Chapter twenty one
Alora POV
"You're going to be late! Get your ass out of that room," Macko yelled. His voice was sharp, but beneath it I could hear the usual thread of concern he tried so hard to hide. I grabbed my backpack and got out, slamming the door behind me.
"Good morning, sunshine. Did you sleep well?" he asked, looking at me questionably.
Of course he noticed the bags and dark circles under my eyes. I couldn't bring myself to sleep last night, all I did was toss and turn.
"Yes," I said, giving him a light nod. Words felt heavy on my tongue, so I gave him a nod instead , easier to pretend I was fine.
Before he could say anything more I made my way towards the door, then his voice stopped me from behind.
"Aren't you going to eat something before we go?" he asked, his voice concerned.
I didn’t want to talk much, I slid into my seat at the dining table, the smell of toasted bread and coffee lingering in the air. Maria, ever quiet, set a plate in front of me, sandwiches, simple, easy. I wasn’t hungry, not really, but Macko would never let me leave without at least pretending to eat.
The first bite was dry, tasteless. My jaw worked, but my mind was elsewhere, tangled in a knot of sleepless thoughts. That’s when the chair beside me scraped against the tiled floor, loud enough to make me flinch.
Rafe.
He looked maddeningly casual in his pajama bottoms and a plain black T-shirt, like he had rolled straight out of bed without a care in the world. His hair was messy, his jaw shadowed, and yet somehow he still managed to carry that effortless authority that made everyone in the house hold their breath when he entered a room.
I chewed slowly, silently, trying to pretend he wasn’t there. If he noticed me, he didn’t say a word.
And then, her.
She floated into the room like she owned it, silk clinging to her curves, bare legs flashing beneath the hem of her nightgown. Tanya. The woman from last night. The one whose presence alone had unsettled me more than any nightmare could.
I froze mid-bite.
She didn’t hesitate, didn’t ask, didn’t glance my way. She went straight to him, wrapping her arms around his neck from behind and pressing her lips to his cheek.
"Babe, why didn’t you wake me up?" she purred, her voice syrupy and sharp all at once.
Rafe didn’t even flinch. "Have a seat, Tanya. Your food will get cold."
The familiarity of it sliced me open. Babe. Sugar. Those words weren’t for me.
But Tanya wasn’t finished. She slid into his lap, stretching like a cat claiming its throne. "No, sugar. I want to sit here. You know how sore I feel today." She arched her back deliberately, her nightgown slipping in a way that left nothing to the imagination.
I stared at my plate, the sandwich turning to ash in my mouth. Every second felt like a performance meant for me, a show I had no desire to watch. My chest tightened, a coil of anger winding hotter and hotter.
Did he enjoy this? Letting her flaunt herself in front of me? Pretending I didn’t exist?
My fingers trembled around the sandwich. I set it down, pushing the plate away before the nausea could rise.
The scrape of my chair against the floor was sharp, final. I couldn’t breathe in that room, not with her perfume filling the air, not with his silence acting as permission.
I stood, every nerve in my body screaming, and stormed out without a word.
Behind me, I imagined Tanya’s smug smile, Rafe’s unreadable stare, and Maria pretending she hadn’t seen a damn thing.
But I had seen enough.
I got inside the car and just screamed so hard, throwing my backpack aside.
"Are you okay there, princess?" he asked, looking at me through the car mirror.
"Yes, just drop me at school," I answered, taking out my handkerchief to wipe my face.
Why did I feel this frustrated?
The drive was silent until we reached the school parking lot.
I got out, ready to walk off, when Macko held my hand to stop me.
"Rafe said to give this," he stated, handing me the gift bag.
I looked at it with forced indifference, though curiosity gnawed at me. Inside was a new phone, bigger than the first one. The glossy screen reflected my face , tired, furious, trapped , like it was mocking me. I felt anger surge through me like a shockwave. I wanted to throw it so hard, harder than the first one, but I couldn’t, not when everyone was here. His way of controlling me was always disguised as generosity.
"You’ll be fine, princess. Call me when you need anything, I’ll be here," he informed.
I just nodded and moved on. At the secretary’s office, people’s stares followed me, whispers brushing against my back.
"Is she a new student?"
"Did you see her car?"
I ignored them.
"Good morning, Helen," I greeted, forcing a smile.
"Good morning, my dear, how may I help you?" she asked, smiling back.
"I want to pay for my tuition and all the extra classes," I answered, handing her the card and my admission details. She typed for a moment, then looked up at me.
"This is strange," she said.
"What is the problem? Is the card not working?" I asked nervously.
"No, dear, it’s just all the payments seem to have been covered for the entire semester," she answered, then handed me back the card and my timetable.
Relief should have washed over me, but instead it felt like invisible chains tightening.
"Ok," I said, then turned to walk away.
Always one step ahead, always meddling. He was getting on my last nerve.
I went to my locker for my books, then slipped into class.
As I entered, everyone’s eyes locked on me. Whispers slithered between desks, their eyes peeling me open like I was a specimen under glass. I wasn’t used to this kind of attention, especially before I met Rafe.
I took a seat in the second last row. The teacher hadn’t come yet, so I unboxed my new phone silently. Just then someone stood in front of me which made me look up.
Shit! It was the boy from the diner with dirty blonde hair and the bimbo who stood behind him.
"Hey there, you look different," he smirked, looking at me weirdly.
Then the bimbo came to stand right beside him.
"She got some rich old hag to sponsor her miserable life," she blurted out.
Her words weren’t sharp, just petty , but still, they struck the raw wound I carried from earlier.
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. The last thing I needed today was them.
The teacher finally walked in , such a relief.
I tried to concentrate but my mind felt heavy, like it had been blocked by a pile of bricks. Still, I forced myself to take notes.
When class ended I rushed out, not wanting to encounter those two. Lucky enough, I didn’t have any other classes with them.
By the time I left school, exhaustion and hunger dragged me down. I couldn’t remember the last peaceful meal I’d had.
I got in the car to find Macko already there.
"Hey, you look like crap," he said.
"Thanks," I answered, too tired to talk.
He just shook his head at me sadly before driving off.
He stopped at Starbucks and got me chicken nuggets, chips, and some lemonade to go with it.
The food dulled the edge of my hunger, but nothing could dull the storm twisting in my chest. I ate in silence, comforted by the slow pace of the car and the music he was playing. For a fleeting second, the hum of the car and Macko’s music felt safer than any home I’d known.
When I finished, I rested my head back.
I was woken up with someone tapping me gently on the shoulder.
"We are here, princess, get down," he nudged.
I stumbled out, feeling run over. Backpack heavy, feet dragging, I braced mys
elf , every step toward the mansion felt like walking into a lion’s den with blood already on my hands. What fresh hell waited in that mansion?