Chapter 390
Judy’s POV
“So, what’s going on between you and my father?” Irene asked, making my entire body freeze.
It was the next day; the day after I won the competition. We were gathered in my suite, getting dressed for the celebration. I was a bit nervous about it as is because I really wasn’t a fan of that much attention. There were going to be paparazzi there, and a lot of people were asking questions. I’m not sure I’m ready to answer any of these questions or what I’m going to say to anyone.
I wondered if the competitors were going to say nice things about me, or if they were going to snub me.
I shook the thought out of my head and then turned to Irene, her question registering in my head.
“What do you mean?” I asked her with a frown. “There’s nothing going on between your father and me.”
“Oh, please,” Irene said, rolling her eyes. “I saw the way you two were acting around each other earlier. There’s a lot of hostility. Seriously, is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine,” I said, trying to sound casual, though I knew I didn’t.
“Are you sure about that?” Irene asked, raising her brows. “It seemed pretty hostile between you two.”
I frowned and shook my head, just as Nan walked out of the bathroom.
“I’m positive,” I tell her.
“Are we almost ready to go?” Nan asked, staring between the two of us. “The celebration is going to be starting soon, and Judy is featured in it.”
I blushed at her words. I turned to look in the mirror one last time, straightening out the skirt of my dress with the palms of my hands.
“Okay, yes, I’m ready,” I breathed, turning to face them.
“Chester said he’ll come later with Matt,” Nan said, draping her arm through mine.
“How are you and Chester doing?” I asked as we headed out of the room. “You seem to be getting along better.”
She sighed.
“It’s still complicated, but I agreed to go out with him once we get back to our territory. Baby steps,” she said softly.
“I’ve known Chester for quite a while; he’s worked for the family in the North mansion for a long time. He’s a good guy, despite being a player. I think he had a rough breakup once and that was why he stopped allowing himself to feel,” Irene said with a frown, getting both our attention.
This was new information that I didn’t know, and telling from the look on Nan’s face, she didn’t know either.
“A breakup?” I was the one who asked when it was clear Nan wasn’t going to. Irene nodded, a sad smile on her face.
“Yeah, I forget what her name was. Irrelevant to me at the time but Chester was head over heels in love with her,” she said, shaking her head at the memory. “She broke his heart and shattered the little trust he had in women. Since then, he started sleeping around and didn’t allow himself to commit.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat when I thought of Chester feeling so broken that he swore himself off normal relationships. I wondered why he didn’t tell me; we had been friends when I moved into the mansion; friends since before he found out my best friend was his fated mate.
So, why would he keep such information from me?
The rest of the way to the ceremony was spent in silence as we processed this new information. Nan was completely lost in thought, and I could see the worry lines forming on her face.
The moment we stepped into the ceremony, I was bombarded by more paparazzi. They were never going to leave me alone; at least not until I answered some of their questions, relieving their piqued curiosity.
Thankfully, Alpha Levi and Alpha
Jeremy were there to get me
through the crowd, telling them I will answer all their questions later. They brought me over to where the other competitors were. Everyone dressed elegantly with champagne flutes and Most
talking amongst themselve
looked completely healed, some of them were from the very first round and got eliminated early on, like Chrissy, Alpha Levi’s daughter.
Before the first round of the
competition started, I met Chrissy and her friends in the bathroom. They tried to intimidate me, but it
didn’t work. She was with the set
friends I saw her with that day. They were talking and laughing amongst themselves, it was clear that Chrissy was the center of their attention.
“Judy!” I heard a familiar voice, and my heart melted when I saw Tabby rushing
towards me.
She looked beautiful in her maroon
dress that hugged her curves perfectly and her pixie styled hair. She had a bright smile on her face and looked way better than the last time Saw her on the arena ground. She was badly injured and taken away by medics; I had been worried about her, though I heard she was okay.
“Tabby,” I said, walking towards her, hugging her once she reached me. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“I can’t believe you won!” She shrieked. “I am so happy for you! Of course, I’m bummed I lost how and when I did, but I’m so grateful to be given the chance and to fight along your side. You deserved this win.”