Chapter 175

Chapter 175 Lighten the mood CAS S ANDRA

Despite Becky’s best efforts to prove otherwise, worry and concern painted her features, and her reddish-brown eyes were slightly glazed over as she stared at the floor. Though she’d mentioned the importance of sharing the news of the

contaminated water with Marley, I had the distinct feeling that there was something more happening, something she wasn’t sharing. It wasn’t like my a*sistant to lie, but I knew her well enough to know something was amiss.

As she began to fidget nervously and mess with the sleeve of her soft blue sweater, I gently placed my hand on her shoulder and offered her an empathetic expression.

“Becky, what’s going on?” I asked her quietly. “You look distressed.”

My a*sistant raised her eyes and the moment she met my gaze, her porcelain skin flushed scarlet and she pushed her gla*ses up.

“Just ignore what I said,” she urged me, and she shook her head and forced a smile. “You’re right Cas sandra. We should just wait for the Alpha King to return before we spread the word to Wild Crawler. The news should come from him, or we should at least wait to make any decisions until he’s back.”

Her words and tone were somewhat frantic, as if she were trying to cover her tracks and hide her statement. As I observed her closely, it was all the more clear

that there was more to her worry than what met the eye.

I didn’t breathe a word. Instead, I opted to allow the moment to happen more organically. We sat there in silence for a moment and then Becky’s shoulders.

slumped.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, her voice wavering as her lower l*p trembled. “Earlier, when I mentioned the healer in Wild Crawler… I was thinking of Dic kson, not Marley. In the wake of this discovery, I’m a little concerned for him.”

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Things suddenly made a lot more sense.

I vaguely remembered Marley mentioning another healer at the clinic, a young, reserved man she found aloof and somewhat irritating. She’d griped about him for a while one morning and then admitted that despite their differences, she could acknowledge his commitment. She’d chalked up his stoic nature to be the price of his dedication.

While normally, I wasn’t one to pry, I could tell Becky cared about this fellow healer greatly.

“I see,” I replied. “That’s understandable, Becky. How was his condition when you left? Do you think he has contracted the disease?”

Becky seemed taken aback by the question and shook her head again as her cheeks darkened yet again.

“No, no, I don’t think so,” she said, and then she tucked her short dark red hair behind her ears. “He was fine when I left. Just forget I said anything, I’m probably just being foolish, that’s all.”

“Worrying about people isn’t foolish,” I a*sured her calmly. “You care, that’s all. There’s nothing wrong with that, Becky. You have a kind heart.”

locky gave me a

more, I spoke again.

small but fleeting smile and when she didn’t say anything.

“You know you can share anything with me, right?” I asked. “No pressure at all, whatsoever, of course. But I think of you as more than just my a*sistant and colleague, Becky. You’re like a sister to me. I’m here for you, I promise.”

Her eyes welled over with tears that streamed down her cheeks moments later.

“I think of you like a sister too, Cas sy,” she said, and then she wiped away her tears and took a deep breath. “Okay… so I guess I should tell you that something happened between Dic kson and me in Wild Crawler. At first, we started out kind of estranged, but then he really started opening up to me. We suddenly started becoming friends, and then the night before I left…”

III

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My gasp only seemed to further Becky’s self-consciousness, and she quickly pulled away from me.

“Oh, Ca ssy, this is awful,” she groaned and she hid her face in her hands.

“It’s so romantic, though,” I said in an attempt to lighten the mood. Becky remained still and then removed her hands from her face a minute later. “Look, I must admit that I’m not the most experienced in such matters, but I’m here to support you and lend you a listening ear with no judgment.”

My lightheartedness and calm tone of voice seemed to put her at least a little at ease because Becky gave me a small smile.

“Inexperienced?” She wondered. “Surely you had more admirers than just Finnick’s father? There’s no way you didn’t.”

“I appreciate the compliment,” I said and then I shook my head. “But no. Back then, even if there were any others, I wouldn’t have noticed them. I only had my eyes and heart set on one man.”

Becky smiled dreamily. “That’s so romantic.”

There was so much more that I wanted to say. I wanted to tell her the great tale of how Asher and I had fallen madly in love, but I couldn’t. Apart from Asher and Erika, no one knew of my past identity, and it wasn’t yet safe to reveal myself to

anyone.

Perhaps one day, I could share my story with Marley and Becky and finally let go of the lie I’d been living all of these years. As I’d told her just a little bit ago, I saw her as one of my sisters rather than an a*sistant. I knew they both would

understand.

But for now, all I could do was smile without speaking another word.

ווו

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ASHER

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