Lahat ng Kabanata ng Sugar baby to my Father’s Alpha: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

"Sol! Table four needs a server," the manager barked. "And don't look him in the eye."Solange nodded and quickly hurried down the corridor to the VIP lounge of the Sapphire Heights, wrinkling her nose at the smell of expensive cigars and the heavy, humid scent of a desert storm rolling over the Vegas Strip.She was here to help her best friend cover his shift so he could go see his father when they’d shoved her into a uniform three sizes too small that made her feel like a piece of meat.Solange ducked into the staff restroom, her fingers trembling as she pulled the small vial from her apron pocket. It was a habit born of grief and a survival instinct she didn't quite understand.“Spray it every six hours, Sol,” her godmother’s voice echoed in her mind. “In the brothel, in the orphanage, it doesn’t matter. It keeps the bad men away.”Her godmother was dead, but the lifetime supply of the pungent, herbal mist kept arriving like clockwork, funded by a lawyer Solange had never met. It w

Solange woke slowly, her body aching in all the ways that made her heart flutter and a strange humming in her chest. Her head was foggy, but she felt a calm she had never known, like she was connected to something that had been missing all her life. She felt… claimed, as if the night had somehow given her a small taste of home.She pushed herself up, careful not to wake Alistair, and padded to the bathroom. As steam filled the small space, she let the water run over her shoulders, breasts, and arms, enjoying the scent of soap mingling with the faint perfume of sandalwood that still clung to her. Her hands started tracing the places his had touched, wondering how one man could leave marks that weren’t only visible but also imprinted themselves on her soul.Her hand drifted down her body, following the path his fingers had taken as she remembered the weight of his hand around her neck, her humming with a current that wouldn’t fade.Growing up in the brothels, she should have been terrif

Solange felt a literal snap in the center of her chest as she stared at the heavy oak doors. It wasn’t the metaphoric ache of a breakup. It was a white-hot blade of agony carved through her ribs, twisting around her heart and pulling tight.She tried to scream, but the air in her lungs had turned to lead. “What did he do to me?” she thought in panic.Her mind, fueled by years of hearing horror stories in the brothels and the back alleys of the city, went to the darkest place possible. She had heard of men like Alistair Vance: predators who hunted the invisible and the unwanted. Sadists who used girls like her for a single night of twisted pleasure before discarding them in ways that ensured they could never tell the tale.He poisoned me. The thought pulsed in her brain. He drugged me. He’s a serial killer, and I was just the latest fool.That had to be it because no “no” from a man, no matter how handsome or powerful, should make a heart feel like it was being fed into a meat grinder.

Solange swallowed back tears. Happiness and pride for her friend, mixed with the painful reminder of her own failure.When Caspian walked back in, rubbing his face with a towel, she acted like she'd been watching his show."I think you have a message," she said softly.Caspian grabbed the phone, his thumb swiping quickly.For a split second, a flash of pure, blinding joy transformed his face. He looked like he wanted to scream with triumph, but then, he hid it.He shoved the phone into his pocket and shrugged nonchalantly. "It’s nothing important."Solange felt a wave of sadness wash over her. He was lying to her and downplaying his entire future because he didn't want to celebrate while she had missed her opportunity.She forced a teasing smile. "You sure that wasn't your secret girlfriend?"Caspian let out a forced laugh, shaking his head. "How could I have a girlfriend when I spend all my time with you? You're my only headache."She looked him dead in the eye. "Cas, don't lie to me

She quickened her pace as she heard footsteps behind her, her heart hammering against her ribs. She then turned a corner into a narrow alleyway that served as a shortcut to her apartment.She broke into a run when the footsteps behind her sped up too.Normally, she was incredibly fast. Even as a child, she had been able to outrun the older boys in the orphanage without breaking a sweat. There was a natural, wild speed in her legs that she couldn't explain. But tonight, her body felt like it was betraying her.Her lungs burned too quickly. Her legs felt heavy and weak. It was as if the thing that had made her fast was sleeping.She was gasping for air, her vision blurring as she pushed herself toward the end of the alley.Suddenly, two men stepped out from behind a dumpster at the exit, blocking her path.Solange skidded to a halt, spinning around only to see the three men closing in from behind."Stay back!" she yelled, pulling a small pocketknife from her bag. Her hands were shaking,