Married To The Billionaire Alpha King-Chapter 71 - falling into place

71

~Lira’s POV

After a moment, he said quietly, "You’re playing a dangerous game, Lira."

"I don’t care," I murmured. "Not anymore."

Another stretch of silence passed between us, thick and uncomfortable. He wouldn’t look at me, and I didn’t force him to. I could feel his surrender hanging in the air like smoke.

Eventually, he said, "Fine. I already gave you my answer."

I leaned forward slightly, watching him. "Say it again."

He frowned. "Why?"

"Because I need to hear it," I whispered. "Clearly."

Ronan closed his eyes, frustrated. "Yes. I said yes. Are you satisfied?"

A slow smile curved my lips. "Very."

"You’re going to act nice to her. Very nice. Polite. Loyal. Helpful. You’re going to be the best employee she’s ever seen. You’ll smile. You’ll nod. You’ll pretend you admire her."

Ronan stared at me like I’d lost my mind. "Why would I do that?"

"So you can get close to her," I said slowly. "So you can gain her trust again. So she starts depending on you." I paused, then added, "So that when it’s time... you’ll be able to drug her without anyone suspecting a thing."

His eyes widened. "Are you insane?"

"Maybe," I said with a small shrug. "Or maybe I’m the only one who still has the courage to fix what she destroyed."

He shook his head, muttering under his breath. "You’re going to get me killed."

"You won’t die," I said. "Just follow my instructions." I tapped the table lightly. "You’ll buy her things. Small gifts. Coffee. Snacks. You’ll act like you’re being thoughtful. Like you’re becoming friendly. You know how to fake kindness. You’ve done it with her before."

He glared. "That was in the past, and she is not a fool to ever believe me again."

"And now you’ll do it again," I said simply. "Start small. Build up. Make her see you."

He leaned back, exhaling sharply. "And the drug? What exactly are you planning?"

"Don’t worry about that now. Just come back here," I said, pointing at the floor. "This exact cafe. Two days from now."

I lowered my voice. "I’ll give you what you need then."

He stared at me for a long moment. His jaw twitched. "I don’t like this."

"I’m not asking you to like it," I muttered. "I’m telling you what will happen if you refuse."

His glare deepened. "You’re threatening the wrong person."

"No, Ronan," I smirked a little, even though inside I was trying to keep my own nerves steady. "I’m threatening the only person desperate enough to actually listen."

He pushed his chair back so fast the legs scraped across the floor. The sound was loud enough to make a couple of people glance our way, but he didn’t care at all. He stood there, breathing hard, eyes filled with anger, as I had personally dragged him through fire.

"I’ll come in two days," he said through clenched teeth. "But after that, we’re done."

"Sure," I said, waving a hand like it was nothing. "Whatever you need to tell yourself."

He stormed out, the door slamming behind him, the whole frame shaking. The sharp sound rushed through me, strange but almost thrilling. A messy, twisted satisfaction. Someone was finally listening. Someone was finally reacting. I didn’t know if I should feel proud or guilty, but at that moment, I didn’t feel like picking one.

I stayed in my seat for a bit, maybe a minute or two, letting the leftover tension settle in my shoulders. The cafe noise slowly returned to normal, cups clinking, low chatter, the coffee machine hissing. I could feel eyes leaving me one by one.

My fingers wrapped around my cup again, feeling the warmth fading, matching the way the adrenaline inside me was settling too. I took a slow breath, picked up my bag, and stood. The chair made a soft sound as I pushed it back in, nothing like Ronan’s loud scrape from earlier.

I practically floated home.

It sounded ridiculous, but that was exactly how I felt. Like my feet weren’t touching the ground. Like everything was finally starting to tilt in my direction again.

I shut the front door behind me and leaned on it, letting out a long, shaky breath.

"I did it," I whispered to myself. "He listened. Finally."

For the first time in days, a real smile pulled at my lips. Not a forced one, not the bitter one I’d been wearing... but something close to relief.

I headed straight to my room, closed the door quietly, and opened the small drawer under my vanity. My fingers brushed against the bottle inside.

The sleeping pills.

"Perfect..." I murmured, lifting the bottle and staring at it like it was some kind of treasure. "Absolutely perfect."

I shook it a little, listening to the soft rattle. My chest warmed with satisfaction. "Now everything is set. Two days. Just two days."

I walked to the bed and sat, hugging the bottle to my chest for a moment. Maybe it was crazy, but I didn’t care. All that mattered was that I finally had a weapon. Something real, and Elara wouldn’t see it coming.

My stomach growled then, snapping me back to myself.

"Right... food," I muttered and forced myself to leave the room.

Downstairs, the house was quiet. Too quiet. My parents must have gone out or maybe just stayed away from me. Fine. I didn’t want their voices in my head anyway.

I reheated some leftover food, sat at the dining table, and ate quietly, thinking about Ronan’s face when I threatened him. The anger. The fear. The frustration.

"He’ll come back," I whispered with a small grin. "He doesn’t want trouble with me."

After eating, I went back upstairs, shut my door again, and stayed there. All day. The curtains were half-closed, letting in just enough light. I didn’t feel like going out. I didn’t want anyone to see me right now. My mind felt too full. Too wild.

I paced the room a few times.

"I need to calm down," I muttered, even though I didn’t really want to.

I sat on the bed, lay down, sat back up again. My head was buzzing, and yet... I liked the feeling. It meant things were moving. Finally.

Hours passed like that. Just me thinking, planning, rehearsing conversations aloud.

Every now and then, I opened the bottle again. Just to look. Just to know it was still there.

By late evening, I stretched out on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Two days.

Two. Simple. Days.

Then everything would begin.

A soft laugh slipped out of me, quiet but real. "Thank goodness," I breathed. "Everything is finally falling into place."

And with that thought warming me from the inside, I reached for my blanket, curled up, and let the day fade quietly around me.