Page 16 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part One

Layla snorted and then slapped her hand to her mouth.

“Sorry. But that’s a lot to offer a stranger. I’m sure the surrogacy agencies would cost you less,” Layla said.

He tapped the folder.

"I have my reasons for not going to them. Read my offer, Layla. I don’t think you can afford not to right now," he stated as he sat back. “Say yes, and you’ll never have to worry about your sister again.”

Chapter 9

Layla pulled the folder towards her and then looked back at the man. She didn’t even know his name, but he’d offered her this baffling deal.

Brit was terrified. Her little sister was trying to act strong but she could see it. Their lives had changed for the worse tonight. Costas would still try to find them and use them. Going on the run was their only option.

But she had no money, and as small as it was, Brit's college fund was sacred. She couldn’t dip into it if she had another option. And even if she did, it wouldn’t take them far.

“Please sit down, Layla,” the man said.

He was right. He was her only hope to save her sister. But would she give a child away to save another?

She sighed as she pulled a chair across from him and looked down at the folder again as she sat. The knife she had commandeered earlier was comforting in her pocket, but she sensed it wouldn’t do much good here, or he wouldn’t have let her keep it.

“How do you really know my name?” she asked.

Something told her this was more than him glancing at her name badge when she cleaned his room.

“I looked into you before I made the offer.”

She tensed and met his gaze. What exactly had he looked into? Did he know about her father? Did he know all those sordid details she hoped to one day escape from? Was that the reason he had picked her? Because she was just a nobody from the wrong side of the tracks with no future?

The balcony was well-lit, so she could see that his reaction to her hadn’t changed. He still looked cold and intimidating.

“Why me?” she asked.

Surely he had other options? The moment she had refused the first time, she’d assumed he’d gone to ask someone else. Why was he so persistent when he clearly didn’t like her?

“Does it matter? I need your help, and you need mine.”

“But having a baby is too big a commitment to make with a stranger. I don’t even know your name.”

Something she said must have surprised him because his brow lifted as he sat forward in his chair and held her gaze. He searched her eyes as if trying to judge if she was telling the truth. Was she supposed to know him? If he was a movie star like she had first guessed, he was out of luck - she had no time to keep up with such things.

“Jackson. Jackson King,” he answered.

Didn't ring a bell.

"Okay, Jackson, Jackson King," she said with an eye roll. "Can you afford all this? How am I supposed to trust that I won't end up holding the baby?"

Her heart broke just thinking about this. It was crazy. How could she ever live a full life knowing someone she gave birth to was somewhere out there, wondering who their mum was? She had nothing against the women who were strong enough to be surrogates. They made many couples' lives complete by giving them this gift.

But her mother had ruined her whole life by abandoning her. That wasn't something she wished on another human being.

"Write down your bank account details."

"Why? I haven't agreed to anything yet."

Jackson didn't respond, he just pushed a pen towards her. He looked calm, but she could sense something in him, almost as if something was bubbling just under the surface of his cold exterior.

She sighed and did as she was told. When she pushed the folder back to him, Jackson pulled out his phone and quickly typed something in. Moments later, she heard her phone ping in her pocket. When she pulled it out, she saw a notification from her bank about a transfer that made her eyes bulge.

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