16. Delcy

I staredat the stainless steel of the espresso machine, watching the steam rise in soft curls, as if it were carrying my tumultuous thoughts up to the ceiling. My hands moved mechanically, tamping down grounds, pulling shots, frothing milk. Each latte art heart I poured split down the middle like my own conflicted emotions.

Amanda and Nora"s words echoed in my head, bouncing around like a pinball against the bumpers of my skepticism and hope. They had laid out a reality so different from what I had known. And Colton and Jaxon—were their sweet nothings just that? Nothing? Or was there truth tangled in their affections?

"Delcy." Blair"s voice cut through my reverie. "You okay?"

I blinked back into focus. "Yeah, just... a lot on my mind."

She leaned against the counter, her brow creased with concern.

"You"ve been off lately. And now you"re just staring at that milk like it owes you money."

I forced a chuckle, though it sounded hollow even to my own ears.

"Listen," she continued, her tone softer now, "you"ve got that delivery to Sterling Enterprises soon. If you"re not up for it—"

"No." I cut in quicker than I intended. The idea of walking into that sleek building and seeing Colton and Jaxon... I felt nauseous. "Actually, Blair, would it be okay if I didn"t make the delivery? I"m just going through some stuff."

Blair"s expression softened further. "Of course. You don"t have to explain. We all have those days... or weeks."

I nodded in gratitude.

"And Delcy?" she added with genuine concern knitting her brows together. "You look pale and tired. Do you need a couple of days off? You"ve got annual leave piling up and your sick days are untouched."

A couple of days off sounded like a lifeline tossed in the midst of a stormy sea. It would give me time to sift through this mess, maybe even confront Lydia with a clear head.

"That would be great," I said, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders at the thought of some reprieve from the daily grind.

Blair clapped me on the shoulder lightly. "Take the rest of today too. Go home and rest up."

The bell above the door jingled as another customer walked in, bringing with it a gust of wind that seemed to whisper possibilities.

"Thanks, Blair," I said with more warmth than I had mustered all morning.

She smiled back before turning her attention to the newcomer.

I peeled off my apron and hung it on its designated hook in the back room before collecting my things from my locker.

As I stepped outside into the cool air of late morning, uncertainty still gnawed at me like an insatiable hunger. But now there was room for something else too—determination.

I would find out if Amanda and Nora"s tale held any water before this week was out. And then there would be Lydia to deal with.

* * *

The silenceof my apartment wrapped around me like a shroud as I sat cross-legged on my couch, the glow from my laptop screen casting an eerie pallor over everything. The Alpha Gold Club"s website oozed wealth and prestige, its pages adorned with photos of men in sharp suits and women in glittering gowns. I read the same lines over and over again, about charity work and exclusive events, but the words were just a smokescreen for what I knew lurked beneath.

I clicked through images of galas and handshakes, searching for something, anything that might suggest the reality Amanda and Nora had unveiled. Yet all I found were hollow smiles and champagne flutes raised in toasts to benevolence.

How could I be their treasure? The idea seemed ludicrous. I wasn"t like the women in those photos, all polished grace and calculated allure. My beauty—if it could even be called that—was more akin to a wildflower on a roadside than a meticulously groomed rose in a manicured garden.

A laugh escaped me, bitter and biting. Why would Colton and Jaxon want me? There had to be some mistake. Maybe they saw me as just another challenge—a simple barista who knew nothing of their world.

But hadn"t there been moments? Their gazes lingering longer than necessary, touches that sparked something primal within me. The way my name rolled off their tongues like a caress.

The thought that they might actually see something in me warred with the stark truth of our meeting place—the club where beautiful young women were nothing more than currency for powerful men.

I shook my head as if to dislodge the idea that I was just a toy for them to play with. Yet deep down, the fear clung like a vine threatening to choke out the light of any genuine affection they might hold for me.

My phone dinged from its place on the coffee table, tearing me from my spiraling thoughts. Two new messages—one from Colton, one from Jaxon—each filled with concern.

Jaxon"s read, Hey, Delcy, noticed you weren"t at Brewed Dreams for the past couple of days. Is everything all right?

Colton"s was similar. Delcy, haven"t seen you recently. Just making sure you"re okay. Let me know if you need anything.

Their words seemed sincere, but doubt was a relentless companion now.

I hesitated before typing back a simple message to both: Thanks for checking in. I"m okay, just dealing with some personal things. Will be back once things settle down.

It wasn"t entirely untrue, but it was easier than trying to explain or confront them about what Amanda and Nora had told me.

I set the phone aside before it could betray any more concern from them or confusion from me.

The apartment felt colder as night pressed in around me. With no energy left to battle my racing mind or throbbing heart, I retreated to my bedroom.

