The Rejected daughter chosen by the Alpha (Maya and Atila) novel Chapter 85

Chapter 85

ÁTILA

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I watched the streets of London slide past the tinted window from the backseat of the Bentley. In the rearview mirror, the headlights of the black car behind us stayed perfectly aligned. Not too close. Not too far. Exactly where they were supposed to be.

Beside me, my mother broke the silence.

“London gets more beautiful every time I come back.”

I shrugged. “Other than those new glass towers? Feels like the same city it was a century ago.”

She laughed softly. That sound always felt like home. “That’s the charm. It evolves without losing

its soul.”

My gaze drifted back to the mirror. The car behind us held formation. Clean. Quiet. Controlled. Our driver moved through traffic with clinical precision.

We headed toward Knightsbridge. The streets widened, buildings turned grander, storefront windows glowing like jewelry locked behind glass. When we descended into the underground parking garage, both cars followed in seamless succession.

Silence settled again.

I stepped out first.

The air down there was cold and sharp. I walked to the second car and opened the rear door.

Maya lay unconscious, seatbelt still fastened. Her breathing was steady, but she was far too pale. Under the sterile garage lights, her skin looked almost translucent. Like life inside her was hanging by a thread.

Miss Langford sat beside her. And Beatrice-who had insisted on coming-clutched her her chest, eyes darting around like a wary animal dropped into a foreign world.

I slid one arm beneath Maya’s knees and the other around her back. She felt too light.

purse to

When I lifted her, my fingers brushed over the fabric at her back and found the scar. Closed now. Healed on the surface.

My jaw tightened.

“Let’s go.”

We moved toward the elevators, the three women following close behind.

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4:23 pm M

Chapter 85

The elevator climbed in silence-until it stopped halfway up. The doors slid open on an intermediate floor.

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A woman holding two small children froze when she saw us. Her eyes went straight to Maya in my

arms.

Instinct.

She shifted, pulling the kids behind her like a shield.

I cleared my throat. “My wife had a little too much to drink at a family party. catching the next one?”

She hesitated. Just a second.

“O-of course.”

My mother pressed the button. The doors closed.

Would you mind

When we finally reached the penthouse, I heard Beatrice whisper, “Wow,” under her breath.

I’d almost forgotten this apartment.

It had been years since I’d stepped inside. Pale marble floors. Original artwork. Floor-to-ceiling glass framing the city like a sea of light. My family had been acquiring property around the world for generations. When you live long enough, wealth stops being impressive. It just becomes… inevitable.

I carried Maya into my old bedroom.

I laid her gently on the king-size bed. The mattress dipped under her slight weight. I brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

My hand slid down her back again, feeling the scar beneath the fabric. Healed. On the outside.

My mother touched my arm. “We need to talk. Outside.”

I glanced at Langford and Beatrice. “Stay with her.”

They nodded.

I followed my mother into the office. The door shut behind us, sealing in the heavy quiet.

“What is it?”

She didn’t circle the subject. “We’re in London now. So tell me what are you going to do?”

www

I exhaled slowly and walked to the window. The city stretched out before me, alive and indifferent to private catastrophes.

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Chapter 85.

“I’m stepping away from her.”

Her reflection appeared in the glass behind mine. “Are you sure?”

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“I’ve thought it through. My current condition. What it’ll do to her when she wakes up. She doesn’t remember what happened. I know Maya. If she finds out everything at once, it could be too much -for her mind, for her recovery. The best thing I can do is keep my distance until she’s stable. Physically and emotionally.”

Silence filled the room.

“How?” she asked. “How are you planning to pull that off?”

“I’ll rent her a place. Safe. Comfortable. Nothing excessive-but worthy of her. When she wakes Beatrice will tell her she finally got away from her parents’ house. That was always her plan. She told me once-if I didn’t show up in time, she’d find her own way out of Northumberland.”

My mother studied me carefully, weighing every word.

“All right,” she said slowly. “It’s a plan. But answer me honestly, Átila… are you really going to stay away from her?”

A faint smile tugged at my mouth. “You know me too well.”

“Of course I do. I’m your mother.”

I would never stay away.

Even if she couldn’t see me, I’d be there. Always.

“And her family?” my mother asked.

up,

“They’ve likely run. It won’t matter. The council has already initiated proceedings. The sentence will be absolute. When the time is right, they’ll be found. Right now, the priority is keeping her far from them.”

She sighed. “That eases my mind. But I worry about you. And about what you had to trade for this. The cost was too high.”

“Don’t,” I said quietly, “Ten years goes by faster than you think. After that, I return to Moonville.”

She looked at me with something close to heartbreak. “How can you be so certain? The world changes. Power shifts. Leadership doesn’t wait. It may not be the same when you go back.”

She wasn’t wrong.

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