Claimed by My Ex's Half-Brother-Chapter 90 Your company is massive!

Victoria’s POV

I’d been settling into my new role at the company for a few weeks when my first major assignment arrived - a business trip to another pack’s territory where one of our branch offices was located. Grace had accompanied me, eager to escape the routine and explore new horizons.

Grace had been enjoying herself immensely for several days, practically living it up like a tourist. Finally, she made time to meet me for lunch at my office.

As I finished reviewing some reports, my office door flew open and Grace burst in, her energy filling the room before she even spoke.

"Victoria! Your company is massive! I nearly got lost trying to find your office," Grace announced, her eyes wide with excitement.

I set aside the documents I’d been working on and stood up, grabbing my purse. "Perfect timing. I just finished up. Let’s go grab that lunch I promised you."

As we walked toward the elevator, Grace leaned in conspiratorially. "I think I just saw Ethan downstairs. Or his doppelgänger. The guy looked just like him, only tanner and way more disheveled. He had some woman clinging to his arm."

My wolf, Nora, instantly bristled at the mention of Ethan’s name, a low growl reverberating through my mind. I kept my expression neutral, not wanting Grace to see how the mere mention of his name still affected me.

"It probably was Ethan," I replied casually.

"What?" Grace’s jaw dropped in genuine shock. "No way! That’s too coincidental. How would he even know you’re here?"

"He doesn’t," I explained, pressing the elevator button. "He’s here to meet with the new CEO of Lancaster Enterprises, not me. He has no idea I’m the one who’s taken over."

Grace’s laugh echoed in the elevator as we descended. "That’s priceless! Remember how he used to make you jump through hoops just to see him? How you’d have to plan around his schedule like he was royalty? Now the tables have turned. Let him taste what it feels like to be kept waiting."

My wolf purred with satisfaction at the thought. Nona had never liked Ethan’s wolf, Leon, even when I was blind to all the red flags.

"Come on," I said as we reached the ground floor. "I made reservations at this amazing place that serves authentic local cuisine. You’re going to love it."

"Lead the way, Alpha," Grace replied with a wink, using my pack title playfully.

Neither of us expected what awaited us at the restaurant. As we were being led to our private dining room, I caught a scent that made my wolf bristle - smoky, with notes of amber and a hint of betrayal. Ethan.

He spotted me before I could redirect Grace to a different path. His eyes lit up with that familiar manipulative gleam that I once mistook for genuine affection.

"Victoria!" he called out, untangling himself from the arm of a woman who had been clinging to him. "What a coincidence meeting you here! This must be fate!"

His expression shifted as a thought seemed to dawn on him. "Wait... did you follow me here? Victoria, I never thought you’d track me across continents! I can’t believe you still can’t let me go."

He gestured to an empty chair at his table. "There’s only one seat left, but we can share. Join us! It’s been too long since we’ve eaten together."

The woman beside him shifted uncomfortably, finally becoming visible to me. She bore an unsettling resemblance to me - not identical, but enough that anyone would notice the similarity. My stomach turned as I realized Ethan had found himself a poor substitute.

"Ethan, it really is you. Why are you like a bad penny that keeps turning up? And thinking we’d follow you? Are you delusional?" Grace snapped, her protective instincts flaring. As my closest friend, she was practically pack, and her loyalty ran deep.

The woman beside Ethan tugged gently at his sleeve and whispered, "Mr. Sterling..."

She then looked at me, and I could see her confidence faltering as our eyes met. My wolf sensed her discomfort, the way her posture shifted subtly in submission despite her human appearance.

"I’m Mr. Sterling’s assistant," she said, her voice soft as she partially hid behind Ethan. "My name is Mona."

Grace stared at her, then back at me, her eyes widening. "You... Victoria, she..."

I could see the realization in Grace’s eyes - this woman was chosen for her resemblance to me. The thought made my skin crawl. My bond with Nora strengthened as my wolf’s anger mirrored my own.

"Let’s go, Grace," I said firmly, turning away.

Ethan stepped forward, blocking our path. "There’s only one table available. I don’t mind sharing with you, Victoria. It’s been so long since we’ve dined together."

"Get lost," I replied, my voice as cold as winter moon.

Grace nodded emphatically. "Exactly. Who would want to share a table with you? We have a private room reserved."

As I tried to walk past him, Ethan lunged forward and grabbed my wrist, pulling me toward him with surprising force. The pressure was painful, his fingers digging into my skin where my pulse raced.

"Ethan, let go!" I demanded, my eyes flashing briefly with my wolf’s golden glow before I could control it. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

But he tightened his grip, desperation clear in his voice. "Victoria, do you really have to treat me this way?"

Just as I was about to let Nora take over - consequences be damned - a deep voice rumbled from behind us.

"When she says let go, are you too stupid to understand English?"

I turned my head to see Damien Sterling striding toward us, his powerful frame commanding attention from everyone in the restaurant. My wolf instantly recognized his scent - smoky cedar with notes of midnight rose. My mate. Though he didn’t know it yet, thanks to the enchanted bracelet I wore that masked my true nature from other wolves.

What was he doing here? How was it possible that in a foreign country, I kept running intofamiliar Homo sapiens? It felt like some bizarre company retreat rather than a business trip.