Slipping beneath the sheets felt like sinking into quicksand, each pull toward sleep dragged heavy with thoughts of Colton and Jaxon—of their intentions, their desires. Could attraction between alphas and an omega be so straightforward? Or was I seeing affection where there was only appetite?

The ache in my chest blossomed with each shallow breath until sleep finally claimed me, mercifully dulling the pain—for now.

When I woke up the next morning, the morning light filtered through the blinds, creating beams that felt like they were ushering in a new chapter. I sat up, stretching away the remnants of last night"s restless sleep. Today wasn"t just another day—it was the day I would step into their world on my own terms.

I shuffled to my closet, fingers trailing over fabrics until they settled on a dress I had almost forgotten I owned. It was a soft blue that hugged my curves without shouting for attention. Slipping into it felt like donning armor, each stitch interwoven with the quiet strength I needed.

My hands were surprisingly steady as I applied makeup, Lydia"s voice echoing instructions in my mind. A sweep of blush here, a brush of mascara there—enhancements to the natural beauty she always insisted I possessed. The reflection staring back at me held an unfamiliar confidence.

Modest heels clicked against the pavement as I made my way to the heart of the city where the Alpha Gold Club loomed like a modern-day castle. With each step, I felt more like an imposter in my own skin. But I squared my shoulders and pushed through the revolving doors.

The receptionist looked up as I approached, her practiced smile never reaching her eyes.

"Good morning. I have a meeting with Mr. Marcus Trenton," I said, my voice firmer than I felt.

"Go right in," she said, gesturing toward the hallway lined with dark wood and soft carpet that seemed to swallow the sound of my steps.

Trenton"s office oozed wealth and power. Bookshelves lined one wall, each tome bound in leather and gilt. The man himself stood by the window, his back to me until he turned with a smile that was all business.

"Delcy," he greeted me, extending a hand. "Such natural beauty even in modest attire; that"s why you"re so popular at our events."

His words were meant as a compliment but felt more like chains being wrapped around me with every syllable.

"You must be delighted about your exclusive contract with the Sterling twins for the remainder of its duration," he continued, oblivious to my inner turmoil.

Amanda and Nora"s words crystallized into harsh reality at his statement. Lydia had used me—sold me—to these men like some prized object at an auction.

"Yes," I managed to say when Trenton mentioned confirming the contract. My voice was barely more than a whisper, but it carried enough weight for him to proceed.

He laid out the contract on his desk and started going over it line by line. When he mentioned forty percent and two million dollars, my heart stuttered in shock. That Colton and Jaxon would pay such an amount for me was beyond comprehension.

And then he outlined Lydia"s cut—thirty percent. Anger boiled within me as I realized she was making that much money off me.

"Is this bank account correct?" Trenton asked, pointing to a series of numbers on the page that meant nothing to me.

It wasn"t mine. It had to be Lydia"s other account. Rage mixed with betrayal as it dawned on me she never intended for me to see any of that money.

"No," I said sharply, surprising even myself with the force behind the word. "That"s not my account."

Trenton looked taken aback but recovered quickly as he handed me a pen to make the correction.

I wrote down my bank account number with deliberate strokes—each digit a reclaiming of what was rightfully mine, or rather what I would return to Colton and Jaxon.

"Indeed, two million is a significant sum," Trenton said. "I trust your grandfather"s operation will be successful."

My gaze shot upward, my eyes expanding in surprise.

A chuckle escaped Trenton. "Forgive me for prying. Lydia mentioned your reason for joining the club was to help fund your grandfather"s operation."

Silence was my response as I completed inscribing my banking details.

With that done, Trenton seemed satisfied. He shook my hand once more before escorting me out of his office with pleasantries that left a bitter taste in my mouth.

* * *

The opulenceof Lydia"s living room wrapped around me like a silk noose, each piece of furniture and decor screaming wealth and taste. It was a far cry from my tiny, humble apartment. As I sank into the plush velvet of her sofa, I couldn"t help but marvel at how Lydia lived. Every surface shined, every fabric whispered luxury.

Lydia flitted around the room, chirping about the latest high society gossip and the upcoming events she was planning to attend. Her words flowed over me like a foreign language, names and places that meant nothing in my world. Once upon a time, she had been a lifeline—my rock through the darkest times, especially after I lost my parents. But sitting here now, in this shrine to her vanity, I wasn"t sure I knew who she was anymore.

She finally turned her attention to me, her head tilting slightly. "You look awfully pale, Delcy. Everything all right?"

I cleared my throat, feeling the weight of deceit heavy on my tongue. "Just visited my grandfather. He"s getting worse."

