Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother
Chapter 26: _ He Cares For You

Chapter 26: _ He Cares For You

The kitchen went silent for a moment, and I became painfully aware of the other maids standing around. Then the whispers started.

As expected.

"Look at her now. How the mighty has fallen."

"Moon Goddess’s curse is no joke. Who would’ve thought?"

"Even her sisters despise her. Imagine being hated by your own blood. Are we supposed to respect her?"

Juana pulled back from the hug and turned to defend me once again.

"Do you have no shame? Señorita María José is standing right here, crying, and this is what you choose to do? Backbite her? Do you even have hearts?"

The maids exchanged awkward glances, some muttering half-hearted apologies, while others quickly busied themselves with their tasks but not without telling Juana to mind her business.

At that moment, the kitchen door swung open, and the butler, a tall man named Don Federico, walked in. His sharp eyes landed on me immediately.

"Señorita María José," he said gently, stepping closer when he saw my tears. "What is the matter?"

Juana answered before I could. "She’s had a rough day, Don Federico. Her sisters have been... well, they’ve been terrible to her."

He nodded solemnly and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Señorita, you are stronger than this. But perhaps it would be best to console yourself in a quieter place. Juana, why don’t you take her to her room?"

Juana nodded, throwing an arm around me protectively. "Come on, María José. Let’s get you out of here."

I let her guide me out of the kitchen, past the pitying and judgmental stares of the staff, and up the staircase to my room. Juana closed the door behind us, locking out the world—or at least trying to.

She sat me down on the bed. "Talk to me," she said, sitting beside me and taking my hands in hers. "What happened?"

Reliving the painful memories of this horrible day was something I’d rather pass on. However, I needed to talk to someone about it and get some of the burden out of my mind.

I have Juana a messy recount of everything—Luis Miguel and his vile friends, Axel stepping in to save me, Rosa and Camilla’s accusations, and my father’s cruelty.

Juana listened intently as usual with her expression changing with every word I uttered.

When I finally finished, she let out a frustrated huff. "Your father is impossible," she hissed, shaking her head. "And your sisters? Don’t even get me started. But Luis Miguel... oh, I swear, if I ever see him, I’ll—"

I cut her off with a small smile, though my face was still damp with tears. "It’s okay, Juana. You don’t need to fight my battles."

"No, María José. You don’t deserve this. None of it. And Axel—thank the Moon Goddess for him. He sounds like the only decent person in this whole mess." She clasped her hands in mind affectionately.

I nodded while my mind drifted to Axel again. "He’s... different," I admitted softly. "But it’s weird, right? Why would someone like him even bother? It’s not like we’re close."

Juana tilted her head. "Oh, I see what’s happening here."

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Axel likes you, María José," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

No, he doesn’t!

Suddenly, Juana flicked her fingers, making me jolt. She looked as if she were about to launch into one of her grand theories, the kind that would dump me into a dilemma of half-belief and half-doubt.

"I’m telling you, María José," she said, jabbing a finger in the air for emphasis. "The mysterious benefactor has to be Axel too. Who else would swoop in and drop that money for you like some mysterious guardian angel?"

I frowned, the memory of that moment still fresh and jarring. "It doesn’t make sense, Juana. If it really was Axel, why wouldn’t he have stepped in earlier? He was there, wasn’t he? He saw what Luis Miguel and his cronies were doing to me. If he cared, why didn’t he stop them?"

Juana crossed her arms and leaned back, twisting her lips in thought. "Maybe he didn’t want to draw attention to himself. You said it yourself—Axel doesn’t seem like the type who likes to make a scene."

"That’s exactly why it doesn’t add up. What kind of person stands by and watches something like that happen, only to drop money afterward and disappear? It’s... weird. And honestly, a little insulting." " I argued, shaking my head.

If that was Axel, then I wasn’t sure I’d be able to see him in the same light. I would have given anything to be saved from Luis Miguel’s disgusting kiss. Anything at all.

I knew he had his friends would forever tease me about it. If Axel watched that happen without lifting a finger, I wasn’t sure I could forgive him for it.

So please, do not be Axel.

"Ay, María José. You’re overthinking this. Maybe he didn’t intervene because he didn’t want to escalate things or make it worse for you. You know how people like Luis Miguel can get when their ego is bruised. They might come after you harder next time, and Axel might not be there to help you then. And maybe—just maybe—he thought leaving the money would be a way to help without putting you in more danger."

Okay, Juana was officially an Axel fangirl!

I opened my mouth to counter, but she held up a hand to stop me.

"Look, I know it’s not the fairy tale rescue you were probably hoping for. But not everyone handles things the same way. Axel might’ve had his reasons for staying in the shadows. And from everything you’ve told me about him, it sounds like he’s the kind of guy who prefers to help without making a big deal about it."

I stared at her, torn between disbelief and reluctant acceptance. "So you’re saying he just... dropped the money and vanished like some kind of secret superhero? That’s ridiculous."

"Ridiculous or not, it’s the best explanation we’ve got," Juana shot back. "And honestly, it makes sense. Think about it: Axel’s rich, he’s connected, and he clearly has a soft spot for you. Who else would’ve done it? Rosa? Camilla? Your father?" She scoffed. "Please."

The idea of Axel being my mysterious benefactor made my stomach twist in ways I didn’t want to examine too closely. "But if he really likes me, wouldn’t he just... say it? Why go through all this secrecy and roundabout ways of helping me?"

Juana smirked, flipping her neck left and right. "Because men are idiots, María José. Especially men who don’t know how to handle their feelings. Axel probably doesn’t want to scare you off or make things awkward. So he’s playing it safe, watching from the sidelines, and helping where he can."

Was he? Dammit... how I wish I could grow enough balls to ask him. But then again, I saw it once on TikTok that a man who gives mixed signals is a man who is uninterested.

Just how true was that?

—

{A\N}

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