Claimed by My Bestie's Alpha Daddy novel Chapter 29

Chapter 29

I felt sick. My stomach flipped so hard I had to grip the edge of the desk. Jason said what? That I was willing? That I’d trade myself for a job?

He was still talking, unaware-or maybe just uncaring. “He said you’d do anything to keep your spot. That you didn’t like playing fair. So I figured, why not skip the performance review and get to the point?”

My skin went cold. Jason-who had always been civil, who smiled just enough to make me question whether I was imagining the condescension-sold me out. And I wasn’t even surprised. Not really. I’d had a feeling about him from the beginning. I just hadn’t wanted to be right.

Before I could reply, the door unlocked and swung open.

Richard stood in the doorway, master keycard in hand.

His voice was sharp and flat. “What’s going on here?”

Mr. Kellon straightened, his expression morphing instantly. “She approached me. About securing the

permanent position.”

Richard didn’t blink. “Promotions are based on merit.”

I stepped away from the desk and moved to stand beside him. My heart was still pounding.

Richard glanced between us, his jaw set. Then, calmly and clearly, he said, “I suggest you both get back to

work.”

I finally felt the weight of everything that had just happened settle in, a dense pressure that tightened in my chest. I didn’t know what I’d expected from him—maybe a quiet dismissal, maybe nothing at all—but it hadn’t been this: the timing, the quiet control, the way he stood there like I wasn’t just a problem to solve.

I couldn’t tell if that calm look on his face meant he believed me or if he was just giving me time to hang myself with my own story. That uncertainty hummed beneath my skin, sharp and unshakable. But layered beneath it was gratitude. Gratitude that he came, that he said what he said, that for a second I didn’t feel completely alone

in the room.

Mr. Kellon muttered something under his breath and I exited fast. I didn’t move until I heard the door click

behind me.

The next morning, Kellon reassigned my project to someone else.

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“Just streamlining,” he said. “You’ll be on general support detail for now.”

I said nothing. I didn’t have to.

An hour later, word spread: he’d been reassigned to oversee voter coordination in a border district.

It was the administrative version of exile.

The event two days later was massive. The proceeds were going to support orphaned children and retired warriors-two groups no one in the capital seemed to pay attention to until it was convenient. Bright fabrics, hand-stitched banners, rhythmic drums, laughter. My job was logistics and water station duty. Simple, safe.

Richard arrived late, surrounded by his usual wall of alphas and aides, but he stepped away from them easily,

talking to guests in calm, respectful tones.

Emma nudged me while I restocked water bottles. “You’ve been staring.”

I startled. “What?”

“You like him.”

I rolled my eyes. “He’s just… different than people think.”

“You think the King is soft?”

I didn’t answer.

The Elders arrived halfway through the ceremony, instantly drawing attention. Whispers followed them.

Faction tension. Power shifts.

I kept my head down and handed out water. The sun was hot, the lines were long, and I focused on the rhythm -pour, hand off, repeat. A little girl dropped her paper cup and started crying. I knelt to help her and handed her a new one with a wink. She smiled, shy and sticky, and ran off.

At the registration tent, someone shouted about their name being missing from the list. Security stepped in,

voices rising, and then calming.

Nearby, the Elders were deep in conversation with Richard, their expressions tight, controlled. One of them

kept glancing over his shoulder. Another refused a drink someone offered. A few reporters hovered like

vultures, watching.

A microphone stand tipped over behind me with a crash, startling everyone within ten feet. Someone laughed

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Chapter 29

nervously. Someone else muttered about how hot it was.

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