Chapter 2

The door to the cheap motel room creaked open, and the stench of moldy carpet hit me.

I tossed the small suitcase on the bed and sat on the edge, counting the cash in my wallet.

Five hundred dollars.

For three years, every cent I earned from my grueling job as a cleaner went straight to Joey, all to prop up his fledgling company.

Now, I was kicked out with nothing but pocket change.

My phone screen lit up. It was Joey.

"Cersei, I'm just calling to inform you that I've revoked your fingerprint access at the company," he said, his voice cold and detached. "Don't come looking for me at the office anymore. It would upset Valerie."

He seemed to think I would come crawling back.

Before I could tell him not to flatter himself, I heard Valerie's whining voice in the background. "Joey, I saw that limited-edition bag I wanted! You promised you'd buy it for me yesterday!"

"We'll buy it. I'll take you tomorrow," Joey's voice instantly softened into a sweet coo.

It had been a long time since he’d spoken to me like that.

Three years ago, Joey had collapsed from exhaustion while desperately trying to secure funding. I happened to find him, gave him some medicine, and watched over him. Seeing his shirt soaked with sweat, I took pity on him.

I called the owner of that company—a friend of my father's—and told him to give Joey a chance.

He thought I was just a cleaner at the company, and that's how we met.

Maybe because he thought I came from nothing, he never believed I was worthy of anything expensive.

I glanced down at the cheap silver ring on my left hand.

It was the only gift he’d given me on the day of our bonding ceremony.

"Cersei, once the company gets through this rough patch, I swear I'll replace this with the biggest diamond ring," he had vowed, his hand over his heart.

But three years later, his company had landed multi-million-dollar contracts, and he was turning around to buy his first love a limited-edition handbag.

"Do whatever you want, Joey," I said coldly and hung up.

Without a second thought, I pulled the silver ring off my finger, walked to the bathroom, and dropped it into the toilet.

With the sound of the flush, that ridiculous chapter of my life was washed away for good.

The next morning, the shrill ring of my phone woke me up again.

This time, it was Joey's mother.

"Cersei, Valerie wants the recipe for that essential oil you blend. Give it to me," she demanded, her tone dripping with the same arrogance as her son's.

She was talking about the oil I custom-blended for Joey to soothe him during his anxiety phases. It was a secret family recipe, incredibly effective.

"And why would I do that?" I scoffed.

"Don't be so stingy! It's just a recipe. You should feel honored that Valerie even wants it! Do you have any idea who she is? She's the daughter of a hotel magnate, a thousand times more noble than a cleaner like you! She's the only one worthy of my Joey!" his mother shrieked into the phone. "If it wasn't for Joey's charity in taking you in these past three years, you would have starved on the streets! Now send me the recipe!"

"You want the recipe? You can have it in your dreams," I said and hung up, blocking her number immediately.

Did they really think Joey had gotten this far on his own merit?

Last winter, his company's servers were hacked. The system crashed, and he was on the verge of bankruptcy.

He was pacing the living room like a caged animal. I was the one who secretly contacted my father's elite team of hackers to fix the breach overnight.

Joey just thought he got lucky.

And when his cash flow dried up in the early days, I was the one who found an investor to inject capital.

Without me, Joey Thorne was nothing.

Half an hour later, a text from Joey came through: [My mom said you were rude to her. Even if we severed our bond, you don't have to be so disrespectful. Apologize to her.]

I ignored it.

I rested a hand on my still-flat stomach. I'd already mind-linked my father with the news and my location. He would be here soon. I would finally take my place as the sole heir to have completed the trial.

Joey's little company, which he had worked so hard for, wasn't even a rounding error compared to the Alpha King's fortune.

That evening, I got another call from Joey's number. This time, it was Valerie's voice.

"Oh, Cersei, I hope I'm not disturbing you," she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "I found a bottle of fertility medication in the bathroom cabinet. Is it yours?"

I frowned.

Why would Valerie ask about this? Did she know I was pregnant? Was she testing me?

"I don't know what you're talking about. It has nothing to do with me," I said, forcing a calm tone, and quickly ended the call.

Touching my belly, I felt a knot of unease tighten in my gut.