Chapter 12 CHAPTER 012
Soren sits alone at the long dining table, staring at the food like it personally offended him. Everything feels too much in this house. The plate is too big, the spoon is too shiny, and even the juice tastes expensive, as if someone squeezed it with attitude, if that makes sense.
He pokes at his eggs and exhales. He hates the quiet. He would almost give anything to return to his old life if it weren't for saving Iris’s life.
Having breakfast with Iris and Theo in their miserable space, called an apartment, is better than sitting alone with a lot of food, yet he finds no appetite. How does the rich survive being so lonely because Soren doesn't think he can take this for a year? Fuck. He needs a smoke.
With a frown, he takes a bite and forces himself to eat. He needs energy to last a year anyway.
He’s halfway through the plate when he hears the sound of echoing heels railing against the floor. Soren reels his head but frowns deeply when his gaze lands on a mid- aged woman with features he swears he has seen before.
The woman, who looks like she just stepped out of a magazine, approaches him with a cold gaze, and judging by her scent, she's an alpha female, and when he's near enough, her voice comes out sharp and biting.
“So this is where he keeps you.”
Soren raises a questioning brow, eyeing her and the two men in black suits that stand behind her guardedly. “Excuse me? Who are you?”
It's the first time he's seeing someone other than the maids and Reign's secretary in the mansion, and this woman bears the gaze of someone who doesn't like him at all, while Soren doesn't even know how he offended her or who she is.
Her gaze sweeps over him like he’s a stain on white cloth, if that makes sense. “I’m Reign's mother,” she says. “Evelyn Montgomery.”
Soren’s brows lift a little in realization. Well. That explains the confidence of why she could waltz in like she owns the space. Soren can also tell where Reign got the attitude from.
“O…kay...” comes his flat reply because, honestly, Soren doesn't know how to react at the sight of the woman. He's engaged to Reign; doesn't that make her his future mother-in-law? Should Soren kneel before her and kiss the ground she walks on? Maybe he would have considered greeting her if she hadn't stared at him with a hateful gaze.
Her eyes narrow at his tone. Like she expected him to do more than sit there and look like a puppy. “So disrespectful, like I could expect anything less from someone like you."
Someone like him? Soren might be born poor, but he won't let anyone insult him.
She gestures to one of the men behind her, and he steps forward, placing a folder on the table.
“You have quite the history and reputation,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest. “Underground fighting. Debt. A sick sister. A mother with an addiction problem and, of course, an extremely poor background."
Soren’s jaw clenches so hard there's almost a visible crack while his hand grips his fork at the degrading tone she's using, but he doesn't say a word. He lets her continue.
“And now you’re here, living under my son’s roof, wearing such expensive clothes and spending his money.”
Soren lifts his eyes slowly. “And? What else did you realize?” The words come out of his mouth with the same mocking tone she's using.
Evelyn steps even closer, her eyes narrowing with visible anger. She leans her body forward, staring like him and drilling a hole through his face with her sharp gaze. “Don’t play smart with me, boy. My son has always been… selective and never makes mistakes. He is a respected figure in our country. Do you realize how much of a laughingstock you have made him? Imagine the headlines: Reign Montgomery engaged to a lowly Beta from the slums.”
Soren snorts softly. “I don't see how that's my problem,” he shrugs.
Evelyn’s lips press together, then she breaks into a weird smile as she straightens. “I’m going to ask you something, and you’re going to answer honestly.” She slides one of the papers towards him. “How much?”
Soren blinks once. “How much what?”
“How much do you need to pack your bags and get the hell out of here?” The words are said so casually, like she’s asking the price of a bag.
Soren stares at her for a second, then he breaks into a chuckle, unable to help it. He feels like he's in some soap opera, but Soren isn't sure he's the main character, though. This is the funniest thing he has heard in a while. If Soren was annoyed and disgraced before, he doesn't care about that anymore.
“I don't see what's hilarious, Mr. Fox." She cuts through his laughter.
