CHAPTER 4

JADE

The next day came faster than I expected, and no amount of wishing could slow it down.

I stood outside the gates of Alpha Nicholas’s villa with my hand wrapped tightly around the handle of my luggage and stared ahead at the massive building ahead of me. It stood tall, stretching across a wide piece of land with high walls and iron gates.

I tightened my grip on the luggage and let out a slow breath, trying to steady myself. My mother had already gone in ahead of me as Alpha Nicholas himself had come around earlier to receive her.

Before she left, she had turned to me and said something that made me tear up a bit.

“Take just a few things, Jade. We won’t be needing the rest anymore. Things are different now.”

I had nodded at the time, but I knew deep down that I wasn't listening to her.

Now, as I stood there with my large luggage filled with the stuff she had told me to leave behind, I knew exactly why I hadn’t listened. I could not bring myself to leave the last memories of my father that I could still hold on to.

I swallowed hard and began dragging the luggage forward. The wheels scraped against the ground as I pulled it along the paved path leading to the entrance.

Just then, I heard a scoff and slowly, I lifted my head.

They were there. Standing on the rooftop patio and leaning casually against the railing, the triplets looked down at me.

I looked away immediately and kept walking. However, I could feel their eyes on me with every step I took, and it made my heart pound in my chest. I had already made up my mind the night before that I was not going to give them any reaction. I was going to stay out of their way as much as possible. That was the only way I could survive this.

I was almost at the entrance when I slipped. It was so sudden that I did not even have time to react properly. One moment I was walking, and the next, my balance shifted completely. My grip on the luggage loosened, and before I could steady myself, I fell forward.

The impact knocked the air out of my lungs, and for a second, all I could do was lie there, stunned. The luggage landed beside me with a loud thud, and when I turned my head, I saw that all the contents had spilled out onto the ground.

Then the laughter came.

Randy’s laughter was the loudest, his shoulders shaking as he leaned slightly forward against the railing. Liam had a small, mocking smile on his face, while Carl shook his head slowly, as if he had expected nothing less.

Heat rushed to my face, a mix of embarrassment and anger burning through me.

“How could you bring your pile of waste into our mansion?” Liam chuckled.

The words hit me, but I said nothing.

“See?” Randy added, his tone dripping with mockery. “Even the trash is smarter than you. It knows it’s not worth entering our abode, that’s why it fell apart."

Carl let out a sigh and shook his head but he didn't say anything.

I closed my eyes briefly and forced myself to take a deep breath.

What a grand entrance I had made!

Slowly, I pushed myself up from the ground. My hands trembled slightly, but I ignored it as I brushed the dust off my clothes. Then I turned to the scattered items.

My heart ached when I saw the bracelet my father had given me on my sixteenth birthday. The impact had cut the strings and the beads lay scattered across the pavement.

I swallowed hard and knelt down, quickly gathering them.

Carefully, I placed all my stuff back into the box, making sure nothing else fell out. I could feel the sting of their gazes on me from above as I started moving again but I didn't care much.

A maid opened the front door when I got there and smiled at me.

“Miss Jade,” she said politely. “Please come in. I will assist you.”

The maid took hold of my luggage before I could protest and began leading the way through the hall.

I followed silently, my eyes moving around as I took in everything. The place was larger than I had expected. The ceilings were high, the hallways long, and there were doors everywhere.

We walked for what felt like several minutes before she finally stopped in front of one of the doors.

“This will be your room,” she said, opening it for me.

I stepped inside slowly and assessed the whole place quickly.

A large bed sat in the center, neatly made with clean sheets. There was a dresser, a desk, and a window that overlooked part of the estate. Everything was arranged perfectly.

“Your belongings will be arranged shortly,” the maid said, placing my luggage inside before stepping back. “If you need anything, please let me know.”

I nodded again, and she left, closing the door behind her.

Then I let out a slow breath and sat on the bed. This was it. This was my new reality.

“I’ll be fine,” I whispered to myself although I did not know if that was true.

The rest of the day passed slowly but I stayed in my room. I didn't even bother to go looking for my mother as I was too scared of running into those annoying brats.

At some point, a maid knocked and informed me that dinner was ready, but I told her I was not hungry.

By the time night came, I was exhausted. I turned off the lights and lay down, pulling the covers over my body before closing my eyes.

Before sleep finally came, I made a promise to myself. I was going to do my best to avoid them. I was not going to allow them break me. That was the only way I could survive this place.

And with the comfort of that thought, I finally drifted off to sleep.

However, the next morning came with problems of its own.

I was already running late for school and I had barely settled into the back seat of the car when the door was pulled open again.

Before I could even react, a strong hand grabbed my arm. I barely had time to register what was happening before I was yanked forward.

“Get down," Liam growled.