Chapter 34: Take It

Olivia’s POV

​The head housekeeper let out an impatient sigh, her glare sharpening as she tapped her foot. "Are you going to take this, Princess, or should I return it to the Alpha King?"

​"What? Oh." I quickly grabbed the heavy black plastic bag from her hands before she could pull it back. "I’ll take it. Thank you."

​She gave me one last annoyed, unbothered look before turning around and walking away down the hall. I immediately shut the door, turned the lock, and leaned back against the wood, my mind racing in a hundred different directions.

​Confused and overwhelmed, I walked over to the bed and pulled the brown envelope from under my pillow. I stared down at it, knowing without a doubt now that this stack of cash had come from Lucian. Then I looked at the black bag in my hands, which contained the money from Alpha Lucas.

​I suddenly felt frustrated. Lucian was so insufferable! That annoying man had looked me directly in the eyes and said no. Not "I’ll think about it." Not "give me some time." Just a cold, emotionless no. Then he had turned around and sent a guard to drop off thirty thousand dollars anyway.

​Was this some kind of sick game to him? Did he enjoy playing with me?

​I looked between the two packages again. Well, I didn’t want a single cent from him. Why should I take his money when Alpha Lucas had already given me what I needed without making me feel stupid for asking?

​I placed the black bag beneath my pillow to keep it hidden, picked up the thick brown envelope, and marched toward the door. I was giving Lucian his money back.

​I locked my room securely behind me, slipped the key into the pocket of my dress, and marched straight back up the stairs toward Lucian’s private wing. By the time I reached his massive double doors, my annoyance had given me enough courage to walk straight to his door and knock with clear irritation.

​There was no response, so I knocked again, harder this time.

​It took a few agonizing seconds before his cold, heavy tone sounded from the inside. "Come in."

​I grabbed the handle, pushed the door open, and stepped inside, closing it quietly behind me. But as I turned around, my annoyance hit a sudden wall.

​Lucian was still shirtless. Of course he was. Apparently, shirts had become his greatest enemy this morning. He was standing near the large window, still wearing those dark gray sweatpants. His damp hair was no longer dripping wet, but it was still messy, and water glinted on his golden skin. A white towel was draped over one of his broad hands.

​God, he looked ridiculously, unfairly hot. My eyes almost betrayed me again.

​Almost. I rolled them instead, trying hard to ignore how handsome he was.

​Before I could even open my mouth, Lucian’s eyes dropped to the envelope in my hand. "I don’t need your gratitude. It’s a loan."

​I stared at him, scoffing. So he wasn’t even going to pretend he hadn’t sent it? "Well, Alpha Lucian, you won’t be getting any gratitude because I don’t need your money anymore. But thank you anyway."

​His eyes narrowed, but I didn’t give him the chance to respond. I walked straight past him over to the bed, placed the thick brown envelope neatly on the mattress, and turned around to leave. "There. You can have it back."

​I turned toward the door and took two steps, only to stop abruptly when Lucian suddenly appeared right in front of me. I nearly walked straight into his chest.

​My eyes widened in shock. How the hell had he gotten there so fast? He hadn’t made a single sound. He had been standing across the room only a second ago. I quickly looked behind me at the spot where he had been, then turned back to him.

​"How did you...?"

​Anger flared in his eyes as he stared down at me. "Why are you returning the money?"

​I stumbled back a half-step, completely thrown off. "Can you... can you teleport?"

​His brows pulled together, completely ignoring my ridiculous question. "Why are you returning the money, Annabel?"

​I forced myself to snap out of the shock, folding my arms across my chest and lifting my chin to look him in the eye. "Because I no longer need it."

​"Why?"

​"I’ll get it from somewhere else."

​His eyes sharpened. "Where?"

​Why did he care? "I’ll send word to my father, and he will send me whatever I need. At least I won’t have to worry about paying back my own father... unlike you, my husband."

​Lucian’s jaw clenched tightly at my words. The atmosphere in the room instantly grew heavy, thick with the suffocating pressure of his Alpha aura.

​"My father will give it to me without making me beg for it first," I added.