Soren finally gets up from his seat, matching her in height because of her heels. He looks at her with an amused smile. “You think I’m here to scam him of his wealth?”
“I think you saw an opportunity and you took it. You have nothing, and my son has everything. No one will give up such an opportunity.”
Soren’s smile fades, and his eyes dim slightly. Now he's back to being annoyed and offended again. “First of all, your son came to me. Second, if you’re angry about it, don’t bring it to me.” He points toward the door that leads out of the dining area. “Third, go look for Reign instead of trying to throw money at me. I'm not that cheap.”
Evelyn’s face tightens. “You’re bold.”
“No, I’m more annoyed,” Soren replies. “You don't get to walk in here and act like I begged your son for anything. I didn’t go hunting him down. I didn’t chase him. I didn’t seduce him. He picked me because he wants me. If you have a problem with that, go speak to your son and deal with it instead of throwing your weight around. It's annoying."
Evelyn scoffs. “Don’t flatter yourself. My son will never want the likes of you.”
Soren shrugs. “Believe whatever you want; it's your headache, not mine.”
If looks could kill, Soren would be dead from the woman's frosty gaze. “You think you are smart, but I've dealt with the likes of you, and I know what desperate Betas like you go after. So, I'm going to give you another chance to pick any amount and get out of my son's life because you don't belong here, and you never will. If I have to drag you out of here myself, then I will."
“Your son is an adult; he is capable of making his own decisions,” Soren counters.
“I won't let him make decisions that will ruin him and what he has built."
Soren scoffs. “Ruin him? He looks fine to me. You look more likely to ruin him than me,”
“You—” She points at his face, eyes red with anger, but the sound of Reign's voice cuts her off.
“Mother,”
Both of them whip their heads, finding Reign standing in the doorway, dressed in black, gloves on, face calm as if nothing fazed him. He walks in slowly, looking moving from his mother to the files on the table, then to Soren before he silently picks up one of the files. He looks at it with an unreadable expression, then places it back down gently.
“Reign, listen to me. This boy—”
“His name is Soren,” Reign cuts her off in a sharper tone.
Evelyn’s lips tighten, but she continues. “He has nothing to offer you. There are thousands of Betas to pick from, and who could bring you the world? You have no idea how much your reputation has been damaged because of him. I'm generous to have offered him money to leave—” she trails off abruptly at the sharp gaze Reign gives her, causing her words to hang in her throat.
“If my reputation can be ruined that easily, then it's not worth having. Offering him money not only insults him but also insults me, mother.”
Evelyn’s face twists, stepping towards him. “I’m trying to protect you. I want you to see that he’s using you. He doesn’t love you.”
Soren almost laughs. Only if she knew the circumstances of their engagement. She won't dare call him a gold digger, and there is no such thing as love between them. Yikes.
“You should leave,”
Evelyn gasps. “Reign—” She cuts herself off, her eyes flickering toward Soren like she wants to spit, then she looks back at Reign with a clenched jaw, “You will come to regret this one day, I promise you.”
Reign holds her gaze without blinking. “That’s for me to worry about, Mother,”
“Fine,” she says, snatching the folder off the table roughly before matching off with the guards following behind her.
“…Well,” Soren mutters under his breath. “That was fun.”
Reign turns to him and slowly closes the space between them. “You weren't nice, Fox.”
Soren snorts. Like he cares. “Perhaps, I should have taken the money and left instead of being tied here like some pretty doll."
Reign gets even closer, the space between their bodies barely there. “You could have. Why didn't you?”
Soren stops himself from taking a step back at the overwhelming presence. He feels so small hovered over like this; he feels his breath in his throat, and his heart is pounding way too fast, but he doesn't look away from Reign's gaze. “You wouldn't have let me leave."
Reign’s lips curl into an eerie smile. He tilts his head while his eyes glint with amusement. "That's common sense, darling…because…” he moves in, his breath fanning on Soren's face and their faces are almost touching. “…you're mine,”