Claimed by My Ex's Half-Brother-Chapter 85 The food here is exceptional

Victoria’s POV

I couldn’t help but laugh as I quickly corrected the restaurant owner’s assumption. "Actually, this isn’t my boyfriend. And the one you’re thinking of is now my ex—we broke up."

The owner’s eyes widened in surprise. "You broke up? Really?"

I wasn’t surprised by her reaction. She and I had become quite close over the years, and I’d told her all about my relationship with Ethan. I’d even mentioned marriage possibilities at one point. Goddess, how foolish I’d been.

What struck me was how easily I could now talk about the breakup without feeling that stabbing pain in my chest. Nora had stopped whimpering over our severed bond weeks ago.

"Breaking up is sometimes for the best," the owner said with a knowing smile, her gaze drifting appreciatively over Damien. "It frees you to find someone better. Like this handsome gentleman here—he looks like he stepped right out of a magazine!"

I felt heat rise to my cheeks. Why did everyone keep assuming Damien and I were a couple? 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"I’m keeping my standards much higher now," I replied with a small smile. "Though I’m pretty sure this particular ’movie star’ is way out of my league."

Damien’s eyes locked with mine, something predatory and possessive flashing in their depths. "You haven’t even tried to climb that ladder. How do you know you wouldn’t make it to the top?"

I felt Nora stir inside me, responding to Arthur’s presence. The connection between our wolves was undeniable, even if I tried to ignore it.

"I call it self-preservation," I answered lightly. "No point setting myself up for disappointment."

I quickly ordered our food, grateful for the distraction. The owner nodded familiarly.

"The usual for you, then? Still no carrots?" she confirmed.

I nodded and turned to Damien. "Any food allergies or dislikes?"

"None," he replied simply, studying me with that intense gaze that made my wolf restless.

After the owner left to prepare our meals, I sanitized the utensils before handing them to Damien—an old habit I couldn’t break.

"Don’t let the humble appearance fool you," I told him. "The food here is exceptional."

Damien’s brow furrowed slightly as he glanced around. "You never brought Ethan here?"

The question caught me off guard. The fact that the owner had mistaken Damien for my boyfriend meant she’d never met Ethan, despite our five-year relationship.

"Why would I?" I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant.

"Five years together and you never brought him to one of your favorite places?" Damien’s eyes darkened, and I could sense Arthur’s curiosity mingling with something that felt almost like... satisfaction?

"He wouldn’t come," I admitted. "Places like this were ’beneath him.’ The almighty Ethan Sterling of the Northstream Pack only dined in establishments where the prices were as inflated as his ego." I paused, suddenly self-conscious. "If you’re also uncomfortable here, we can get our food to go and find somewhere more... upscale."

"I’m not Ethan," he said firmly, his voice rumbling with a subtle growl that made Nora’s ears perk up. "Restaurants are for eating, not for showing off. Besides, places with gold-plated everything often can’t match the cleanliness of a well-run establishment like this."

"I’ve definitely noticed how different you two are," I said, unable to keep the approval from my voice.

"And which of us do you prefer?" Damien asked, leaning forward slightly.

I looked up and caught his intense gaze. The lighting behind him cast his face in partial shadow, highlighting the sharp angles of his jawline and the depth of his eyes. For a moment, I couldn’t look away—the pull between us was magnetic, electric.

My body responded instantly—Nora practically howling inside me—and I felt a rush of warmth spread from my core. I quickly broke eye contact and busied myself pouring tea for him, hoping he hadn’t noticed my reaction.

"Why do you keep comparing yourself to Ethan?" I deflected. "We’re talking about the difference between a man and a beast. There’s no comparison."

Damien’s lips curved into a satisfied smile, and I could feel Arthur’s pleased rumble through our wolf connection.

Our food arrived quickly, steaming and aromatic. "Try it!" I urged, watching expectantly as he took his first bite.

The anticipation in my eyes was genuine—I’d wanted to bring him here for weeks, but something always interfered. Maybe spontaneous dinners were our only option.

"Well? Good, right?" I prompted when he’d swallowed.

He nodded appreciatively. "Very good. Though I still think it doesn’t quite match a dish I had from a chef I know."

Something in his tone made me curious. "Which chef? You should introduce me sometime."

Damien didn’t answer, just continued eating with that enigmatic half-smile that made my wolf restless with curiosity. What was he thinking behind those mysterious eyes? And why did I feel this growing need to find out?

As we ate in comfortable silence, I couldn’t help but notice how different this felt from my dinners with Ethan.