​Lucian took one slow step toward me, his green eyes darkening, and my confidence immediately dropped by half. "What did you just say?"

​I swallowed hard. "I said I’ll ask my father."

​He took another step, his gaze locking onto mine with fierce intensity. "You don’t need to ask your father for money."

​I frowned. "Why not?"

​He stared at me as though the answer should have been obvious. "Because you’re married to me. I am more than capable of providing whatever you want. You don’t need to go begging another Alpha for money."

​I blinked. There was something almost offended in his expression, as though the thought of his wife asking another Alpha for money had somehow insulted him personally.

​I frowned. "Well, I no longer need it. I’m returning it."

​Before I could take another step back, Lucian moved closer and wrapped one arm firmly around my waist, pulling my body flush against his hard chest.

​A gasp escaped me as my hands immediately landed against his bare chest to keep my balance. His skin was warm beneath my palms, the water droplets long dried, and for one stupid second, my brain forgot we were arguing.

​Oh, for the love of the Moon Goddess. Not again.

​I lifted my eyes to his. His face remained cold, but there was something different in his gaze, something I couldn’t quite understand.

​Panicked, I tried to pull away from his grip, pushing against his chest, but his arm felt like an iron bar around my waist until suddenly he finally released me. I immediately stepped back, swallowing hard.

​"Go pick it up," he commanded coldly.

​"No," I defied him, tightening my jaw.

​His eyes narrowed. "Annabel."

​"Alpha Lucian."

​His expression darkened at the way I copied his tone, a dangerous glint entering his eyes. "Pick up the money."

​"No."

​For a few seconds, neither of us moved. I held his gaze even though every sensible part of me was screaming that arguing with Alpha Lucian over thirty thousand dollars was probably not one of my brightest ideas.

​Then Lucian took one slow step toward me. "Take the money willingly," he said quietly, "or I’ll make you take it—and you have no idea how far I am willing to go."

​My stomach tightened. "How exactly are you going to force someone to take money?"

​His gaze remained fixed on mine. "You don’t want to find out."

​I swallowed hard. A little over a week of knowing Alpha Lucian had taught me one very important thing: he never made empty threats. If he said he would force me to take the money, then somehow, he would find a way to do exactly that.

​"Fine."

​I marched back toward the bed, snatched up the brown envelope, and turned around.

​Satisfied, Lucian released a heavy breath, turned away from me as though the argument had never happened, and walked back toward his desk. He lowered himself into the chair near the window and picked up a document from the table beside him.

​Just like that. Conversation over.

​I stood there glaring at him while his eyes remained on the document. "Close the door on your way out."

​I didn’t exchange another word with him. I simply turned around, pulled the door open, and walked out. By the time I was halfway down the hallway, my brows were furrowed as I glared at the envelope in my hand again.

​This was so unnecessary! I didn’t even need his thirty thousand dollars anymore. But fine. If Lucian wanted me to keep his precious thirty thousand dollars so badly, I would keep it. I would hide it away, and in a month or two, I would hand every single cent right back to him and pretend I was paying off the loan.

​I reached my room, unlocked the door, and went straight inside. The black plastic bag Lucas had sent was still beneath my pillow, so I pulled it out and carried both packages into the walk-in closet.

​Opening my suitcase at the bottom of the wardrobe, I placed Lucas’s black bag inside first, then tucked Lucian’s brown envelope safely beside it beneath my clothes before zipping it shut.

​I stared at the closed zipper for a moment.

​Thirty thousand from Lucas.

​Thirty thousand from Lucian.

​Apparently, becoming a fake princess came with financial benefits nobody had warned me about. Unfortunately, it also came with blackmail.

​I sighed and pushed the suitcase deeper into the closet. All I had to do now was wait for Owen tonight. Hopefully, once I handed him the money, he would take it, disappear, and stay off my back for good.

​But as I closed the walk-in closet door, a terrible thought settled cold in my stomach.

​People like Owen didn’t usually stop once they discovered they could make you afraid. And somehow, I had a feeling thirty thousand dollars wasn’t going to be the end of this.