Please Divorce Me, Alpha! {BL}

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Lorenzo was going to be away for three days.

Three wonderfully peaceful days that felt almost too good to be true.

Where did he go, you ask?

I didn’t have a clue, probably went on some mafia business. I didn’t really care to ask.

Normally, I would have relished the quiet. After spending the last eleven months in a mansion that was basically a small country in itself, filled with marble, antique furniture, armed guards, and emotionally stunted individuals, the silence should have been a relief.

But with Lorenzo gone, I was more anxious than relaxed, plotting my escape instead of enjoying my freedom.

I was sitting cross-legged on my bed, my laptop open, a notebook next to it, and my meager savings stacked neatly in the nightstand drawer.

I’d counted the cash three times already, almost hoping it would multiply if I stared at it long enough. Spoiler alert: it didn’t.

You see, over the course of my marriage to Lorenzo. I had been given monthly allowances, thankfully I hadn’t squandered it all on luxury brands, food and books. I had saved a large portion of the money each month.

Closing my eyes, I sighed. ”This is so depressing.”

At least I had some cash to call my own here, could say the same back when I still lived with my father.

The money I had would be enough to get me out of the city, buy a train ticket, rent a cheap room where no one knew my name, and maybe scrape by for a couple of months if I was good at budgeting.

But I was nowhere near seventy million dollars, which was, of course, what my freedom supposedly cost according to the world’s most frustrating mafia boss.

I leaned back until my head hit the wall, staring at the ceiling. Seventy million. I could practically hear Lorenzo’s voice echoing in my mind: You can’t leave.

I scowled. ”Oh, just watch me.”

The words came out much more confidently than I felt.

Truth was, I’d spent the last two days mulling over escape routes, and every single one ended with either a guard, a locked gate, a security camera, or me being dragged back into the house like a particularly daft house cat.

Naturally, I had resolved to improvise. Not exactly my best skill, but I figured it was worth a shot. My strongest talent was probably eating, and my second best was making terrible decisions with way too much confidence.

Today, I was combining both.

Pushing off the bed, I headed to the window and pulled back the curtain. The gardens sprawled out below, neatly arranged, bathed in afternoon sunlight.

Everything looked peaceful enough for a gardening magazine, yet this was the estate of a man who had once told me I couldn’t leave him.

I observed the guards for a while. Two by the main pathway, one near the southern entrance, another patrolling the western boundary.

But then my gaze landed on the eastern side, where the service gate was. I’d seen it before but never thought I’d actually consider using it.

Now, though, I studied it like a master criminal who’d just realized his entire operation consisted of one backpack and enough cash for three weeks of instant noodles.

I needed info. What were the guard rotations? When did the cameras shift? Which entrance was most secure, and which one had a guard who treated his job like a suggestion? I needed someone to fill me in...preferably without them realizing they were helping my escape.

Enter Operation Damsel in Distress.

Ugh, I hated that name. It felt demeaning, but it was sadly fitting.

By the time I reached the gardens where I’d have conversations with Frederick, I’d already practiced my expression three times: soft, innocent, and a little helpless.

I was already cringing at myself. My dad had spent years training me in behaviors he thought made an Omega appealing to wealthy Alphas...sit gracefully, speak softly, smile often.

Don’t seem threatening, don’t challenge an Alpha publicly or private. Looked like all those embarrassing lessons were finally going to be useful. Just not in the way he intended.

I strolled along the garden path, book in hand, pretending to read while keeping an eye on the guards.

Then I spotted him...the new guy. Standing by the eastern path, dressed like the others in black, but with a straight posture that screamed authority.

He was young, or at least younger than most men I’d seen around here, but around my age. And strikingly attractive too, black hair, warm brown eyes, sharp features, and that intense expression that made him seem like he was made for intimidation.

Great, just what I needed...another handsome man to deal with.

Guess my punishment for marrying Lorenzo was being surrounded by eye candy.

I slowed down, then made a purposeful trip. Not a clumsy one, mind you; I tripped with purpose.

My foot caught the edge of the stone path, and I made a dramatic little cry that I’d like to think deserved an Oscar award.

Blair would be proud of me for learning from her if only she didn’t hate my guts.

The book flew from my grip, and I landed on the grass, immediately clutching my ankle. ”Oh!”

The guard’s head whipped towards me, and he was at my side in seconds. ”Are you hurt, sir?”

I looked up, narrowing my eyes just enough to appear pitiful.

”M..my ankle...ouch! It hurts!”

He crouched a few feet away, which scored him points. ”M...may I examine it?”

Well, that was surprisingly polite. I nodded weakly. ”Yes.”

Before I knew it, he lifted me bridal style and carried me to the nearest garden bench like a weighed nothing.

He moved closer, checking my ankle with surprisingly gentle hands. ”Does this hurt?”

I winced. ”A little.”

He pressed another spot. I sucked in a breath. ”More than a little?”

”Maybe.”

His face was all business. I stared at him. This wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought. Most Alphas got nervous around a vulnerable Omega, but Nikolai seemed like he’d been trained by a bunch of emotionally unavailable monks.

I decided to amp up my performance. ”I think I might have broken it.”

His brows furrowed. ”It isn’t swollen or bruised.”

”Maybe it’s an internal injury?”

”That’s not how an ankle fracture usually works.”

”Oh.” I blinked at him. He blinked back in confusion as I smiled weakly. ”You’re very knowledgeable.”

”I’ve had first-aid training.”

”Of course you have.”

I let out a small sigh and leaned against the bench behind me. Nikolai glanced at the book lying a few feet away. ”You were reading?”

”Yes.”

”What?”

I checked the cover. ”A travel book.”

He paused. ”You like traveling?”

”Very much.” I looked toward the distant gates, then back at him. ”Though I haven’t really been anywhere.”

His expression softened slightly. ”You should be careful walking around alone.”

I almost laughed. Alone? That was cute. I had enough guards following me to start a marching band. ”I suppose you’re right, mister.”

He adjusted my foot. I let out another tiny wince. ”So you’re new? I think I’d remember seeing a face as handsome as yours around here.”

His hands hesitated. ”Yes.”

”I’ve just been assigned here recently.”

”That must be exciting.” I lowered my voice seductively, letting out a hint of my pheromones to catch his attention once I realized he was an Alpha.

”It’s a... job.”

”Right.” I smiled. Making small talk with him felt like trying to negotiate hostage terms. ”So, may I know my kind saviour’s name?”

”Nikolai Tsukikage, sir.” He responded, with a slight blush on his cheeks.