Ethan’s POV:

I slammed the door of the restaurant and stumbled outside, the cool night air doing nothing to calm the rage building inside me. My wolf, Leon, was pacing restlessly beneath my skin, equally disturbed by what we’d just witnessed.

Victoria. My Victoria. Except she wasn’t mine anymore, and the way she looked tonight—confident, radiant, powerful—made my stomach churn with regret and desire.

I pulled out a cigarette with trembling hands, lighting it and taking a deep drag. The smoke filled my lungs as I leaned against the brick wall, my thoughts spiraling downward with each exhale.

How had she changed so much? When did Victoria become someone I couldn’t reach? Someone who looked at me like I was dirt beneath her designer shoes?

Leon whined inside me, missing the sweet scent of her that used to calm us both. I’d always believed Victoria was the one who needed me—that I was doing her a favor by choosing her. I genuinely thought that if we ever broke up, I could easily find someone ten times better.

But now I was the one left behind, abandoned and desperate. The cruel irony wasn’t lost on me.

I chain-smoked three more cigarettes, watching the embers burn down to my fingertips before flicking them away. Time seemed meaningless as I replayed our encounter over and over—the coldness in her eyes, the casual way she’d dismissed me, how naturally she fit against Damien’s side.

The restaurant door swung open, interrupting my brooding. One of the businessmen I was supposed to be meeting with stepped out, his expression a mixture of annoyance and concern.

"Mr. Sterling, are we still discussing the partnership or not? We’ve been waiting inside for nearly an hour," he said, checking his watch pointedly.

"Get lost!" I snarled, Leon’s aggression bleeding into my voice. My eyes flashed gold for a brief moment, making the man step back instinctively.

He straightened his tie, all sympathy evaporating from his face. "Well, it seems you’re not interested in our partnership after all. Don’t come crying when you regret this decision."

"Whoever regrets this is a son of a bitch!" I shouted after him. "Why am I working so hard every day? I’m exceptional, I put in the effort—why can’t she just love me? What does he have that I don’t?"

The businessman disappeared back inside, leaving me alone with my bitterness. I punched the wall hard enough to crack the brick, my knuckles bleeding but healing almost instantly. The physical pain was nothing compared to the howling emptiness inside me.

My phone rang, Lawrence’s name flashing on the screen. I hesitated before answering, already knowing what this call would be about.

"Ethan," my father’s cold voice came through the speaker. "What the hell is going on? You failed to close the deal and managed to alienate our potential partners? How is that even possible?"

Lawrence Sterling was the Alpha of Northstream Pack, and he had been pushing for this partnership for months. Tonight was supposed to be a simple formality—drinks, dinner, signatures. Another victory I could use to prove my worth to the pack.

"I didn’t say anything wrong to them," I defended myself, Leon growling at being reprimanded. "It’s not my fault if they’re being difficult. Why does everyone always blame me?"

My voice cracked with emotion. "What did I ever do wrong? In everyone’s eyes, I’m just worthless, aren’t I? Why did you even acknowledge me as your son if you were going to treat me this way? Why choose me and then not stand by that choice?"

There was silence on the other end. Lawrence clearly had no idea what had triggered this outburst.

"I think Thomson was right about you," he finally said, his voice hard with disappointment. "You’re not ready for this level of responsibility. You need more training, more discipline. The project in Africa needs someone to oversee it. You’ll fly out tomorrow and report directly to the site manager."

Thomson was Lawrence’s secretary—what my father didn’t know was that Thomson had been placed there by Damien. My half-brother might have distanced himself from Northstream Pack, but he had eyes and ears everywhere within our organization. From top executives to entry-level employees, Damien’s influence had thoroughly infiltrated the pack’s business empire.

Beyond personnel, Damien secretly controlled a significant portion of Northstream Pack’s stock, all held under different names to avoid detection. If he ever decided he wanted to take over the company, he could do it without breaking a sweat. He could destroy everything Lawrence had built with a single phone call.

This latest manipulation—Thomson suggesting I be sent away—was clearly Damien’s handiwork. First he takes Victoria from me, and now he’s exiling me to Africa? My wolf howled with rage at the injustice.

I ended the call without another word and headed straight for the nearest wolf-friendly bar. I texted several packmates to join me, needing to drown my sorrows in alcohol and camaraderie.

By midnight, I was surrounded by empty bottles, my consciousness fading as Leon retreated deep inside our shared mind. As the room spun around me, all I could see was Victoria’s face—not as she looked tonight, cold and unreachable, but as she used to be, warm and loving, her sweet scent wrapping around me like a promise.