Chapter 106

Jace’s POV

I didn’t knock.

Alex’s office door was closed, but I shoved it open anyway.

He was behind his desk, sleeves rolled up, tie loosened, staring at a glass of whiskey like it held answers.

He looked up when I came in, eyes narrowing immediately.

“Not now,” he muttered.

“Yeah,” I said, stepping inside, shutting the door behind me. “Now.”

He set the glass down with a sharp clink. “What the hell do you want, Jace?”

“You,” I said flatly. “I want to know why you’re treating Emily like garbage.”

His laugh was humorless, bitter. “Oh, here we go. Emily’s knight in shining armor. You think you’re the first guy to march in here and defend her?”

“I don’t care if I’m the first or the last,” I shot back.

“What I care about is you sitting in here drowning your pride in whiskey while she’s out there breaking under the weight of your bullshit.”

His jaw clenched. “Careful.”

“No,” I said, cutting him off. “I’m