Fated and Claimed by Four Alphas
Chapter 23: Rose’s Secret

Chapter 23: Rose’s Secret

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Chapter 23

~Spring’s POV~

Madelyn tried to get up and her knees wobbled. I inhaled and let go, forcing my aura back in.

Madelyn opened her mouth but advised herself against it as she closed her mouth, stood up and hurried away, dragging Liana behind her like a broken train.

I exhaled slowly once they were gone.

The girl’s breath trembled behind me, both in relief and fear of me. I turned to her. "You okay?"

She nodded, still shocked from the whole experience. "Th-thank you."

"You don’t have to thank me," I said, softening my tone as I helped her to her feet. "You don’t owe anyone fear, especially not people like her. Just don’t ever let them make you feel small again."

She blinked at me, teary-eyed. "I won’t."

"You didn’t even need to raise your voice," Jade purred.

"I’ve learned," I murmured.

"Good because you’re not the same girl from last month."

The wind tugged at my sleeves again, and for the first time in a while, I felt something settle in my bones.

Control.

I focused on the girl again. "What is your name?"

She looked up at me, her eyes lighting up a little in hope. "E-Ev-va." I raised a brow, and she shrieked.

Sighing, I leaned forward and tucked a loose strand of hair from her face. "Be bold, Eva or else you’d be picked on."

With that, I turned and was ready to leave, but her small voice ran out sharply. "Thank you!"

I smiled, nodded and walked away.

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~Author’s POV~

"As I was saying, Spring..." Rose paused when the lady seated before her lifted her palm to stop her.

Rose pressed her lips together, her gaze fixed on the lady, whose attention was riveted to the phone in her hand, her name boldly displayed on the pouch in red and pink.

Anastasia.

Rose’s gaze darted around. The sitting room smelled like roses. Not soft garden or the warm kind you’d find tucked behind a lover’s ear.

But sharp, suffocating, synthetic ones. The kind that tried too hard to be elegant and made your lungs itch from how fake they were.

Rose sat still on the velvet settee, her knees pressed together and her hands wringing in her lap.

Across from her, the woman stirred her tea slowly, her every movement deliberate and poised, like someone rehearsing for an audience that never left.

Three stirs. Then silence.

"So?" the woman asked, voice as smooth as satin over a knife’s edge as she lifted her gaze from the phone to Rose. "What is it this time?"

Rose didn’t lift her eyes. "They’re ignoring me."

"The Kaine boys or your father?"

She nodded stiffly.

"All of them, my brothers. Ever since the last couple of days when Spring should have been dealt with by the girls I paid in her school, and she came home, it’s like I’m invisible."

"Explain."

"Rhys barely speaks to me. Eryx changed his password on everything and now picks her up from school. Kaius doesn’t even acknowledge me anymore. He used to call every night. He doesn’t now."

A clink of porcelain. The spoon was set down. And Anastasia finally looked up, her painted lips curling ever so slightly—not with sympathy.

"I warned you," she said in a mockingly gentle tone. "You let your guard down. Now, you’re losing."

Rose swallowed. "She’s ruining everything."

"No," the woman said coldly. "You let her. That’s the difference."

"I tried to stay in their lives, I tried everything—"

"And she didn’t try. She simply existed. Clever, isn’t it?" Anastasia leaned forward slightly, her gaze sharp. "That’s the real danger of girls like her. Sweet-faced. Quiet. Always bruised in just the right places. People mistake manipulation for innocence."

Rose hesitated. "I don’t think she’s... that clever."

Anastasia smiled. It wasn’t kind. "Then it’ll be even easier to crush her."

A long moment passed.

Then she stood, heels clicking against marble tile as she walked toward a small ornate cabinet in the corner of the room.

She opened a drawer and pulled out a slim envelope, then returned and held it out.

Rose took it, her hands trembling slightly.

"You want your brothers’ attention again?" the lady asked in a low tone. "Then you stop trying to be seen. Start making yourself needed."

Rose blinked. "How?"

"Start weak. Look ill, pale. Faint a little in the hallway, and collapse in front of the right people. Something vague and dramatic. And if that doesn’t draw their concern? Escalate it. Fall down the stairs if you must—but only just enough to bruise, never bleed."

Rose stared at her like she was insane, but the cruel, pleased smile on her face made Rose gulp. "You want me to... fake being sick?"

"Everyone protects the fragile," the lady said, reaching out to gently touch a strand of Rose’s hair. "You’ve been too strong lately. And you’ve let Spring control the narrative. That ends now."

The envelope felt heavier in Rose’s hand. She opened it slowly, revealing a neatly folded list of actions—her new performance.

The woman continued. "Next, plant doubts in their minds as you once did, but this time, carefully. Be sharp. Twist conversations. When they speak well of Spring, stay quiet—then hesitate, as if you could say something, but won’t. People will fill in the blanks themselves. They always do."

Rose frowned. "That’s not enough."

"Of course not." The woman stepped back, arching one brow. "So make her look selfish. Make it look like she’s isolating you. You cry when she leaves the room. You look sad when she speaks. You say you try, but she doesn’t want you around. Be so fragile they’ll have to believe you."

"And if that still doesn’t work?"

The woman’s smile deepened. "Then you make her angry. Push her. Publicly. Provoke a reaction, either with words or a slap. A shove. And when she does... you cry. You fall. You let them see what a monster she can be. Let them finish her off for you."

"I did that once, but Rhys had believed her. He saw us."

"Then don’t be stupid, and this time make sure no one sees you. Either provoke her with words and make her slap you in front of everyone. Or make a video... Control the video and the narrative, and let them believe you because you will not be hitting her."

Rose’s pulse quickened. The plan was brutal. And perfect.

"She’s so loved now, though," Rose whispered. "I can’t compete with that."

"You don’t have to," the woman said. "You only need to ruin things and the fastest way to do that... is to turn Spring Kaine into someone unworthy of it. Once doubt settles into their minds, they’ll start questioning everything."

Rose clutched the list to her chest, breathing unevenly.

The woman walked to the window and watched the wind stir the roses outside her manor. "They’ll turn against her. All of them. And when they do? You’ll be there, waiting, shining perfectly for them. The only one left standing."

Rose did not speak. Instead, she rose slowly from her seat and walked to the door after about a minute of silence.

She paused at the threshold and looked back.

"I appreciate your advice very much..." she said, her lips curving into a small, wicked smile. "Thank you... Mother."

Anastasia turned to her side to behold Rose. "For you... anytime, daughter."

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