Her response was as brisk as a winter chill. "Sorry to hear that. But he"s getting old, it"s to be expected."

The coldness in her words struck me like a slap. This morning Trenton had let slip that Lydia had told him of my need for money to help Grandfather—and how the two million would do just fine for that. Except Lydia intended to pocket that money herself.

I decided it was time to confront her.

"Lydia, we need to talk," I said. "What you did—putting me up as a treasure at the Alpha Gold Club without my consent. How could you?" My voice came out shaky, the words heavy on my tongue.

Lydia"s face morphed into a mask of shock before hardening. "How did you...?"

"Amanda and Nora," I said. "They saw me with Colton and Jaxon and couldn"t wait to ask me how I snagged them and how much I was getting for signing an exclusive contract with them. When they realized I didn"t know what they were talking about, they… You"re their agent." Each word was a struggle, my hands clenched tightly at my sides. "I saw Marcus Trenton this morning."

"Those bitches!" Lydia hissed, eyes flashing dangerously. "This was none of their business."

Anger surged in me, hot and fierce. "None of their business? You had me auctioned off like cattle without telling me!"

Lydia smirked, the expression sending a chill down my spine. "Oh, come on, Delcy. It"s not a big deal. Think of it as a favor. You get to mingle with the high society, with real alphas—like Colton and Jaxon Sterling. And they pay handsomely, don"t they?"

My vision swam, the room tilting dangerously. A favor? Is that what she called it? A favor? I nearly shouted. "You paraded me like an object to be sold. You had no right!"

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Please. Save me the self-righteous drivel, Delcy. You should be grateful. For you, this could be a stepping stone out of your mundane barista life. Didn"t you always dream of more?"

Her words were like a slap, stinging sharply. "Dreams don"t justify betrayal, Lydia! I thought you were my friend." My voice broke on the last word.

Lydia laughed then, the sound bitter and grating. ""Friend"? Delcy, you were always just a project. A charity case I kept around to remind me of how lucky I am not to be born an omega."

Her admission was like a knife to the heart. "You never cared..." I whispered in disbelief. "Do you even hear yourself, Lydia?"

"Oh, I hear myself loud and clear, Delcy. What about you? You think you're something special? Well, let me clear away that dreamy fantasy you have in your head, Delcy. You're nothing to Colton and Jaxon. Just a toy, an amusing little diversion until they toss you aside, like they do with every omega they get tired of." Her words were laced with venom.

I recoiled in disgust. "Even if that were true, it doesn't give you the right to make choices for me."

"You think you have choices, sweet omega?" Lydia purred mockingly. "Wake up! In our world, you play the cards you"re dealt. And you, dear, were dealt omega."

Anger surged within me, hot and fierce. "I don"t care that I"m an omega! At least I"m true to myself. Not like you, always pretending—"

Lydia cut me off sharply, face flushed with anger. "You don"t know anything about me! I"m a beta, Delcy. A beta surrounded by alphas. Do you have any idea what that"s like?"

I stared at her, confusion swirling inside me. "What? But you always said..."

"You have no idea what it"s like. In a family of alphas, being a beta is like living in a den of lions. Always second, never enough..." Lydia"s fa?ade cracked, a flash of vulnerability showing through. "It's hard."

My eyes narrowed, resolve steeling my voice. "Hard? You don't know what hard life truly is. Try living my life for a day without your family's name and see how you fare!"

Lydia"s lip curled back in a snarl. "My name is all I have. You think you"re better than me because you struggle? Because you"re a hard worker? That"s all you"ll ever be, Delcy. Hard work won"t change what you are—an omega."

I held her gaze steadily. "You know what, Lydia? I'd rather be a hard-working omega than a spiteful, hollow alpha-pretending beta who betrays her friends. Our friendship is over."

Lydia"s words were venomous. "Good riddance, Delcy. You"ll come crawling back sooner than you expect."

I stood up from Lydia"s plush velvet sofa, my hands trembling slightly even as I held my chin high.

"I want no part in this," I said, my voice steady despite the storm of emotions within. "I"ll return the money to Colton and Jaxon. The whole amount."

Lydia watched me with a smug tilt of her lips, lounging on the sofa like a cat surveying a cornered mouse.

"Oh, Delcy," she cooed, her voice laced with feigned sympathy. "You truly are innocent if you think it"s that simple. I won"t be refunding my thirty percent commission. You are well aware that"s exactly what you would do—try to give that back to our dear alphas."

The air in the room grew colder as my resolve hardened. "It"s only right. The contract shouldn"t have included me without my consent."

