The Rejected daughter chosen by the Alpha (Maya and Atila) novel Chapter 88

Chapter 88

– MAYA

I unloaded everything on Beatrice the second I walked into the apartment that night.

The new professor.

Dr. Hale getting fired out of nowhere.

The way Atila Volkov took over the classroom like he’d owned it for years.

And especially the oral exam.

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“He asked hard questions, but they were fair,” I said, hopping up onto the kitchen counter while she stirred something on the stove. “No trick traps. Just content. Neurotransmitters, the limbic system, autonomic stress responses. And the way he looks at you? It’s like he’s already read your answer before you open your mouth.”

Beatrice made a vague

“mm-hm” sound.

She wasn’t listening.

“Bee?”

She blinked like she’d just returned from another planet. “What?”

“You’ve been gone for five minutes. I’ve been talking this whole time.”

“Sorry. I am listening.”

“You’re not. What’s going on?”

She set the spoon in the sink and exhaled slowly. “Nothing. I’m just… thinking about some decisions my uncle’s making.”

“Oh. The mysterious uncle.” I rested my chin on my hand. “How is he? Did you meet up with him today?”

She looked away.

“No. It didn’t work out. He started a new job and he’s… busy.”

“A new job?” I frowned, “I thought he was rich.”

Her shoulders stiffened for half a second. Almost invisible.

“He is. He just works because he wants to.”

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4:24 pm M

Chapter 88

I let out a small laugh. “I’ve never met anyone who works for fun.”

She tucked her hair behind her car. She always did that when she was uncomfortable.

“Guess that’s rich-people logic,” I said lightly.

“Guess so.” She grabbed the trash bag and sighed. “I’ll take this out.”

I jumped off the counter and blocked her path. “Nope. My turn. You did it yesterday.”

“You don’t have to, Maya.”

“I do. We believe in fairness in this apartment. No one gets overworked.”

I gathered the trash while she shook her head.

“Fine,” she said. “Then I’m cooking.”

“Deal.”

I grabbed the bag and passed the hallway mirror.

Stopped.

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I looked like a disaster. Messy bun hanging on for dear life. Faded Ramones T-shirt. Printed shorts I only wore inside the apartment. If I met the love of my life like this, it would be deeply humiliating.

Whatever. There was no one remotely interesting in this building. No potential suitors. No threat to my pride.

I opened the door and stepped into the quiet hallway.

That’s when I noticed the apartment across from ours was open. Boxes everywhere. Two men hauling furniture inside.

Someone’s moving in?

We’d never seen anyone live there since Bee and I moved in.

I shrugged and started down the stairs. Fourth floor. No elevator. Every step felt like punishment. This ancient building could’ve at least tried.

Halfway down, I nearly collided with someone coming up, carrying a massive box that blocked most of his vision. I flattened myself against the wall to let him pass.

“Sorry,” I murmured automatically.

He didn’t answer.

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4:24 pm

Chapter 88

I glanced sideways-

-and almost missed the next step.

Oh. My. God.

It was him.

Atila Volkov.

What was he doing here?

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He walked past like I didn’t exist. Didn’t slow down. Didn’t acknowledge me. I turned to watch him climb the rest of the stairs.

He went straight into the apartment across from mine.

You’ve

got to be kidding me.

He’s my neighbor?

Before he could come back out, I spun around and hurried up the stairs, still clutching the trash bag. I burst into the apartment slightly out of breath.

Bee looked up from the stove. “Why are you back with the trash?”

“Change of plans. I’m getting ready before I take it out.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You need to get ready to take out trash?”

“Yes.”

“Give it to me. I’ll do it.”

I hid the bag behind my back. “Absolutely not. I just need to fix my hair.”

“Maya…”

“Do not steal

my

chore.”

She raised both hands, “Okay, Surrender.”

I went to my room trying to act calm.

Quick shower. Fixed my hair, Light makeup. Nothing dramatic. Just enough to look alive. Swapped the Ramones shirt for a clean white blouse and denim shorts. A little perfume. Subtle.

Just enough not to look like I survived the apocalypse,

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1:24 pm M

Chapter 88

I headed back out with the trash.

The apartment across the hall was closed now.

Did he already go

inside?

Is he married?

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I hadn’t seen a ring.

What is wrong with you?

I was acting like some teenage girl crushing on the hot teacher in a bad paperback.

I took the trash downstairs and stepped into the courtyard area near the parking lot.

That’s when I saw him.

Sitting on one of the swings in the tiny playground. Alone. Smoking.

The smoke curled into the cold evening air.

I took a breath and walked toward him.

“Hey. You can’t smoke there.”

He took a slow drag before looking at me.

When his pale eyes met mine, my lungs forgot how to function.

“Are you the building manager?” he asked dryly. Same tone he’d used in class.

I bit my lip. “You don’t recognize me?”

He stood from the swing, unhurried. Dropped the cigarette, crushed it beneath his shoe. Then he walked toward me.

Every step closed the space and tightened the air.

He stopped a few inches away.

“Oh,” he said softly. “Now I recognize you. Maya. Right?”

“You remember my name,” I said, quieter than I meant to,

“I remember students who perform well under pressure.”

“So I passed?”

“You passed.” He tilted his head slightly. “But you almost sabotaged yourself.”

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4:24 pm

Chapter 88

My heart sped up. “Excuse me?”

“You started strong, then drifted into unnecessary elaboration. Insecurity.”

“I was expanding.”

“Maybe you were trying to impress me.”

I crossed my arms. “And if I was?”

He held my gaze a beat too long.

“That doesn’t interest me. Consistency does.”

“Noted, Professor.”

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The corner of his mouth twitched, almost a smile but not quite. The air between us thickened in a way I couldn’t name. He was close enough that I noticed the steady rhythm of his breathing, the tight line of his jaw, the way his eyes narrowed like he was cataloging every microexpression on my face.

I should’ve stepped back.

I didn’t.

For a second, the world dimmed around us.

He broke it first.

“Outside the university, it’s Volkov.”

“So outside the university, you’re not my professor?”

“I’m still your professor. You just don’t have to call me that.”

The silence that followed wasn’t comfortable. But it wasn’t bad either.

And like always when I got nervous, I filled it,

“You moved into the apartment across from mine, I mean, I saw you earlier.” I stumbled over my words, took a breath. “So…. we’re neighbors. That’s… a coincidence.”

“A big coincidence,” he said casually. Too casually. There was a hint of something in his tone. Amusement? Irony? I couldn’t tell.

He studied my face like I was a case study.

I tightened my arms across my chest, hoping he couldn’t hear my heart trying to escape.

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