The Billionaire’s Secret Quartet (Thalassa and Elowen) novel Chapter 1518

"I've had enough!" Rosalind fumed as she thought further. After saying it with her face set in a grim line, she stood up and stormed out.

"Ms. Whitman, about the lunch..." Fitch took a step after her, clearly troubled.

"Just eat it yourselves!" Rosalind tossed back over her shoulder and quickly made her exit from Royal Estates.

Before this visit, she had been lost in a daydream where Lysander was dependent on her and couldn't live without her.

But a trip to Royal Estates today had brutally snapped her back to reality, making it painfully clear that others might chase after Lysander, but he would never need or miss anyone!

What was she, Rosalind, in all this?

...

Thalassa returned to the lounge area, finding Hertha explaining a design concept to Alaric. She took a seat next to Alaric, her finger tracing over a design on the document as she vividly shared her vision and ideas with him, "This necklace, shaped like a star, was inspired by a night when I was walking home and looked up to see a sky full of stars. People always talk about wanting the stars and the moon. So I figured I could design a diamond star necklace straight away. Maybe people will capture the stars and the moon if they wear it."

Alaric, initially genuinely interested in the design talk, found his attention drifting closer to Hertha. Her lively and cheerful nature, the spark in her eyes as she spoke about her designs, her optimism and enthusiasm for the future, and the occasional whiff of her perfume that titillated his nose were all drawing him in. His gaze then became fixed on Hertha without himself realizing it.

He noticed every little gesture and every expression of hers that pulled at his heartstrings.

Memories of a night spent together three years ago began to resurface in his mind.

Alaric, who had sworn off women for three years, felt a tightness in his throat, his eyes on Hertha turning intense and deep.

They were on the verge of a kiss.

As her breath and scent enveloped him, Alaric's throat tightened and his heart raced; he was tempted to pull her in for a fierce kiss.

But the wide-eyed shock on her face and her terrified expression kept his impulse at bay.

Alaric swallowed hard.

Hearing the sound, Hertha, who had once been intimate with him, knew all too well what it meant. She gasped in shock and her heart pounded erratically. She quickly pulled back, her eyes wide with alarm as she called out, "What...what are you doing?"