While Ryan sent people to track me down, I remained b
unaware, tuck
away in the snow–covered Northia lands.
At that moment, I was in the herbal remedy lab with Jason, deep in a discussion about our latest formula.
After being disconnected from the outside world for so long, it took me a few days to adjust to life up here. But with work this demanding, I barely had time to dwell on anything else.
Two days ago, the lab took on a commission to develop a new herbal healing balm. Jason and I had been burning the midnight oil with our team for days.
We had just stabilized the formula when my phone buzzed unexpectedly. It was one of the old household staff from the villa.
Not many people knew that I had left. He was one of the few.
He told me Ryan had been coming home every night with a storm cloud over his head. The housekeepers were walking on eggshells, afraid he’d explode any second. And Ryan had barely touched the meals the cook made.
But after two days of sending people to look for me, Ryan gave up. Instead, he let Clare move into the house.
Hearing all that, I wasn’t even surprised.
Ryan only sent people after me because I had left too suddenly, and that bruised his ego. After a few days, I would be nothing but a passing breeze to him.
I brushed it off after hearing what the staff had to say about Ryan. What caught: me off guard was Ryan grabbing the phone mid–call.
“Alpha Ryan, I—”
Before he could finish, Ryan’s voice cut through, “Daisy, where are you?”
I stayed quiet for a beat, then asked flatly, “What do you
want?”
7
