Chapter 58: Alphas’ Offers
Rosalie:
I woke up to sunlight.
For several long seconds after opening my eyes, I simply lay there staring at the unfamiliar ceiling while my still sleepy mind tried to remember where I was.
The room was quiet except for the faint sound of wind coming from somewhere outside and the distant noises of a mansion already awake. Then memory returned all at once.
The storm. Eiden. Zaiden. The bath. The conversation.
I immediately sat upright in bed and then regretted it because my heart started beating strangely all over again. I stayed frozen for a moment before slowly looking around the room. It looked different in daylight. Last night the dim lighting and exhaustion had blurred everything together, but now I could properly see the enormous bedroom with its floor-to-ceiling windows, elegant furniture, dark colors, and a strange balance between luxury and comfort that somehow suited Zaiden perfectly.
The place wasn’t excessive, just expensive in a quiet way. Then my eyes dropped to the oversized black shirt I was still wearing and my face warmed instantly. Right. I was sleeping in Zaiden Nightfang’s clothes, in his room, and in his bed.
I buried my face into my hands for three whole seconds before forcing myself to move. Someone had already left folded clothes for me on a chair nearby - simple, comfortable, and new. I stared at them suspiciously before deciding not to ask questions and getting ready.
By the time I finally made my way downstairs, guided mostly by a servant who politely disappeared after showing me the direction, the mansion already looked alive. Warm sunlight flooded every corner of the place through the huge windows left open. Unlike the stormy darkness of yesterday, everything looked brighter now. Softer. More welcoming.
The smell reached me before I even stepped into the dining hall and immediately reminded me of one very important fact - I was starving. Yesterday I survived on stress, panic, rainwater, and one bowl of soup. My stomach apparently remembered this better than I did because the moment I entered and saw the breakfast spread, it abandoned all dignity.
The dining hall looked straight out of something I would normally only see in dramas - a long table, fresh flowers, morning sunlight, and food that looked too beautiful to eat.
The chef and her team had clearly taken breakfast personally because there was enough food to feed a small village. And seated there already were the two men responsible for approximately eighty percent of my current emotional instability.
Zaiden sat at one end of the table with a tablet in one hand and black coffee beside him. Even during breakfast he somehow looked like a man preparing to take over a country. Eiden sat nearby with what looked like herbal tea, appearing much more relaxed as he occasionally looked outside the open windows.
Both looked up when I entered, but neither said anything.
I sat down. And then decided I no longer cared. Yesterday’s dinner disaster wasn’t repeating. I was extremely hungry. So for once, I ignored them and focused on eating.
Not nervous eating. Not pretending-to-eat. But real eating.
There were warm toast, boiled eggs, fruits, and something that tasted buttery and expensive. Another thing that probably contained enough calories to heal emotional damage.
I focused completely on food and deliberately ignored my awareness of the two men. Though I wasn’t looking at either of them, I knew they were watching. Zaiden pretended to scroll through the tablet but every few minutes I caught the feeling of his attention shifting my way. Eiden was more obvious somehow despite not staring directly. And for reasons I refused to examine too deeply, I could feel amusement coming from both directions.
Nearly forty minutes passed like that. Then finally Eiden broke the silence. His voice pulled me out of deciding whether taking another pastry would look greedy.
"Did you sleep well?"
I looked up.
His expression was gentle as he added, "And how’s your bruise?"
I blinked and then remembered the ointment. My expression softened immediately. "Yes." I smiled before I realized I was smiling. Then added, "Thank you for the ointment."
His eyes flickered slightly.
"It worked really well. It doesn’t hurt anymore." I hesitated before adding honestly, "And I slept well."
His shoulders relaxed in a way that almost made me smile again.
For a moment I considered bringing up my apartment. I had already decided that after breakfast I should ask if someone could arrange transportation. I couldn’t stay here longer.
So I opened my mouth, but Zaiden spoke first.
"Move here."
I froze and then slowly turned to look at him. But he wasn’t looking at me. I stead, he’s till reading something on the tablet as if he hadn’t casually suggested rearranging my entire life.
I stared for a moment before finally speaking, "...What?"
He finally looked up. And to his credit, his expression remained perfectly calm. "Live here in the mansion."
My brain stopped working for a moment as it processed the offer. And before I could respond, Eiden added quietly, "If the packhouse feels too overwhelming, you can move back to my place."
My eyes immediately moved toward him. This wasn’t the first time he’s offering me to live at his house. But this time, it felt different. Suddenly after last night, his offer carried weight, meaning, and something dangerous.
I inhaled deeply. Then looked between both men, and shook my head.
They both went still.
I smiled softly as I said, "Thank you." And I meant it. But I took another breath before continuing, "I have spent the last few years living in other people’s houses." My voice stayed calm. "But recent events made me realize something."
I looked down briefly before looking back up.
"I want my own place."
The room went quiet. Not the uncomfortable kind, just quiet.
I continued softly, "I don’t want to depend on someone else’s house anymore."
For a moment neither of them spoke. I watched something shift in both expressions, disappointing and... understanding. Neither argued, and neither tried changing my mind.
Then Zaiden set his tablet down, looked at me, and said, "Then work for me."
I blinked.
His expression remained unreadable. "Here, at the packhouse."
I stared. Then before I could react, a smile escaped me. It was small at first, but then it grew bigger. This time, I didn’t reject his offer immediately. Imstead, I said, "I’ll think about it."
His eyes stayed on me for a second. His expression didn’t change, but somehow, I knew he was pleased.
And when I glanced toward Eiden, I caught the brief look exchanged between them. It was small, subtle, yet strangely familiar.
And suddenly I realized - the more time I spent with these two, the more they surprised me. Their personalities. Their dynamic. The way one looked cold but quietly thoughtful. The way the other looked warm but wasn’t harmless.
And then, there was that feeling.
The one sitting quietly in my chest. Growing. Warm. And scary.
The one I absolutely did not want to name.
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