A cruel chuckle escaped Lydia"s throat as she stood, stepping languorously toward me. "But it did, sweetheart. And nothing is going to change that. The Alpha Gold Club certainly won"t be refunding the one point five million they received—"

I interjected, "But they should—"

Lydia continued over me. "—and you will have to prance through the exhausting hurdles of hiring lawyers to even attempt to dispute this. Even with that, where will you find the money, the connections? To fight the likes of the Sterling brothers and the Alpha Gold Club?"

My eyes flashed with a mix of fear and defiance, knowing the truth in Lydia"s words but unwilling to accept defeat.

"I"ll find a way," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, heavy with unshed tears and determination.

Lydia"s smile was cold as ice. "I guess you"ll have to," she purred, her eyes glinting with malice. "Good luck, Delcy. You"ll need it."

With that, I turned sharply on my heel and left Lydia"s luxurious mansion, each step heavy with the weight of the predicament that now entangled me.

Back in my apartment, the chill overtook me as I locked the door behind me, leaving Lydia"s revelations and the echoes of our argument to dissipate into the city"s din. I trudged over to my couch, a hand-me-down from a friend who had moved away, and collapsed into its worn cushions. The fabric, rough against my skin, seemed to scrape against my raw emotions.

Lydia"s betrayal twisted inside me like a knife, her words a venomous soundtrack to my turmoil. I had trusted her—more than that, I had loved her like family. To think that she saw me as nothing more than a pawn in her desperate bid for validation was a wound deeper than any physical pain.

And then there were Colton and Jaxon. My heart thudded painfully at the thought of them—of their smiles, their warmth, their touch. Were they just like Lydia? Did they see me as just another commodity to be bought and paid for?

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the memories of our dates—the laughter and conversations that now felt tainted with deceit.

The ping of my phone startled me from my thoughts. A message from my bank glowed on the screen: Deposit of $2,000,000 received. For a moment, I couldn"t breathe. The numbers seemed to dance before my eyes in some cruel mockery of joy.

With trembling fingers, I logged into my bank account online. The balance stared back at me—a figure so surreal it could have been part of a dream. But this was no dream. It was a nightmare manifested.

Two million dollars—the price of my unwitting complicity in Lydia"s scheme.

I couldn"t keep it. This money wasn"t mine. It was the chains that would bind me to Colton and Jaxon under false pretenses.

If I annulled the exclusive contract now, I"d owe them three million more—the commission that should have gone to Lydia and the club. A sum so vast it made me dizzy just to contemplate it.

Nausea churned in my stomach as reality set in. Once the money hit Lydia"s account—or Marcus Trenton"s at Alpha Gold Club—they wouldn"t return it even if I canceled the contract, as Lydia had bluntly stated.

I lay there for hours, staring blankly at the ceiling as shadows lengthened across the room and night fell. My mind raced through every possible scenario—each one bleaker than the last.

After what felt like an eternity, clarity began to cut through the fog of my indecision. If there was one thing I knew for sure, it was that I couldn"t continue this charade with Colton and Jaxon—not with this weight on my conscience.

It took days for me to gather enough courage to act on that clarity. Days during which I barely ate or slept, racked by guilt and uncertainty.

Finally, with resolve steeling me from within, I composed a message on my phone—a simple but heartfelt apology.

Mr. Sterling,

I must apologize first for what may seem an abrupt message. It has come to light that there have been... misunderstandings regarding our acquaintance through the Alpha Gold Club.

Recently, I discovered that my involvement at these events has been under false pretenses; a fact unbeknownst to me until now is that I"ve been presented as some form of treasure—a term I find both disconcerting and disheartening.

I have genuinely enjoyed our time together. Your company has been one of kindness and respect. However, given these revelations, it would be disingenuous for me to continue without acknowledging this new understanding.

It is with regret that I must request we meet to discuss canceling our exclusive contract. Please know this decision is not reflective of any ill will toward you or your brother—it is purely an act of conscience on my part.

Sincerely,

Delcy

With each word typed out and each sentence formed, a piece of the heavy burden lifted from my shoulders. It wasn"t absolution—not yet—but it was a step toward reclaiming myself from those who sought to use me as a mere token in their games of wealth and power.

I hit send before doubt could seize me again.

A sense of satisfaction filled me—a rare feeling amidst the chaos of recent days. For perhaps the first time since this whole sordid affair began, I felt like I was taking back control over my life.

Exhaustion soon washed over me like a tide receding after a storm. My eyelids grew heavy with sleep long deferred by anxiety and fear.

As sleep claimed me at last, it was with a lighter heart than I"d carried in weeks. There were challenges ahead—I knew that much—but facing them head-on seemed far less daunting now than continuing to live a lie had been.

For tonight at least, there was peace in truthfulness—and in that peace, finally some semblance of restful sleep.