Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 173 - How did you even know her size?

Corvine looked like he had already given up trying to understand any of it.

"He also brought you a dress," he added, sounding tired already. "And judging from the look on his face, I don’t think he plans on leaving until you let him in."

Seraphine’s jaw dropped completely but it didn’t take long for her to pull herself together, the initial shock fading fast as her mind snapped back into focus, her instincts kicking in the way they always did when things started slipping out of her control.

"Wait a second," she said, lifting a hand slightly as if she could pause everything around her. "I’m already dressed. Just tell him that."

Her tone carried confidence, a quiet finality, like the decision had already been made.

But before Corvine could even respond, another voice cut in, firm, controlled, leaving no room for argument. "I’ll handle it."

Seraphine turned immediately, her body reacted before her thoughts could catch up, tension creeping into her shoulders the moment her eyes landed on him.

"Voren," she said, her voice tightening just a little, "you can’t just walk into my room like this."

But he didn’t respond right away.

He studied her a piece of art, his gaze moving over her outfit, her posture, every detail, like he was silently picking it apart piece by piece.

That alone made something uneasy settle in her chest. "Wrong outfit," he said after a moment, his tone flat, analytical. "Wrong accessories."

Then, as if she wasn’t enough to critique, his attention wandered.

His eyes moved across the room, taking in the massive monitors, the layered tech setup, the cables, the glowing interfaces, everything that turned the space into something closer to a command center than a bedroom.

this a room," he muttered, almost to himself, "or

let out a small laugh from the side, clearly entertained. "She works here most of the time," he explained. "Soon it’ll be half here,

like that confirmed something

fit into any

nothing predictable, or easy to define, and for a brief second, something

Then he moved.

pulling them out one by one, and Seraphine found herself

the last time

a way that felt controlled rather than distant, dressed in semi-formal clothes that fit him well enough to make the whole look feel intentional without trying

him harder to ignore. "You’re wearing this," he said, tossing

she glanced down at it,

right back. "Not happening," she said flatly.

cut in smoothly, finishing

firm. "You’re not going in there to impress him with taste. You need

what, exactly?" she asked, her voice

to play the part that works," he replied without flinching. "If that means leaning into something you don’t like, then that’s what it

brief pause before he added, more quietly but with unmistakable

than anything else he had said. "Sexy is the assignment," he went on, his tone leaving no space for negotiation.

building in her chest as frustration flared,

There it was again.

That presence.

didn’t need to be loud to be felt, pressing against her instincts, pushing her toward resistance even as logic

second, she wanted to argue, to push back. To refuse just because he expected her to

"I’ll go change," she

and turned, walking toward the washroom without another glance, the door closing