The Alpha’s Curvy Cinderella - Chapter 61: Chapter 61

Stella POV
I waved goodbye to Alpha Romero as he drove away in his Porsche, a triumphant smile on my face. I could barely stop myself from dancing with glee as I turned and stalked back to the house, a skip in my step, my body vibrating with excitement. I’d done it. I’d orchestrated the perfect deal and now Maxwell and I were going to be rich. Sure, Sarah was going to be given a vast portion of the money we received for Jordan, but we would receive the bulk of it. Not only that, but it would result in that fat b***h being gone from the household forever. I knew she disliked me and the feeling was mutual.
I couldn’t stand to look at Jordan. She was big, and chubby, the very epitome of what a shifter was not supposed to look like. You only had to glance at her to see that she was weak. Too nice for her own good and without a wolf, well she had barely any prospects. What man was going to want to marry that? At least Sarah had the common sense to choose a mate or snare one, I should say, that was going to eventually become Alpha and allow her to be Luna of the pack. That was the most powerful position one could hope for. Good for her. That’s what happened when you looked like a supermodel and looked after yourself. Good things happened. When you let yourself go, like Jordan had, well life wasn’t easy, and it certainly wasn’t pleasant. You reaped what you sow, was the saying.
I stepped inside the house and made my way back to the study, eyeing Maxwell. He’d had his doubts about this, wanting Jordan to stay a servant in the house, but I’d convinced him this was for the best. Besides, the older Jordan got, the more she was likely to try running away. You could only legally agree to your daughter being a breeder until she was 21 and then that opportunity was lost forever, so it was best he did it now. Looking upon the girl he considered to be his wife’s murderer was ruining our relationship and making me pissed off with the amount of energy he exuded in wanting to punish Jordan and make her life a living hell. Energy he could put to better use pleasing me and making me happy. I was his mate and he damn well needed to show me how much he wanted it to remain that way.
Maxwell arched a brow at me, leaning back in his chair and looking a bit glum. “Negotiations went well,” he said with a sigh and a grimace.
“They went extraordinarily well” I corrected him, leaning against the doorway “It was more than we could have hoped for. He seemed to be very taken with Jordan, despite her weakness as a shifter. We were lucky” I said gleefully.
It very well could have gone the opposite way and Alpha Romero could have been disgusted by Jordan. There had been no way to tell until he’d seen her face-to-face. We’d sent a photo but nothing compared to seeing the real thing.
He drummed his fingers on the desk, still looking hesitant. I fought the urge to sneer at him. What was his problem? He hated Jordan, so what was this reluctance to send her away? It’s not like she wouldn’t be cared for. In fact, she would have an easier life than if she spent the rest of her life as an omega. I had done her a Favor, couldn’t he see that?
“I wonder if we should have waited a bit longer,” Maxwell said quietly “We did have until she turned 21.”
“This is for the best Maxwell,” I said sharply “Waiting until she’s longer only increases her chances of running away or worse. Besides, you agreed to this. I want us to work on our relationship and we can’t do that with her here. Don’t you want to make me happy?” I said annoyed.
“Of course, I want that” he burst out impatiently “It’s just…” he trailed off.
I rolled my eyes “Don’t tell me you’re suddenly feeling a sense of guilt, considering you’ve made her life a living hell the last few years” I pointed out.
“No,” he said sullenly “but that Alpha better make good on his promise” he snarled “What if he tries to screw us over?”
Ah, much better. He was concerned about the money. I could understand his reasoning. I relaxed. “I’ve already checked into his financials,” I said calmly “and he has more than enough money to keep his promises. I would never have allowed him to come into our home and offer for Jordan otherwise. Do you think I would be that foolish?” I asked him incredulously.
Only a complete moron would fail to do a background check on someone when it came to their financials. I was not an ¡***t. Neither was he.
“We only have to wait two weeks and then we’re home free,” I said in a coaxing tone “and as long as she’s not pregnant we’re home free. If she is then…” I gave a nonchalant shrug. Either way, it could be taken care of. I would do whatever it takes to make sure this contract went through and I wasn’t squeamish about what had to be done either.
Maxwell looked irritated. “If she is then what? The hospital doesn’t do abortions unless medically necessary. She would have to go to a human abortion clinic” he growled sounding annoyed.
“I doubt she’s pregnant,” I said wryly “I mean look at her. Who would sleep with somebody looking like that?” I said lightly, with laughter in my voice.
