Ch.5

Tresia

My father's face froze. Satisfied as his eyes moved from one pink spot to another, I pulled out the seat beside my stepmother, who wore her usual look of disgust.

“You!” She dropped her fork, making it clatter against the plate. “How dare you walk in here looking so disgraceful?”

Father seemed to have recovered from the shock, but before he could say anything, I settled comfortably in my seat.

“You have no regard for this family's reputation, and I have tolerated those vile rumors about you. Yet you dare to show yourself like this in front of me?” His Alpha tone filled the room. “Get up and get out of my sight!”

Once upon a time, those words would have sent me scrambling to apologize. I would have lowered my head, begged for forgiveness, and done everything possible to convince him I was still worthy of being called his daughter.

I would have avoided this dining hall altogether.

But I was done begging for a place in a family that had never wanted me.

He could keep his love, his approval, and whatever scraps of affection he occasionally pretended I deserved. I had better things to do than spend another day trying to earn what Karen received simply by existing.

Besides, watching their precious family fall apart promised to be far more entertaining.

I didn't even glance at Father. Instead, I waved at the maid standing in the corner.

“Louisa, bring my food here. I won't be eating in my room today.”

Silence swallowed the dining hall.

It was the first time I'd deliberately ignored Father's order while sitting right in front of him.

“Tresia Bellamy!” His fist slammed against the table.

I folded my arms and finally looked at him. His jaw was clenched, and his fingers curled against the polished wood.

“Oh, please, Father.” I tilted my head. “If you cared so much about the Bellamy reputation, your mistress and the daughter you conceived while you were still married to my mother and mated to her wouldn't be sitting here. Unfortunately, Mother couldn't endure the embarrassment.”

My stepmother's face twisted, and I smiled at her.

“Don't look at me like that. I didn't drag you into this family. You came willingly.”

“Watch your mouth!” Father snarled.

“Why? Does the truth offend you?”

His eyes flashed gold, his Alpha aura pressing against the room. The servants lowered their heads, but I remained comfortably seated.

“If you can't tolerate the same behavior you taught me, you can always get rid of me.” I shrugged. “You already have an heir to continue your legacy, anyway.”

For once, the great Alpha Bellamy looked as though he'd forgotten how to speak.

Karen shot out of her seat.

“You ungrateful—” She rounded the table, her hand rising toward my face.

“Karen!” Emereo's roar stopped her mid-swing.

She turned toward him, surprise flashing across her face before her expression crumpled into wounded indignation.

“Brother, what are you doing? She just insulted Father after whoring around all night and parading the evidence in front of us. Can't you see how shameless she is?”

Emereo lifted his eyes from his plate.

“The younger sibling has no right to hit her elder. You should know that, Karen.”

I froze. Was he defending me?

My gaze shifted to him, searching his face for some hint that this was another one of his strange games. His expression remained cold, and he returned to his food as though he hadn't just stopped Karen from slapping me.

I hadn't even planned to let her hand land on my face this time. Still, I couldn't help wondering what the hell had happened to my stepbrother overnight.

One night, Emereo. That's all it took? How far did my enchantment go?

Karen stared at him, her lips parting as if she wanted to argue. Her eyes flicked between us, and the hurt on her face quickly hardened into resentment.

She hated that he'd chosen to correct her instead of me. Good.

She returned to her seat with a stiff movement, stabbing her fork into her food.

Father finally broke the silence. “I see you've grown bold enough to talk back to me.”

“People grow, Father. You should try it sometime.”

His fork struck the table. Before he could respond, Louisa approached with my breakfast.

I looked down. Plain rice.

Again.

The rest of the table had plates filled with meat, vegetables, and other dishes that smelled considerably better than the dry mound sitting in front of me.

I stared at the rice, then at Louisa. She wouldn't meet my eyes.

I picked up the plate. And hurled it across the room. The porcelain shattered against the wall, sending rice scattering across the floor.

My stepmother squealed. Karen jumped in her seat, clutching the edge of the table.

“What is wrong with you?” Karen shouted. “Why would you waste food like that?”

I glanced at her plate. Then at my stepmother's. “Is anyone here eating plain rice?”

Karen blinked. I looked back at her.

“I'm Alpha Bellamy's daughter. I won't eat this crap in my father's house. If someone has no place here, they can have it.”

Her face reddened. “Who do you think you are—”

“Enough!” Father growled.

I leaned back, unbothered. His gaze moved to the broken plate, then settled on me.

“You've certainly forgotten your place.”

“Funny. I was about to say the same thing.” 

Emereo put down his fork. “Louisa.”

The maid flinched and turned toward him. “Yes, Prince Emereo?”

“Bring her a proper meal. What kind of crap was that?”

My brows lifted.

Louisa nodded quickly. “Yes, Prince Emereo.”

She hurried out before anyone could say another word. I watched her disappear through the doorway, fighting the urge to grin.

First, he stopped Karen from hitting me. Now, he was making sure I got a decent breakfast.

Was I dreaming?

Father released a heavy sigh, rubbing his forehead as though I were giving him a headache.

“Fine. Since you've decided to disgrace this family, perhaps it's time you became someone else's problem.”

I raised an eyebrow. He looked directly at me.

“This morning, I received a call from Alpha Lincoln Timber. He has proposed marriage to you.”

My fingers stilled against the table.

“Alpha Lincoln?” Karen blurted out.

Father nodded. “He seems quite taken with you after last night. He's interested in making you his wife, and I've accepted his proposal. We'll arrange the engagement date soon.”

For a moment, I simply stared at him. He'd accepted a marriage proposal on my behalf without even bothering to consult me?

I almost laughed.

Of all the things Father had done to me, this was hardly the most shocking. Selling me off to another Alpha was perfectly in character for a man who had spent my entire life treating me like an inconvenience.

Besides, Lincoln wasn't exactly an unpleasant man to look at.

But my attention drifted across the table. Emereo's face had turned red, his fingers tightened around his fork until the metal bent slightly beneath his grip.

I stared at the ruined fork, then at him.

A slow smirk spread across my lips.