Alpha’s Badass Mate novel

---- "Are you all right, Alex?" Man asked, tilting his head to one side. He glanced toward his daughter, but Ashly only smiled innocently. "Yes." Alex cleared his throat. Pulling his hands in to cross them over his chest, he smiled a tight , forced smile. "Perfectly all right, sir. His head bobbed as he nodded for him to go on. The older man hummed. His eyes narrowed into a look of suspicion.

"I have to ask, you've not been coercing my daughter at all, have you?" "Papa?" Ashly said at the same time as Alex choked out a surprised "Sir?" Both of them had matching looks of horror. "During this merger," Man clarified, speaking slowly. The older Alpha's brow wrinkled slightly as a result of the wide-eyed looks he was getting. "No funny business, hm? My daughter isn't going easy on you, is she?" Alex cleared his throat and bowed his head slightly. " No, sir.

Not at all." "As if I would," Ashly snapped back at her father with ahuff. Man let out a hearty laugh, patting the table. "That's my girl; I knew I put you in charge for a reason. You'd never let some corporate Alpha twist your arm." ---- "Mm," Ashly hummed an affirmative sound in the back of her throat even while her eyes shifted to some suddenly interesting speck on one of the concrete walls across the room.

She'd let Alex do more than just twist many parts of her body over the last four days, arms included, but that wasn't information her father needed to hear or something she needed to think about while she sat still leaking that corporate Alpha had come. "The merger has been going smoothly, and Alex has been a delight to work with," Ashly said diplomatically. Alex cast her a glance as a wry smile spread over his lips.

"I try my best to be as accommodating as possible," he said, leaning in a bit too much as he spoke. Ashly turned to him, her eyes widening ever so slightly. She forced herself to smile back, and through gritted teeth, she replied sweetly, ''Yes, very accommodating." Man nodded, his eyes flicking back and forth between the two of them. "Well, I'm glad my daughter is in good hands then," he said, interrupting their intense eye contact .

"And I hope you feel assured that your company is also in good hands with A'A Group." Without breaking away from Ashly's gaze, Alex replied, "I certainly do." ---- Man nodded, clearly feeling reassured. "Now, it's late, isn't it? Should we have coffee? Tea?" Ashly finally blinked , forcing her focus back on her father. "Alex and I still have some business to go over this evening, papa," she lied easily through an innocuous smile. "Contracts and such." "Ah! such hardworking young people.

The man's brow raised, but he sighed happily. "Well, in that case, I'll leave first." They all stood at the table with Man, and Ashly walked her father to the front door. "Drive back safely, papa," Ashly said with a light smile. "Ah," the old man said, waving away his worry. With one last quick glance at Alex over his daughter's shoulder , he smiled a smile that was eerily identical to Ashly's. "It was good to finally meet you, Alex.

Don't work my daughter too hard," he said, wagging a finger at them. "Bye-bye!" In the living room, Alex gave a polite nod of his head as Ashly's father turned and stepped out the door. When the thick wood finally closed on the old man's back, Ashly spun around, turning a rage -filled gaze on her ex-mate. "You are the worst!" Ashly snapped, her voice a muted hiss, as if the old man was listening with her