The odds of her being pregnant were highly unlikely. Still, you just never knew I mused. Never underestimate the enemy. He looked appeased by that. He rubbed his chin. “Still” he muttered.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. You heard the man, so long as she gets an abortion and we show proof, he’ll still take her. We’re golden” I said cheerfully.
Alpha Romero must be really desperate to have Jordan in order to be so accommodating, I thought amused. Not every person or shifter, wanting a breeder would be so flexible. Jordan was really lucky to have found such a nice man as her master. She could have done a hell of a lot worse.
Maxwell let out a large exhale. “Keep an eye on her. I don’t trust her not to try anything, even with that damn bracelet on” he said stiffly.
“I’ll go check on her now,” I said evenly “but for god’s sake Maxwell, find somewhere else to put the remote, besides in your room. It’s kind of an obvious spot. I mean, come on” I said in a defeated tone of voice “even if you put it in the vent there, I imagine it wouldn’t take much searching to find it.”
He waved his hand dismissively. “Jordan’s too fearful to go into my room and besides, the remote is well hidden. Unless you’re looking for it, it can’t be seen by the naked eye. You worry too much” he said gruffly.
I rolled my eyes. He was much too casual about this for my taste, but I wasn’t about to waste my time arguing about the man. He underestimated Jordan, perhaps because he thought she was cowed by him and his beating her over the years. But I had seen a spark of defiance in her, one that could not be tamed, no matter how much he hurt her. That girl had spirit and that was something that couldn’t be taken from her.
I inclined my head at him and sauntered into the kitchen where Jordan was aimlessly sweeping, her eyes red and puffy. She’d been crying. She was still wearing the dress and shoes I’d given her, I noted with some amusement. I would have thought she would have shown some common sense and changed into comfortable clothes for cleaning, but she did appear to be shell-shocked to be fair. I cleared my throat and she glanced up, a blank expression on her face. Oh boy. It looked as though she was broken and defeated. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or if she was merely acting for my benefit.
“Yes Stepmother,” she said in a cracked voice.
Well, that was a new one. I guess she was trying to become detached from me. I thought about making her call me Stella but figured it wasn’t worth arguing about.
“You should go get changed, I don’t want that dress ruined,” I said coldly.
She blinked and then glanced down at herself in surprise, realization dawning on her face. It was as though she had forgotten all about what she was wearing. I guess that shouldn’t really be that much of a surprise.
She let the broom drop with a loud clutter on the kitchen floor. I winced in displeasure. “How could you” she whispered, her body shaking.
“How could I what?” I asked, mystified.
“Do this to me” she said with a sob as I inwardly rolled my eyes at her dramatics. Drama Queen.
“Jordan drop the pitiful poor me, victim act. It doesn’t look attractive on you” I advised her frostily “In time you’ll realize I did you a favor. You can’t hang around home for the rest of your life and at least this way you are doing something to
contribute in a meaningful way.”
“You call being a breeder, contributing,” she said, looking dumbstruck “it’s nothing more than prostitution, plain and simple, ” she said her voice forlorn.
I laughed; I couldn’t help it. She sounded so forlorn and pathetic. “Prostitution is when you sleep with several men for money. You will only be sleeping with one man and for the purpose of providing him with an heir. When you are pregnant, he will leave you alone.”
“It’s still prostitution,” she said shaking, wrapping her arms around herself, her face white and bloodless, her lips pale.
“Call it what you will, it doesn’t stop what’s going to happen. The sooner you accept it, the easier it will be for you.”
“How do you live with yourself? Do you have no conscience at all?” she said looking at me hopelessly, her eyes wide and beseeching.
“That would be a weakness, my dear. It’s best to only care about yourself, that way it’s less disappointing” I drawled with a shrug. “Now go get changed” I snapped impatiently.
She was really trying my patience. She opened her mouth and then shut it, a lone tear trailing down her cheek. She turned on her heel and began to walk out as I watched, satisfied that she was too broken down to fight against the inevitable. Two weeks, I thought, with a grimace. The time would probably fly by if we were lucky. All we had to do was wait and be patient. As long as nothing threw a spanner in the works, all would be well. I remembered the phone call from the Alpha Jaxon and bit my lip. Would he leave well enough alone, I wondered or would he be the spanner in the works that could very well bring everything crashing down? I would have to find a way to thwart his attempts to speak to Jordan until she was gone I thought, pondering my options, and by the time he realized she was gone from this pack, it would be far too late to save her.