Chapter 231: Anita Goodman

"Anita," Angel muttered, staring at the woman standing in front of her.

For a moment, she studied the familiar face, trying to match it with the person she remembered from military school. It was the same face as Benny’s, with the exact same features, but there were enough differences to remind her that this wasn’t her beta friend.

She didn’t need to look beneath the Alpha’s pants to confirm her identity. The strong Alpha pheromones filling the office, along with the familiar instincts she had never forgotten, were enough to tell her that the woman standing before her was definitely Anita Goodman.

Angel’s crimson eyes moved over Anita’s face, taking in the changes. Back in military school, Anita had brunette hair, but now it was green and fell past her shoulders. There was also a dark circle on her face that looked like a mole at first glance, but Angel quickly realized it was a tattoo.

Anita seemed more interested in Angel than in whatever thoughts were running through her head. Her eyes moved from Angel’s face to the toddler resting in her arms, and her charming smile widened.

She still couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Angel Morningstar, the same Alpha who had once claimed she would remain single for the rest of her life, was now standing in front of her with a child in her arms. Back in military school, Angel had never seemed interested in settling down. She would brag about wanting to toy with Omegas, enjoy herself, and move on whenever she felt like it, leaving people wondering whether she was even capable of taking a relationship seriously.

Yet here she was, married with two children.

Anita almost wanted to ask what had happened to the woman she remembered, but the answer was right in front of her. Life had taken Angel in a direction neither of them would have expected.

"Yes, it is I, Anita Goodman, in the flesh. What brings the Morningstar lost daughter to my empire?" Anita asked with a playful smile, extending her hand towards her old friend for a handshake.

Angel glanced at the offered hand before raising her eyes to Anita’s face. She made no attempt to accept the greeting.

"Oh, your hands are occupied," Anita remarked, looking at the toddler before withdrawing her hand with a small laugh.

Angel didn’t bother responding. She had no interest in catching up with an old frenemy or discussing the past. She hadn’t travelled all this way to admire Anita’s new hairstyle, and she certainly hadn’t brought Ocean along to spend the day chatting with someone she barely recognized anymore.

When her daughter shifted against her chest, Angel adjusted her hold before turning her attention to the woman sitting behind the desk.a

Tessa Johnson remained in her office chair, looking far too comfortable for someone who had just been confronted by an Alpha whose wife and daughter had gone missing. She hadn’t rushed to her feet or even attempted to explain herself. Instead, she sat there as though Angel’s arrival was nothing more than an unexpected interruption to her workday.

Angel’s fingers tightened around Ocean for a moment before she forced herself to relax. She had already spent too much time searching for April and Lucy May, and every minute wasted here was another minute she couldn’t spend finding them.

She had called April repeatedly, contacted people, followed every lead she could find, and travelled all the way to the States because Charlie had claimed to know where her family was. Yet, after everything, she was still standing in an office with people who seemed more interested in playing games than giving her a straight answer.

Angel was running out of patience.

"Tessa, where are you keeping April and my daughter?" she asked in a low, sharp voice.

She didn’t need to raise her voice to make her warning clear. She wanted an answer, and she wanted it now.

Tessa leaned back in her chair, watching Angel as though she had asked her something completely unreasonable.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Ms. Morningstar," she replied.

Angel’s expression darkened.

Another person pretending not to know anything while her wife and daughter were nowhere to be found. She had already heard enough excuses to last a lifetime, and Tessa’s calm attitude was doing nothing to improve her temper.

"Oh, don’t play the innocent card here, girl. I really would beat the shit out of you, and stop calling me Morningstar," Angel warned, narrowing her crimson eyes.

She was tired of hearing that name from people, especially when they were standing between her and the only thing she cared about.

Tessa’s expression barely changed, making Angel want to grab her by the collar and shake an answer out of her.

Before she could take another step towards the desk, Anita moved between them, blocking her view of Tessa.

The green-haired Alpha wore the same charming smile, looking completely at ease despite the tension building in the room. She didn’t seem concerned about Angel losing control or interested in stopping the situation from getting worse. Instead, she positioned herself directly in front of her old friend, as though she had decided that the conversation should now be between them.

Angel turned her attention to her.

For a brief moment, neither woman spoke. Anita smiled while Angel stared back, making no effort to hide her dwindling patience.

"Oh, Angel, don’t look at Tessa. Look at me," Anita said, her voice carrying the same playful tone she had used when greeting her.

Angel’s jaw tightened. She didn’t like Anita’s attitude, especially the way she seemed to know exactly how to get under her skin without doing anything more than smiling.

"Because I am the only one who can take you to your family," Anita announced.

She still wore that charming smile, looking like an innocent woman with nothing to hide, but Angel knew better than to trust appearances. She had spent enough time around dangerous people to recognize when someone was enjoying a situation far more than they should.

Anita Goodman had always been the kind of woman who could smile sweetly while making someone else’s life a living hell.

Behind that charming smile was a woman who could give the devil a run for her money.