52 Keisha Wester
A glass shatters.
The hand that threw the wine glass trembles in the air. Red liquid drips from her fair skin to stain the white, fur rug below.
The broken pieces lie on the floor, but no one in the room flinches—not even the servants when they are ordered to leave.
With only two people left in the room, Keisha lowers herself back on the chair. She smoothes the red dress over her knee and flicks back a lock of ash grey hair over her shoulder. She sits, unperturbed, wiping her hand clean with a black cloth.
The man in front of her remains as calm as before. He keeps his brownish-orange hair lowered as his black eyes never leave his phone screen. Keisha wonders what's so entertaining in that tiny device that he doesn't react even after all that noise, but frankly, she can't bring herself to care.
It would've been nice if he isn't so indifferent, but this is fine as well. There's no love between them after all. In two days, they'll be legally tied to each other as husband and wife. They'll fulfill their obligations to each other but nothing more than that.
Keisha's Alpha fiance is perfectly okay with this. As the fourth son of the Marcus family, Gabriel knows the limits of his capabilities and in turn, his ambitions. There isn't much hope for him to inherit the family fortune, not as long as he lives in the shadows of his outstanding siblings. It's why he's more than happy to marry into the Wester family. They may have less than the Marcus family in terms of wealth and status, but there's no need for him to play the devoted husband. A wife who doesn't care for him means he gets to live however he pleases.
However good their arrangement may be, Keisha doesn't expect him to be this useless. Granted, she's marrying him to increase her connections and social status, and also because Kramer—that misogynistic bastard—will never leave the company to her without a spouse by her side. If only he's even a little bit useful, then marrying him won't feel like getting stuck with a decorative vase for the rest of her life.
No—thinking about it, she prefers it this way. As she sips on a different glass of wine, she reflects on how dangerous it will be for her if Gabriel suddenly starts having any funny ideas. It's fine if he doesn't have a brain, she can do the thinking for both of them.
Keisha looks at the paper on the table again. It's a letter from the late Mrs. Wester's attorney, rejecting her request /again/. She has tried various means and methods—begging, bribing, threatening—just for a single glance at the inheritance that Katie left for that Omega.
Why is that lawyer so resolute in protecting her will anyway? It's not like she'll rise from the dead if she knew. Katie has been dead for years and she'll continue to be so after Keisha gets her hands on the secret stash she left for her son.
The more they try to hide it from Keisha, the more determined she gets. Especially since not even Kramer knows about this. She only found out by accident, rummaging through Kaiden's belongings for something valuable one afternoon.
Although Katie left something for her too—enough to last for three generations, in fact—thinking about Kaiden having something she can't have angers her to the core. Why did she hide it? What's in it that even years after her death, no one knows? Why is it always Kaiden and never her?
These questions make her unconsciously tighten her grip.
"Why are you so mad about it?" Gabriel asks when he hears the crumpling of paper, still scrolling through his phone.
Keisha ignores him, throwing the now ball of paper somewhere behind her.
She's finishing her wine in one swing when she hears Gabriel say, "Just get him to sign over the rights to you if you want it that bad."
Ah, she thinks to herself, there he goes again. Will it hurt to keep his mouth shut? No one will think he's mute if he doesn't speak.
"I don't know where he is," she admits, voice betraying none of her annoyance. It must be the alcohol, because seldom does she tolerate his idiotic questions like this.
"Then you shouldn't have gotten him kicked out." He throws the words as if it's facts.
Keisha seethes in her chair, but she's too tired to make a fuss. Whose fault is it anyway? Isn't it because Gabriel can't keep his dick in his pants that she has this headache?
Yes, she wanted that Omega out of her sight for as long as she can remember—permanently, if possible, so she didn't hesitate when the opportunity presented itself. She knows Kramer will do just about anything to save face. It only took a few words and some fake tears for him to kick out his son who was trembling and proclaiming his innocence. Add that to Kramer's desperation to be connected with the Marcuses, and viola, Kaiden is gone.
Maybe if she waited a week later after Kaiden's 18th birthday to kick him out, she would've known about the inheritance earlier. Oh well, it's too late for regrets now.
She pours another glass for herself as her so-called fiance plays a loud video from his phone.
She needs to take things one step at a time. First, the wedding, then the inheritance. It's not like it'll suddenly vanish into thin air overnight.
Just as she's slowly descending into that sweet bliss of intoxication, Gabriel jumps from his seat. He practically leaps into the air as he makes his way to her side.
"Look! Look," he says, pointing to his phone with a shaky finger. "That's him, right?"
Keisha grabs his phone before she turns dizzy from his unstable movement. It takes a while for her eyes to focus, but when it does, her heart speeds up in excitement.
[Primo's Number 1 Mom Fan: I found K! His name tag says 'Kaiden' so it must be him. He looks just as good as our baby Primo!]
Below the post is a side profile of a man wearing an apron, standing behind the counter. His hair is hidden behind a cap, but Keisha will never forget that particular shade of pink. From the angle the picture was taken, it's obvious that it was done sneakily. She takes a screenshot, not bothering to read the rest of the post, and sends it to her phone.
"He still looks good," he says, almost drooling on the phone.
Keisha ignores the way Gabriel licks his lips as he stares at Kaiden's picture.
As if he isn't vulgar enough, he adds, "Too bad I didn't get a taste."
Keisha ignores that too. She has more important matters to deal with now. Finishing the rest of her glass, she moves to leave the room.
Ah, she thinks with a smile on her lips, it seems that this will be easier than she thought. Nysus City, huh?
