Chapter 51

Ollie’s POV

Declan, with a firm hand on my shoulder, leads me from the garage in the basement of the estate to the elevator and then from the elevator over to the main living room. Conrad, Wes, and Hugh are all there, standing around, looking impatient.

My only relief is that Sylvia isn’t among them. At least I won’t have her additional ridicule while I’m being scolded by the brothers.

“What’s this about now, Declan?” Hugh asks, voice short with annoyance. When he spots me, his expression falls further. “What has Ollie done now? Embarrassed us in some new way, I suspect.”

“She’s been meeting her boyfriend at her work,” Declan says. “I went there and saw him with my own eyes.”

“Jake is just a friend,” I say in an effort to defend myself. “He’s a regular at the shop. I don’t even know him that well.”

“They were holding hands,” Declan says.

“He put his hand on top of mine,” I argue. “He was just trying to be supportive because –”

“Enough,” Conrad says firmly, and my mouth snaps closed in reflex. He looks at Declan. “I can assume this… Jake… is not a reputable character.”

“Does that matter?” Hugh scoffs. “We didn’t pick him. We didn’t approve of him.”

“Look at Ollie’s outfit,” Wes scoffs. “Those tight shorts don’t leave much to the imagination. She’s wearing this outfit to attract less than reputable men.”

Hugh considers this. The others do too, all of them looking down at my body. Under their attentions, I shift my weight, pushing my chest forward while jutting my hip. I do it on instinct, like I can’t help but present myself for their attentions.

I feel ashamed of myself, but I’m starting to burn hot from the weight of their gazes.

“What’s the end game, Ollie? Seduce the men until one gets you pregnant, and then you can trap him?” Hugh asks.

“I’m not seducing anyone,” I tell him. Though, is that fully true? I have been seducing Hugh while disguised, but that has been more of a mutual understanding, not any form of entrapment. And we’ve been careful so I won’t get pregnant.

The words feel like a lie though, and that must come through in my voice because at once, all of their expressions seem to darken.

“If that is your plan, we will not allow it to happen,” Conrad says fiercely, a fire sparking in his eyes. “You are an omega, and our responsibility. Only we can decide who you marry.”

That’s a more archaic rule, that Alphas decide who Omegas marry. It’s not something that has been practiced in at least fifty years.

“I’m my own person,” I tell them. “I can make my own choices.”

“Not in this,” Declan says flatly from behind me. Glancing, I see the icy freeze in his eyes. When Conrad gets angry, he burns hot. When Declan gets angry, he grows colder. Right now, I feel like I’m caught perpetually between the hottest summer and the coldest winter depending on which way I turn my head.

“You are a vile little schemer,” Hugh says.

“Manipulator,” Wes adds. “Acting all innocent, but we know the truth.”

Hearing such cruel words from these two especially cuts deeply. Their mannerisms toward me as Ollie is so very different than how they treat me as their mate. It’s almost as if a switch has been flipped somewhere.

“As a member of this household, you represent our family. And you are an Omega besides,” Conrad says. “Therefore it is not just our responsibility to keep you in line, it is our sworn duty as patriachs of this household as well as Alphas of this pack.”

“You will not see Jake again,” Declan says.

“He’s a regular at the ice cream shop, and a friend,” I say. “I can’t just ignore a customer.”

“You must,” Conrad adds.

Declan lifts his hand from my shoulder to the back of my neck. I freeze at the possessive, and intimidating, movement.

“I could have a collar made for her,” Declan says. “I could have it brandished with our names so she, nor anyone else, will forget who she represents.”

I unintentionally shiver at the thought of bearing the names of the four quadruplets on a collar. It would make me theirs, wouldn’t it?

Immediately, I scold myself. Belonging to them is exactly what I don’t want.

While the others continue to commiserate and berate me for things I haven’t even done – this is the official outfit of the shop, I didn’t change anything! – Declan stares at me, watchful and observant.

I swallow thickly realizing that he must have felt my shiver.

He stares but he doesn’t say anything. I’m so embarrassed that I duck my head away.

Sylvia’s POV

I watch from the shadow of the hallway while my brothers scold Ollie. It’s quickly become one of my favorite pastimes, watching her lose favor with the quadruplets.

It had been infuriating at first, when after I first arrived, they had still treated Ollie like part of the family. It was only with my due diligence and persistence that she gradually lost more and more favor with them, until now, at last, they seem to despise her as much as I do.

Yet, I can’t grow complacent. Perhaps I had misunderstood the context, but the image of Conrad with his arms around her, sniffing at her neck, is burned into my mind.

I can’t leave these kinds of things to fate and chance. I need to make sure that Ollie’s reputation is consistently dragged through the mud, so that the brothers continue to belittle her while favoring me.

No one will have my brothers’ affections but me. I’m certainly not going to play second fiddle to some lowly Omega.

To ensure that relationship continues to fracture, I need to plan what to do next.

The brothers may have placated me by forcing Ollie to be my servant for the upcoming semester, but that’s not nearly enough. She needs to be lower than a servant, a slave, really. And a silent one. Someone to follow me around for the rest of my life, and live only to do my bidding.

I’m a princess, aren’t I? I should have servants whose whole lives revolves around me.

Ollie should suffer for ever thinking that she is above me, that she deserved the spot I sit in now.

I’ll make certain that she doesn’t entertain any delusions of grandeur. I will see her spirit broken, and I’ll use the brothers to break her.

I just need to keep twisting the knife, over and over, until there is nothing left of her heart to bleed.

Perhaps to do so, I should take a closer look at this… Jake. Whether he actually is Ollie’s secret boyfriend or not is irrelevant. Regardless, he could be a fine tool for my arsenal.

If he was trying to support Ollie, he must care about her. I’m sure with the right encouragement, I could help push the matter further along.

Perhaps Ollie might find herself in a compromising position.

Perhaps the brothers would find out about it.

And all the while, I will sit back with my popcorn and watch the fireworks burst.

A smirk curls the edge of my lips.

Poor Omega Ollie has no idea what she’s in for.