texting like this forever?”–I gave in and accepted his friend request.

There was no other reason. It was just that chatting with him like this was annoying as hell.

Almost immediately, he called.

I put him on speaker and said bluntly, “You expect me to believe this is just about a party? That there’s no one else in the world who could be your date?”

“You don’t believe it, but that doesn’t make it untrue. Ms. Sander, I could leverage my contacts as Alpha of Grimmoon Pack … and help you find that missing doctor friend of yours.

“Consider it a bonus gift. So–what do you say?” he asked seriously.

I lowered my gaze, thinking.

The doctor he mentioned… he must mean Claudio.

If he could track down Rosalie, maybe he was someone to take seriously.

It wasn’t like I had anything to lose. Why not take the deal?

“You’re being so generous. How could I possibly say no?” I said coolly.

Truman let out a low laugh.

“I’m just curious–you’re throwing so many resources at me. Aren’t you afraid you won’t get a return on your investment?” I probed.

Flashed

It was intentional. My way of making it clear: if he was expecting some kind of grand payoff–like me becoming his mate–that just wasn’t going to happen.

He chuckled, then replied seriously, “That’s not something you need to worry about. If I can spend it, I can earn it back. But someone like you, Ms. Sander? There’s only one in the world.

“I’m not someone who gives up halfway. And I hate walking away from something without trying. So I’ll do everything I can to change your mind. All I ask is–don’t shut me out completely.” There was an unusual edge of sincerity in his voice.

“That’s just sweet talk,” I muttered, irritated, and hung up without hesitation.

That night, a high–ranking werewolf I didn’t recognize showed up at my door.

I stepped outside and looked down at the middle–aged man in a tux standing at the foot of the stairs. “And you are?”

“I’m the Bennetts’ steward–Salazar Bennett.” He gave a polite bow.

“Mr. Bennett, what do you want?” I asked, frowning.

He held up an ornate gift box. “Ms. Walton knows you’re busy and might not have had time to prepare a gown for tomorrow, so she personally selected one for both you and Ms. Freya. She also instructed me to make sure it was delivered to you in person.”

Same Celine I humiliated at the mall less than two days ago? That caught me off guard. Celine? Suddenly she’s being all gracious and generous?

Yeah, right. She’s definitely up to something.