Chapter 726 Rear-Ended

Hayley’s POV:

Even after all my explanations, Steven was still giving me that skeptical look, and I was starting to get annoyed.

“No, it’s just… I haven’t wrapped my head around it yet,” he admitted, looking a bit awkward.

He gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Maybe I just never imagined that the legendary, mysterious, and powerful X would turn out to be a girl like you.

“You’re not even 20 yet. That means six or seven years ago, you were only 12 or 13. To have that kind of skill and power at such a young age–it’s honestly astonishing.”

I walked over and gave his arm a reassuring pat. “It’s alright, Six. You’re still young. The more you experience, the more you’ll realize–there’s always someone out there stronger, always a bigger world beyond what you know.”

Steven looked at me, torn between laughter and disbelief.

I just shrugged, not caring much, and headed over to the bar. I grabbed the bottle of Romanée-Conti, popped it open, and poured out three glasses.

Taking two of them, I turned and handed one to Steven.

Benjamin picked up the last glass and joined us, the three of us forming a small circle.

Steven glanced down at the wine with a wry smile, then clinked glasses with us and knocked his drink back in one go.

I finished mine and licked my lips, savoring the lingering taste.

“Not bad, huh? I shelled out two million for this bottle–there are fewer than ten like it in the world,” Steven said with pride.

“Mmm, it’s truly excellent.” I smiled slyly, suddenly struck by a mischievous idea. I went back to the bar, grabbed the whole bottle of Romanée-Conti, and started pouring it straight into Steven’s glass.

“Hey, that’s enough, enough!” Steven quickly lifted his glass, but I’d already filled it nearly to the brim. He sighed in resignation. “With wine like this, you’re supposed to sip and savor it, not drink to get wasted.”

I grinned, eyes narrowing. “I just want to make sure you remember how it tastes. After all, it’s not going to be yours for much longer.”

Steven stared at me in shock.

“You said this wine was for X. Well, since I am X, it’s mine now.” I raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to argue.

He stood there, stunned for several seconds, then finally nodded in silent acceptance.

Happily, I took the bottle and left with Benjamin…

Chapter 726 Rear Ended

Benjamin’s POV:

On the drive home, Hayley was glued to her phone, furiously typing out messages.

“Who are you chatting with? You’re really invested,” I asked, unable to hide the hint of jealousy in my voice.

“Just a wine lover. He’s absolutely obsessed with good wine–there’s no way he’d let this Romanée-Conti slip by.” As she spoke, she cradled the bottle, snapped a quick selfie, and sent it off in a message.

Catching this out of the corner of my eye, I couldn’t help but press harder on the gas.

She’d never even sent me a selfie before, not once, and I was her destined mate.

Who was this guy that deserved that kind of treatment?

Bill and Ivana? No, their health wouldn’t allow them to drink much.

The Sanders? They were in chaos–no chance.

I was so caught up in my thoughts. I didn’t notice until it was too late–and rear-ended the car in front of us.

Both parties instinctively pulled over to the side, keeping the road clear.

“You okay?” I immediately checked on Hayley, only relaxing when I saw she was unharmed. I unbuckled and got out of the car.

As I opened my door, my wolf caught a familiar scent.

Following it around the car, I stopped at the rear of the other vehicle—and stared in surprise at the woman inspecting the damage.