Fated To Three, And I Broke Them All

Verity:

We sat outside in one of the gardens near the front exit, beneath a large cherry blossom tree.

She sat cross-legged on the grass, holding her phone and staring at it.

”I don’t want you to get into trouble because of me,” she uttered, her eyes watering every time she spoke.

I hated what this man had done to her.

”You can call me an idiot, though,” she uttered when she realized I’d been silent for too long.

”No, it’s not your fault,” I said, watching her eyes widen.

”I think others would disagree,” she commented.

”No, I’m serious,” I said, reassuring her. ”I’ve seen how your parents treat you. I’ve seen how Lady Lucille treats you. Jenna, this is what happens when people control their children too much, when they put too many expectations on them, when they don’t praise them enough. It’s not your fault. These people literally pushed you to the edge, and then there was one nudge from an unknown source, and you fell. And I’m gonna find out who that unknown source is.”

I was so angry that I spoke hastily.

Then, after a pause, I rolled my neck back and placed my hands behind me.

Stretching my legs out on the grass, I stared up at the sky with a pout.

It was afternoon. We had stayed in her room for a while, and after that, we climbed out through the window and sat in the garden.

I was pretty sure Ragnar thought I was still sleeping. Even if he came out now, he would understand. The alcohol had worn off, and I’d only woken up a few minutes ago.

As for the others, I had no idea what they were doing.

”So, what are we gonna do?” Jenna asked softly.

”Buy some time from him if you can. Let me think about what we can do,” I told her, watching her nod.

”And listen, don’t take any steps without letting me know first, okay?” I warned her, watching her nod again.

Then I paused when I saw Ragnar walking out of the mansion.

The moment his eyes landed on me, he stopped beside his car.

”Jenna, go inside the house. . I’ll speak with Alpha King Ragnar about some business details, and then we’ll make a plan about what to do, okay?” I said, getting up, dusting off my clothes, and walking toward him with my hands in the pockets of my baggy pants.

I watched as Ragnar turned his face away, furiously took off his glasses, and rested one hand on the roof of the car.

”Well, am I required at the office today?” I asked him, phrasing the question as casually as I could.

I noticed the way he scratched at a small spot on the roof of his car, revealing his anxiety.

But then he straightened his posture, shook his head, and pouted.

”There’ll be no need. I’ve decided to give you the day off so you can recover from all the exhaustion after the event you planned yesterday,” he said in a heavy voice, as if he were forcing the words out.

”What are you gonna do with my phone? I’m pretty sure I have no data on him,” I said without mentioning Oliver’s name.

”Well, I was thinking about speaking with you about it. I just didn’t know how to bring it up.”

Hearing that from Ragnar was already concerning.

So I straightened my posture, preparing myself for whatever disaster might be waiting for me.

”What do you mean by that?” I asked.

”Maybe come to the side,” he said, glancing around at the warriors.

He was already giving me the impression that he was keeping this entire investigation very secretive, or at least the fact that he had my phone.

I followed him to the second garden, where he sat on a bench. I sat across the table from him on another bench.

This garden was called the Picnic Garden.

Then he placed my phone on the table and rotated it until the screen was facing me.

I picked it up and started going through the messages he’d exchanged with Oliver.

At first, I pretended the whole thing was a surprise, even though I’d already known this was what he was going to do.

The conversation was strange, or at least it had taken some strange turns.

Me: Hey.

Oliver: Hey, bitch!!

Oliver: What happened? You finally missed me?

Me: No, I just needed to speak with you about your sister.

Me: I am really sorry about what happened to her.

Oliver: Aha! And a little birdie told me you’ve been going around making me look bad too. What’s that all about, huh?

Oliver: Or maybe you don’t remember what I’m capable of.

Me: Which time are you talking about?

My heart started racing as I read the text messages.

I was already expecting him to say something so unhinged that it would give us plenty to use against him.

However, he paused.

There were no messages after that, even though Ragnar had sent him something.

Then his response came.

I was shocked.

Oliver: Remember when you used to stalk me and had a crush on me? Remember how I ignored you? That’s what I’m capable of. I have self-control.

Oliver: No matter what you do, I won’t fall for your tricks. Your body and your attempts at seduction can’t intimidate me.

Oliver: They never have. And they won’t in the future either.

Oliver: So please, stop texting me. I don’t want to go through the same thing my sister went through. You siblings are crazy.

Oliver: So please, delete my messages and my number. Go try your luck somewhere else.

I’m not going to become a victim of your seduction and then your abuse.

I looked up at Ragnar. His head was tilted, his body leaning to one side, with his elbow resting on the armrest.

His other hand was stretched out on the table while the arm resting on the armrest remained bent, his fingers lightly touching beneath his chin.