One Night Stand: Entangled With A Playboy Alpha

04

Jasmine

I didn’t look back. I’m sure the doctor would be wondering why I left when I was being admitted. Only if she knew. He doesn’t even know what he’s saying. Marriage? Is that some sort of joke? Even if I want to get married, it wouldn’t be to a stranger. The man I’m carrying his child. Would that get better for me? “Drop me here please sir” I spoke up as I caught a sight of our house. The car halted and I paid him his fee before sauntering my way towards the front door. I inhaled and exhaled out a deep breath.

“Stay calm, Jasmine. They will understand,” I reassured myself before opening the door. The first person I saw was my mother, and the look on her face almost made my legs give out. It was as if she could see right through me. “You’re finally back?” she mockingly asked.

I stepped further inside, preparing to share the news with her. I knew she would be furious. She would curse at me until she ran out of words. “Here,” she said, dropping a stack of papers on the couch. “Tell me how you’re going to fix this. Our utilities are being cut off!”

I closed my eyes and opened them again. “Mom, please. You know I’m doing my best to provide for this family. It’s not my fault that things aren’t working out.”

“Whose fault is it then? Mine or your father’s?” Her loud voice pierced through my skull. “I’m not blaming any of you. I’m just saying you should know I’m trying,” I held back tears, despite the immense pain I was going through. I’m facing so much right now, and they’re only adding to my problems.

I didn’t say anything more and turned to leave, but my mother threw something at my back. “Don’t think you’re doing us any favors just because you’re paying for small expenses. It’s nothing compared to how I carried you in my womb for eight months! Fix this tomorrow,” I felt the pain but controlled myself.

After shutting my bedroom door and collapsing onto my bed, I let out a frustrated sigh, running my hands through my hair. No matter what I do, my parents will never appreciate me. They'll never acknowledge the effort I put into taking care of the family, how I work tirelessly just to ensure we have enough. Instead, they always belittle me.

The tears I've been holding back finally escaped. I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by how quickly my life has taken a turn. On one hand, I'm dealing with the family's problems, and on the other hand, I'm carrying a life inside me. How could things have gone so wrong? I had hoped that locking myself in my room would bring me some peace. However, my mother's voice pierced through the door. "Come and pick up your bag from the floor. No one is going to do it for you."

Lacking the strength to move from the bed, I knew she would continue her tirade. The bag could wait. I rested my legs on the bed, lying down and covering my back with the sheets. Maybe if I sleep, the tightness in my chest would ease. I pulled the covers up to my nose and closed my eyes. Things will get better, my wolf voice reassured me before I drifted into a deep slumber.

"Jasmine!"

"Jasmine, open the door!" I heard my mother's voice from a distance. Why was she back again?

Her loud banging disturbed my thoughts. I knew that if I don’t open the door, she would keep knocking. Reluctantly, I pushed aside the covers and got out of bed. "You have time to sleep when you're supposed to be at work," she snapped angrily.

Oh it is morning already.

I yawned and rubbed my eyes, trying to shake off the sleepiness. "Today is Saturday," I mumbled.

"You have a visitor. Go make yourself presentable," my mother told me before walking away. It took a few seconds for her words to register in my brain. A visitor? Who could that be? Regardless, I pushed my curiosity aside and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

I had to steady myself as my eyes met the unexpected visitor. I widened my eyes in surprise. What was he doing in our house? And why were they sharing a drink, or maybe tea, with my father, laughing at some jokes? This had to be a joke. "Are you just going to stand there, or will you come and take a seat?" my mother's voice snapped me out of my daze. Summoning up my courage, I approached them, my gaze fixed on him. He deliberately avoided looking at me. I didn't know why he was here, but whatever it was, I wasn't going to agree to it.

"What are you doing here?" I finally managed to make him look at me. He had a smile on his face.

"Shouldn't I be here? I'm here for what's mine," his words sent a shiver down my spine. I couldn't pretend I didn't understand what he meant. My parents watched us, trying to make sense of our conversation.

"Mr. Smith, now that your daughter is here, I'd like to make my intentions known," he said, taking a sip of his tea.

"Don't," I warned, even though I knew it wouldn't help. I knew he was determined to play with me.

"Why are you saying 'don't'? Are you trying to hide the truth from us? He says he's here because he knows you. Let him speak," my father chimed in. I clenched my jaw. It was too late.

"So..." he trailed off. "I'm here to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage."

As the words left his lips, I felt as if a heavy brick had landed on my head. So, he was still on about the marriage. "What?" my mother exclaimed in shock, while I stood up, now on my feet.

"Please leave. You've got the wrong house," I said, pointing toward the door.

"Did they know about us?" he asked, looking at me. I glanced at my mother and saw the confusion on her face.

"There's no 'us.' So please leave! We don't entertain strangers in our house. Leave!" I yelled out.

"Um... Mr. Lucius, thank you for the visit. Can you please excuse us while we have a talk with our daughter?" my mother said. He glanced at me briefly.

"No problem, Mr. Smith. I'll be expecting your call," he replied. My inside burned as I watched him leave the house. The burning sensation intensified when I noticed the stack of wrapped gift bags on the dining table. "Mom—" I started to speak, but before the words could come out, a loud slap landed on my cheek.

"You're so stupid!" my mother shouted. The slap caught me by surprise. "You have no sense in your head. You only use it to make noise, but it's worthless. How could you decline such an offer? Do you even know who Lucius Blackwell is? I bet you have no idea how powerful the Castletown pack is. Otherwise, you wouldn't have opened your mouth and said such rubbish," she pointed her finger at me, marching closer. My hand still rested on my cheek, and I could still feel the pain radiating through my body.

I couldn't believe my parents had abandoned their support so quickly. I had expected them to stand by my decision to decline the offer. But hearing my mother insult me about someone they knew nothing about made me feel weak. "Mother, you don't know the real reason why he’s here" I managed to say, my voice hushed.

Her eyes narrowed at me. "So what? I'm sure you're the one who caused trouble. Tell me, how do you know him? Because there's no way I'm letting this opportunity pass us by. It could be life-changing for us."

I let out a gasp, realizing that their focus was solely on what they could gain, not on what their daughter would have to endure. "You're right, Erica. Who knows what wealth this opportunity could bring us. We might even move out of this terrible house."

Tears streamed down my face. I couldn't believe my parents were revealing their greed right in front of me. "You're getting married to him," my mother declared.

"No," I declared firmly.

Another slap struck my other cheek, causing me to stagger backward. "I'm talking, and you will listen. Do you want us to continue living in poverty because of your foolishness? You haven't done anything to provide for us. Now that an opportunity has come knocking on our door, you're trying to chase it away. Let me make myself clear. You already belong to him."

Summoning the last bit of strength within me, I spoke up for myself. "I belong to nobody. And I'm not getting married to him. All you care about is what you will gain, not what your daughter is going to face. Just because he comes from a powerful pack doesn't mean he's kind enough," I said, allowing my tears to flow freely as I poured out my feelings.

"No one cares about what I'm going through. How I'm going to take care of a life alone. How I'll struggle with—"

"Wait. What do you mean, take care of a life alone?" My mother's voice softened as she asked the question. Frustration surged through me as I ran my hand through my hair. I didn't mean to reveal it like that. "Are you... pregnant, Jasmine?" The look in her eyes told me it was the end for me. My mother is going to kill me.