Page 55 of The Alpha's Forbidden Secret Baby

Rayla nodded and stood where she was as the woman spoke to one of the men in the space. He looked over at her and nodded before walking over.

“Hello. I understand you want to pawn something.”

Rayla looked at the man standing in front of her. He was dressed in a simple plaid shirt and jean trousers with a hat that hid his hair.

“Ye—” she paused and cleared her throat as her voice cracked. “Yes. I want to pawn a piece of jewelry. I have only just received it and it is quite precious to me, but I need the money so…” She trailed off as the man stared at her expectantly, clearly caring nothing for whatever story she had to tell.

“Sorry. I’m quite nervous,” she apologized.

“That’s alright. I understand how you feel. Many come here with pieces that hold more sentimental values than financial sometimes. But we understand that it means a great deal to them,” he said with a smile that did not quite reach his eyes.

“Now,” he continued, “may I see the piece you speak of?”

Rayla reached into her bag and reluctantly pulled out the diamond necklace. It hurt her to even consider selling it. Xander would never understand how much she appreciated his gesture and how much it had come to be a symbol of their love in the short time that she owned it. When he found out the truth, she could only hope he would not be too vexed with her.

The man’s green eyes widened as he stared at the beautiful piece of jewelry.

At least he appreciates the beauty of it.

Although that should have made her feel a little better, she felt worse. She did not see it only for the beauty it presented, and she wished she could make him see it like she did, but his job was not to understand the emotions the pieces wielded over his customers. He was not a therapist, after all.

Rayla hesitantly placed the necklace in his hand, watching as greed filled his eyes, replacing the doubt that had been there only moments ago.

“That is quite a fine piece you have there, Ma’am,” he said when he recovered from his awe.

“Yes. As I told you, it is quite meaningful to me, but I need the money.”

“Yes… yes. I can certainly see why.” He cleared his throat and smiled at her. “If you would hold on while I get this appraised.”

Rayla nodded and looked around once more as he slid a loupe over his right eye and placed the jewelry under the light.

“Hmm,” he murmured as he perused the jewelry.

She waited, shifting from foot to foot as he conducted his appraisal. She looked at the time on her phone. It was almost 11:00 am. The last thing she wanted was for Ralph to think that she had bailed on him and release the video out of spite.

She made a small sound at the back of her throat. Her patience was beginning to grow thin, although there wasn’t much she could do except wait for him to finish and give her the value.

“Ahem.”

The sound of a clearing throat jolted her, and she looked up at the man, tightening her hand around her bag once again as she waited for him to speak.

“Ma’am. I’ve appraised the piece and I can pay you ten thousand dollars for it,” the man said suddenly.

“Oh! I—”

“That is the most I can pay for this and only because, as you said and I have confirmed, it is new and there has been damage to it. However, it is not worth more than that,” he said, cutting her off in a matter-of-fact tone that left no room for discussion.

Liar.

If there was one thing Rayla was certain of, it was that her jewelry was worth more than that. The greed in his eyes made it clear that he would never pay exactly what it was worth. Moreover, she doubted Xander would be content spending that on jewelry, not that she minded. She would love it even if it was worth only a hundred bucks.

“Alright. I will take that, thank you.”

Although she did not let it show, she was quite grateful for the amount she was receiving. She had more than enough to pay Ralph and ensure that he deleted the video. That was all she cared about. She only wished she had something else of value so she did not have to trade it.

She slipped the envelopes filled with cash into her bag and walked out of the pawnshop with a heavy heart as she grieved what she’d given up. Her steps lighted as she envisioned a life of freedom for Abel.

Rayla got into her car and turned the key, driving away from the parking lot of the pawnshop as she headed for the designated meeting spot.

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