A Warrior's Second Chance (Faye and Alexander) novel Chapter 84

Chapter 84

ALEXANDER

I was in the middle of a good sleep when my phone beeped. The sound was sharp in the silence of my room, dragging me out of sleep.

For a second, I thought I had dreamed it, but then it buzzed again, and my eyes cracked open.

I reached for it sluggishly, rubbing at the grit in my eyes with one hand while the other

fumbled across the bedside table until it landed on the device.

The screen lit up, blinding me for a moment. A notification. An image.

From Irene.

My eyebrows knit together immediately. Irene hardly ever sent me anything directly, especially not out of the blue this late at night. I sat up in bed, back against the headboard, squinting at the glowing screen. My thumb swiped the message open, and there it was–of all things, a picture of a pair of shoes.

Shoes.

I stared at it for a long second, thinking maybe I was still half–dreaming. No, it was real. A black pair with silver detailing. I raised my brow in disbelief, lips parting slightly as though the image itself owed me an explanation.

“What the hell…” I muttered under my breath.

I checked the time–10 p.m. The day had worn me out, and I had been savoring the rare, quiet moment of actual sleep. And here I was, staring at footwear.

I dialed Irene’s number. She picked on the second ring, cheerful as always. “Hello, Alex.”

I rubbed my face, dragging my palm down in frustration. “What was that you just sent me? Why did

you send me a picture of shoes? What exactly am I supposed to do with it?”

Her laugh was casual, like this wasn’t a ridiculous thing to wake someone up for. “Oh, that wasn’t meant for you, Alex. That was for Bella. She said she needed it.”

My confusion sharpened. “Bella? She wanted a picture of shoes… so why in the world is it on my phone instead of hers?”

“Well,” Irene replied casually, “she told me her phone’s been acting up. Crashing, freezing, you know how these things can be. She said it’d be easier if I just sent it to you, and she could check it from there.”

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Chapter 84

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I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, fighting to keep my patience. “So, because Bella can’t manage her phone, I get woken up in the middle of the night… for a shoe?

Irene tried to sound apologetic, but her voice still carried that teasing undertone. “I didn’t think you’d still be awake. I figured, worst case, she’d just get it from you in the morning. It’s not such a big deal, is it?”

Before I could reply, there was a knock at my door. Then a voice followed, light and unmistakably feminine.

“Alexander? Are you in there?”

Of course. Bella.

Irene heard it too. I could practically hear her smile through the phone. “Oh, that must be her. Good luck, Alex.” She laughed as I muttered a curse under my breath.

I ended the call without another word, dragging my hand down my face in disbelief. I hesitated, tempted to ignore the knocking altogether, but Bella wasn’t the type to give up easily. She knocked again. And again.

Grinding my teeth, I swung my legs off the bed and strode across the room, pulling the door open. And there she was. Bella, with that apologetic smile that didn’t fool me for a second.

“Sorry to bother you,” she began sweetly, tilting her head slightly. “Irene said she sent a picture through your phone. I just need to see it for a moment–the details of the shoe.”

I stared at her, deadpan, my mind echoing with the absurdity of the situation. It was late. I had been sleeping. And she wanted to compare shoe details…in what world did that make

sense?

Every instinct told me to send her away, to ask her what kind of madness drove her to think this couldn’t wait until morning. But instead, I just exhaled heavily, shaking my head.

“Fine,” I muttered.

I turned back into the room, picked up my phone from the bed, unlocked it, and opened the gallery. The image appeared, then I handed the phone to her, my patience hanging by a thread.

She accepted happily. “Thank you, Alexander.”

I didn’t answer. I sat back down on the edge of the bed, elbows on my knees, watching as she took her sweet time.

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< Chapter 84

$25 Points

Bella stood there in the middle of my room, holding my phone as though she owned it. Her eyes flicked across the screen, her lips moving as she murmured to herself. “Yes… I was right. The buckle is different. The stitching isn’t the same either. I’ll need to cancel the order before tomorrow…”

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