Chapter Three
ROCHELLE
This was insane. Suicidal, even.
But I wasn’t thinking straight. Not after what Darren did to me. Not after everyone’s stares, whispers, and laughter followed me like shadows.
I just wanted to disappear. Or burn this place down.
Instead, I climbed to the rooftop, the one place in all of Silverstone you didn’t dare go.
Because the rooftop belonged to them.
The Triplet Alphas.
They were my only hope.
Sucking in a deep breath, I opened the door to the roof and stepped forward. Three pairs of mesmerizing eyes snapped to me and I gulped hard.
Thinking about it now, I never got a close look at them because I was too busy proving my love to Darren.
The redhead leaned against the railing, tall and broad. His ocean-blue eyes narrowed at me with a mix of curiosity and amusement, like he was watching a rabbit walk into a wolf’s den.
The white-haired one sat on the edge of a concrete bench, phone in hand. His stunning emerald gaze, icy and unreadable, like frost layered over steel, dissected me like I was some annoying pest.
And the last, the raven-haired with turquoise eyes, was slouched in a low chair, a book in hand. He didn’t even bother to lift his gaze. Like I wasn’t even worth the effort.
My fingers trembled at my sides, but I took another step forward.
They didn’t say a word.
I cleared my throat. “I… I know I’m not supposed to be here, but I need your help.”
“You lost?” the redhead asked, raising a brow.
His voice was rough velvet, beautiful and mocking.
I swallowed. “I know you don’t like people,” I rushed out, my voice trembling with fear, “and you probably hate it when someone like me comes up here uninvited but… I didn’t come for trouble. I came here to make a deal.”
That got a twitch of interest from the white-haired one. His eyes flicked briefly to the redhead, then back to me. “A deal?” he echoed. “With us?”
“I know it’s ridiculous,” I said quickly. “But I’m desperate. I need to ruin someone. And you three are the only ones powerful enough to help me do it.”
That earned me a chuckle from the redhead, low, dry, almost cruel. “Interesting.”
The raven-haired one flipped a page of his book with the softest scoff. “You have thirty seconds,” he said without looking up. “Use them wisely.”
The pressure was suffocating, but I pushed through. I had nothing left to lose.
“I need one of you to date me,” I blurted and there was silence.
A slow, heavy pause as those words hung in the air like a death sentence.
The redhead raised a brow, smirking as if he’d just heard the dumbest thing in the world. “You came all the way up here… to ask us out?”
“No… no, not like that,” I stammered. “I don’t want anything real. I actually want you to pretend to date me.”
Silence.
The wind blew through the rooftop, ruffling the raven-haired one’s page, but none of them spoke.
Then…
The redhead laughed. A full, entertained laugh. “This has to be the funniest thing I've heard in a while. Who are you again?”
“It doesn’t have to be all of you,” I rushed to explain. “Just one. Or… whoever agrees. It’s just that… someone recorded me. When I was drunk. He streamed it for everyone to see. He humiliated me. Lied. And now he’s saying he’ll only take the video down if I can get someone, anyone, to like me. Even the ugliest guy in school. But he specifically said none of you would ever look at me. And I just…”
“Wanted to prove him wrong? I like that,” the redhead finished for me with a snort. I hated that this was funny to him. My life was on the verge of collapsing and he was laughing. But I didn't dare complain.
I nodded, blinking back the sting in my eyes. “I know I’m nothing. I’m an omega. I have no status, no name. I shouldn’t even be speaking to you. But I’m not asking for pity. Just please... help me ruin him.”
“You’re talking about Darren,” the white-haired one said, cutting through my words like a knife. “You’re the girl from the live stream.”
I froze.
So they’d seen it too.
Of course they had. Everyone had.
The book snapped shut and I flinched. Beads of sweat broke out of my forehead as I wiped my sweaty palms against my jeans.
The raven-haired one finally looked up, and when he did, my stomach dropped. His gaze was piercing. Irritated. He didn't blink as he stared right through me, then slowly dragged his eyes over my frame like he was assessing whether I was even worth the breath it’d take to tell me to leave.
He stood slowly, slipping his book into the pocket of his coat. He walked toward me with slow majestic strides that made my throat go dry and stomach churn. When he stopped just in front of me, I realized just how tall he was. How small I really was. He tilted his head slightly, his intimidating aura infiltrating the air and subsequently cutting my airflow.
Something about the way he looked at me made my knees wobble. Like he was peeling back every layer of me and finding nothing worth keeping.
“You think letting one of us parade you around like a trophy will make the shame go away?” he asked and my stomach curled in embarrassment.
“I… I just thought….”
“No,” he cut short my stuttering. “I don't care for Darren and we are not obligated to help you either.”
Tears gathered in my eyes. I just wanted the ground to open up and swallow me. I had worked up all my courage to get here only to face another rejection.
I glanced at the redhead, hoping he would say something at least.
“Sorry, sweetheart, but I think I'll pass,” he shrugged, taking out his phone. “Go easy on her, Aidan,” he said, voice lazy but laced with dark amusement. “I kinda want to see what she does next.”
My hopes shattered and I felt completely dejected. That was two down, one more to decide my fate. My eyes flickered to the white-haired one and he simply looked away.
“Evander?” Aidan, the raven-haired one, asked.
“I don't do pity projects,” the white-haired triplet scoffed and my heart dropped.
“You heard them. Now get lost,” He snapped. I fought the tears threatening to spill down my cheeks.
What was I even thinking? Why would they help a girl like me?
