CHAPTER 67: 67-PLANNING A BABY

Lara:

"He didn’t tell you?" she asked again.

I steadily and gently pretended to slap my forehead.

"I must have forgotten. Yeah, that has to be it. They’re really doing a great job," I slid in a compliment, smiling through my clenched teeth.

I tried to sound neutral, not angry, not embarrassed, because I didn’t want people like them watching me lose my composure over someone who had already been rejected by her husband for me.

"I’m sure they are. They’re both very capable people," Lady Clarissa said, praising her daughter. I had to nod like I agreed, even when I didn’t.

Iris was nothing. She always got her work done by others.

Previously, she had Kash taking care of her and now her mother handed her the company on a silver platter.

"So then, I’ll just leave," I said, putting down the glass of wine.

"How are things between you and Kash?" Her casual question, about her ex-son-in-law, made me sit down again.

"Things are well. We’re actually planning an official engagement ceremony," I told her.

Just because he had taken her daughter out once for a business meeting didn’t mean they were back together, or that she meant anything to him.

"I see, I see. That’s great. I wish you all the best."

As soon as she said that, my curiosity got the better of me.

"I’m sorry. I know I’m overstepping boundaries and probably asking a very inappropriate question that I have no right to ask, but– why do you sound so normal talking about it?" I asked and she frowned.

" What do you mean?" she asked, her tone strange.

"I know how you feel about me. I’m the woman who ruined your daughter’s happily married life. You don’t have to pretend to be nice to me. I know you hate me," I said softly, trying to sound understanding.

Her reaction surprised me more than I expected. She shook her head, laughing, and gave a small hand gesture.

"I don’t hate you," she said through her laughter, covering her mouth.

What was wrong with this woman? I wondered.

"It’s just that we’re rogues. Iris grew up in the woods with a family, and there was a boy in that family I always hoped she’d end up with, her current boyfriend, Luca." Her laughter softened as she mentioned what she had wanted for her daughter.

I was stunned at her response.

"But Luca is just a rogue. Why wouldn’t a mother be happy about her daughter having a relationship with an alpha king?" I asked, leaning back comfortably and crossing one leg over the other.

I noticed Lady Clarissa observing my body language, probably a little too intently.

"You see what happened when she ended up with an alpha king. Marrying an alpha king is a powerful move, but keeping him is hard. Only an alpha’s daughter has the power to be the sole mate of an alpha king. Girls and women like my daughter get replaced easily. To prevent her from that pain, I wanted her to end up with someone like Luca, someone who waited all these years for her. And look, now they’re together."

Her words were heavy. She didn’t seem to be faking it, she genuinely wanted her daughter to be with Luca, and I could tell.

"Well, you’re right about that. We alpha kings and people from packs usually try to keep it among ourselves. A royal always looks good with a royal because they know each other’s ways and can support each other."

I instantly agreed. My tone brightened slightly, at least her mother seemed against the idea of Iris going back to Kash. But I had to ask anyway.

"But why haven’t they rejected each other yet?" I tried to sound casual, focusing on my wine as I sipped.

I must say, they must have earned a lot from their business for her to afford such expensive wine.

"Right. I’ve been thinking the same. I want her to reject Kash before he gets engaged to you."

It was as if she had stolen my thoughts. I nodded, agreeing silently, and set my glass back on the table.

"I heard the engagement ceremony was canceled, briefly," she continued.

The wine in my mouth suddenly clogged my throat, and I started coughing.

"Well, it wasn’t because of my daughter, right?" she asked.

I shook my head, still coughing and patting my chest.

"Of course not. It was a personal issue," I explained.

She nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

"I’m just saying, you’re right. They should have rejected each other, which worries me. When kids are involved, parents are usually conflicted about splitting, especially when it’s an alpha king. They take their heirs very seriously."

Her words unsettled me.

"Do you think they plan to get back together?" I asked anxiously, remembering how Kash had lied about kicking Iris out to the guesthouse before and later keeping her with him.

I wouldn’t allow it. I wanted Kash for myself.

"A child in a relationship can change a lot, Lara," she said, her eyes deepening as she offered motherly advice. "Try to have a child with him. A child is a good shackle to a man’s feet, especially someone like Kash. Once you have a child, he’ll pay more attention to you. The new baby will be something he never got to have or experience with the older children. Those experiences will connect him more to your child than to Iris’s children."

Her words felt dark and heavy.

I stared at her silently, feeling goosebumps prickling my skin.

" Actually, I had been thinking about not starting a family so soon. It restricts your life, and the body changes," I uttered.

"You can do all that. You have the means," she said, shaking her head at my hesitation, disappointed. "That’s the difference between an alpha’s daughter and a rogue or an omega. The rogue knows how to tie a man. Do you think Iris would have used a pregnancy to make him accept her if she had found out earlier? It was your luck she found out too late, after she’d left. She was with me, and I didn’t let her go back. Trust me, she had a whole plan to return and give Kash an ultimatum."

Lady Clarissa’s words made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

If Iris had tried that before, who knew what she might attempt now?

"You’re right. So how should I do it? What if Kash doesn’t want to sleep with me? He says we should wait for the marriage."

I didn’t know why, but I immediately began confiding in her.

So far, she had been dropping hints that she didn’t want Kash to end up with Iris either, probably because she didn’t approve of a cheater who had broken her daughter’s heart.

"Lara, come on. I’m pretty sure you two drink a lot. Drunken mistakes often end up with good results, especially when the two are already in love."

Her suggestion relaxed me. She picked up her glass of wine and smiled.

"Let’s cheers to that."

I grabbed my glass, clinking it with hers.

As I drank, my mind raced, making plans for my future with Kash. I needed to have a baby with him soon.

After I finished my drink with her, I walked out of the guesthouse and headed straight back to the main mansion.

The moment I stepped inside, I didn’t realize someone was already waiting to annoy me.

"Lara," Markus greeted, his voice carrying that smug familiarity that instantly made me roll my eyes.

"What is it?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest and facing him.

Whenever Zoe wasn’t around, Markus showed his true colors.

"Come on, don’t be so hostile. I was just thinking about you today," he said, pretending to sound casual.

"Really? That’s so sweet of you," I replied with sharp sarcasm. "Even though I don’t need you thinking about me."

I had told him multiple times that I didn’t care, not about him, not about what he thought, and certainly not about whatever fantasy he entertained.

The only person I wanted to think about was Kash.

"Yeah, all this struggle you’re doing," Markus went on. "All the effort, don’t you think you could put that energy somewhere it would actually be appreciated? Somewhere you’d be loved?" His tone made it clear he was talking about himself.

I pretended not to notice. I didn’t want to acknowledge his meaning, let alone picture it.

"I don’t think so," I replied flatly. "I’m putting my efforts in the right place. Kash loves me, that’s why he’s engaged to me now." I threw the words at him like knives.

"Correct," Markus said with a shrug. "Still, he’s hanging around with his ex, though. Oops! sorry, not even ex yet."

He tried to make it sound like a joke, but I knew exactly what he was doing.

My jaw clenched, and I began tapping my foot on the floor.

"Well, maybe you’re forgetting," I snapped. "He left her for me. So maybe my attempts aren’t that futile after all."

Straightening my shoulders, I stormed past him, fueled by rage.

One of these days, I was going to slay this monster and I wouldn’t even feel bad for Zoe.