Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder by Alice Knightsky
Chapter 47 – A Tempting Offer
Being around Ethan for the rest of the afternoon wasn’t easy. I couldn’t lie to myself, after all.
Luckily, I had the default excuse of being pregnant, so I ended up laying in bed while Ethan focused on his work in the living area. As soon as he left, around dinner hour, I decided a nice warm shower to wash his scent off would be a great idea if I wanted to have some peace of mind for the rest of the night.
My life was never going to be normal, and the sooner I accepted that fate, the better. Regardless of how Ethan acted around me- regardless of how I put on a happy face- I had to live with the fact that I was only useful for as long as I was a breeder.
Once my task ended, so would my life.
‘Don’t cry, Rosalie. Tears are the most useless thing in the world!’ I told myself.
A knock on my door caused me to turn from the sofa to see who it was.
“Come in,” I called out, wiping away the evidence of my pain. I had pushed off my dinner plans with Georgia and Vicky, so it could be Mary bringing me food.
“Hey, Rosalie.”
In came the voice of the last person I ever wanted to see again. Madalynn.
Rising to my feet, I turned to face her- and this time, it wasn’t with terror. Nothing could scare someone who knew their death was coming.
“How may I help you?” I asked her coldly. She made her way in and closed the door behind her.
“Look, I know we’ve never seen eye to eye, and that’s partially because of me-”
“Partially?” I echoed, raising my brow.
She looked at me in disbelief, but her surprised look was quickly replaced by an apologetic one. “Yes-” She gritted out. “You and I both want Ethan. Don’t lie to yourself.”
I didn’t want to continue the pointless argument. “Your point, Madalynn? You don’t want Ethan to catch you here with me alone.”
That statement made her eyes shoot to mine, and I could tell she was a little nervous, but just a little. “Look, I came by to say that I’m sorry.”
“Excuse me?”
That was the last thing I would have ever expected to hear from her. I was taken aback by her admission. “You’re… sorry?”
“Yes, I am. I shouldn’t have acted the way I did toward you. I know you’re pregnant, and that makes what I did even worse.”
I stared at her, dumbfounded.
What was going on in this world?! The people I trusted most wanted to k*ll me, and the person who had made her scorn clearly known was apologizing to me?!
“What’s done was done,” I said. “I am not one to hold grudges, Madalynn. I appreciate your gesture. You shouldn’t hang around too long.”
I moved toward the door, implying she should take her leave now. I didn’t want any more conflicts than I had already.
“I know Ethan is planning to k*ll you.”
Madalynn’s words froze me in place. Slowly, I turned to face her, and saw excitement and venom growing in her eyes. This was why she was here- to remind me of the pain I had to go through?
“Excuse me?”
Did she know this whole time? Did they all plan together from the beginning to use me and then k*ll me? That raised a question I wanted answered. How did she know?
I decided not to confirm it, hoping to coax out her source. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” She chuckled.
“You don’t need to play the fool with me. It doesn’t matter how I know. It’s true, and you don’t need to deny it.” I sighed as I walked back to the sofa, taking a seat and letting the information sink in.
“Well, when I am gone, you will have everything you want with Ethan. So, no need to worry. It will come soon enough …” I was surprised that I could be this calm discussing my own terrible fate.
She walked towards me and took a seat on the edge of the arm chair, staring at me.
“It isn’t right… Even if I didn’t like you, I didn’t want that for you.”
Her words took me by surprise.
I looked away and turned my head towards the window. “Well, there’s nothing that can be done. I am stuck here, and from what I’ve heard the guards say to each other… no one leaves until all is clear.”
I didn’t want to discuss this with Madalynn, but I felt that, if I didn’t let it out, I would drive myself crazy.
A moment of silence between us made me believe that there was more that she wanted to say, but was hesitating to.
She seemed to have something in her mind, but I was done waiting for her to get to her point. I didn’t want to waste my time on someone who only brought me negative emotions.
“If you are here to remind me of my own death, you’ve already done it.” I looked back at her, not in a friendly manner. “I’m tired, and I want to be left alone.”
Her attitude shifted slightly at that. She looked up at me with a straight face and sighed.
“What if I told you I could get you and your baby out of here alive?”
My eyes widened as she continued, “You would be able to start over some place far away where no one would know who you were.”
I took a second, but I could hear my heart start to pound. This was the first time in the past few days that I actually felt alive again. If she could get me out of here…
But I soon shook my head, trying not to get my hopes too high.
“That isn’t possible. Ethan won’t let me go, Madalynn. He owns me.”
“Nothing is impossible,” Madalynn replied with her signature sinister smirk. For the first time ever, it didn’t trouble me.
“Please explain, then.”
She could be in so much trouble for even coming here and suggesting something like this, and she knew it. It wouldn’t make sense for her to risk it unless she was serious, regardless of what her true motives were.
“Don’t worry about the ‘how’s’ right now, because I still don’t have all the details. Just think about it. I have a place you can go, and people who will help you start over. You just have to decide if that’s something you really want to do.”
Leaning back, I studied her for a moment.
I was curious as to why she cared if I was able to start over. It wasn’t like my life affected her in any way. “So, why do you suddenly care about helping me? What’s in it for you?”
Madalynn looked at me for a moment and sneered. I knew that her performance of compassion was going to slip away eventually, and I was waiting for the moment she showed her true colors.
“Well, you’re not as stupid as you appear.”
A snake couldn’t change its skin. At the end of the day, it would always be a snake.
Madalynn stood to her feet as she straightened out the long dress she had been wearing. “You stand in my way of the future I want, Rosalie. Even if I give him a child, it will never see the throne. Your child will be the oldest, and that means that it will take the throne if Ethan dies. I can’t have that.”
She shot me a grin. “Don’t misunderstand things. This is about me.”
A small chuckle escaped my lips as I smiled. “I wouldn’t expect anything less. I’m just surprised, honestly. You’re the last person I ever expected to help me.”
“Well, don’t flatter yourself,” Madalynn replied as she made her way across the room. “I’m doing this for me.” “I’ll think about it.” I looked at her with mixed emotions. “And thank you anyway.”
“My time is up.” She walked to the door. “Send word if you want to see me again. In the meantime, I suggest you really consider my offer. There will only be a small window in which we can make it happen, and if you want to save yourself…. you’ll take it.”
With these final words, she exited the suite.
After being alone for a few seconds, I realized my breathing had become fast. A feeling was rising in my chest that made me want to cry again.
I had jumped right to trying to accept death, and I never took any notice of the fact that there could be another way – a way to find a path where I could continue my life.
My mind raced with the possibilities.
If I stayed with Ethan, the baby would be born safe and would grow up under Ethan’s watchful eyes, regardless of my death.
But if I could escape…
I shook my head. I knew I shouldn’t trust Madalynn. Once the plan was in motion, I would be at Madalynn’s mercy, and I might be risking both mine and my child’s life.
Yet, how could I possibly not be tempted by the chance at freedom? How could I not desperately want a new life with just me and my baby?