Sold on Earth, Chosen by Beasts

Chapter - 19

The Next day. 7 Am.

Rosa woke up and realized Nyx hadn't come to wake her with the usual cup of coffee. For a moment, she considered checking on her — but after everything that had happened yesterday, it seemed wiser to let her sleep. Nyx had been unpredictable since the incident with Mr. Roy, and Rosa wasn't eager to find out what mood she'd wake up in if disturbed.

Better to wake Karen instead.

She got out of bed, freshened up, and walked into her mother-in-law's room — pausing at the door a beat longer than necessary, the image of Nyx standing outside it last night flickering uninvited through her mind.

Probably nothing. She walked in.

Karen, Karen, wake up," Rosa whispered, shaking her.

"Five more minutes," Karen mumbled, turning her back and burrowing deeper into the pillow.

I've spoiled this girl far too much. Rosa massaged her temples. She couldn't yell, not with Mother-in-law still asleep down the hall.

A glass of water sat on the bedside table. Rosa picked it up and flicked a few drops onto Karen's face.

Karen wiped it away with her blanket and went right back to sleep.

Fine. The way I used to wake Nyx, then.

Rosa pinched her hard on the back. Karen jolted up with a yelp that Rosa smothered with a finger to the lips and a warning glare.

"What? Why are you waking me up so early?" Karen rubbed her eyes.

"Go freshen up and help me with the chores. Start with dusting." Rosa turned to leave.

"Why don't you wake Nyx for that?"

"You don't expect her to keep doing all the housework after she's married, do you? Better get used to helping me."

"We could just hire maids," Karen said, eyes lighting up at the thought of herself surrounded by servants — and her college friends green with envy.

"Money doesn't grow on trees, Karen. You think Victor's money lasts forever?"

Karen opened her mouth, but Rosa raised a hand. "Don't. I know what you're about to say. You think it'll be easy to control Nyx after

yesterday? Or that Victor will let her spend his money however she likes once they're married?" She walked out without waiting for an answer, already deciding Karen needed to learn the value of money — and chores — long before that wedding happened.

After freshening up, Karen walked out of the room, drank the coffee Rosa had prepared for her, and reluctantly began helping with the household chores. Once they were finished, she started getting ready to leave for college with Mike.

Meanwhile, Nyx stirred in her sleep and slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she noticed was the sunlight streaming through the window.

Frowning, she turned her head toward the clock.

9:15 a.m.

Nyx's eyes widened.

It was the first time in her life that she had woken up so late in the morning.

She immediately jumped out of bed and rushed toward her wardrobe, expecting Rosa to burst into her room at any second, furious that she had overslept. The thought alone made her brace herself for another round of scolding and beatings.

Then she suddenly stopped.

The events of yesterday came flooding back into her mind.

Right.

No wonder Rosa hadn't barged into her room to wake her up.

After what had happened yesterday, she was probably still wary of her.

A small smile appeared on Nyx's face.

She had to admit, it felt refreshing to finally let out all the frustration she had been bottling up for years.

Calming down, she walked back to her bed and reached beneath the mattress.

A moment later, she pulled out a small calendar.

Taking a red marker, she marked today's date before staring at it for a few seconds.

Then her gaze shifted to tomorrow's date.

Carefully, she circled it.

Just one more day.

Just one more day before I finally make my exit.

Her hand instinctively moved to the pendant hidden beneath her sweater.

The familiar warmth immediately greeted her.

A sense of anticipation bubbled inside her chest.

Soon.

Very soon.

She would finally be free from this family.

Nyx slipped the calendar back beneath the mattress and grabbed another sweater from her wardrobe.

When she heard her phone buzz, she slapped her head, scolding herself for not silencing her phone before going to sleep.

She picked up the phone and saw the message received from Parker.

There was only one word, "Received," written in the message just as she had written in the letter.

"Thank god they received the parcel," she murmured under her breath, put the mobile on silent and airplane mode, and hid it under her faded jeans and walked towards her washroom.

After freshening up, Nyx walked into the living room, biting down on her lower lip to keep the smile threatening to spread across her face under control. Just thinking about her escaping from this place and Rosa's wariness towards her put her in a good mood.

She found Karen and Mike packing their bags for college. Brandon was also getting his things together before heading to work. Meanwhile, Rosa was busy serving breakfast to Grandma.

"Oh, good. You're awake," Rosa said while spreading butter on a slice of toast. "Can you pack lunch for your siblings and Brandon?"

"There is no need to pack my lunch; I will eat at the school cafeteria," Karen protested.

"Stop being such a spendthrift, Karen. Money doesn't grow on trees." Rosa said, scolding her and looking towards Nyx.

Catching the unspoken instruction, she immediately nodded and headed to the kitchen. As she began packing their lunch boxes, she could feel Karen's glare boring into her back.

Nyx was in far too good a mood to pay any attention to it. She simply shrugged it off.

Besides, it wasn't the first time the woman had glared at her. In fact, she did it almost every time she wanted to vent her frustrations on Nyx but, for one reason or another, couldn't. After a while, Nyx had grown used to it.

So she didn't spare the glare a second thought.

After packing the lunches, Nyx handed the lunch boxes to her siblings and Brandon.

Mike and Brandon accepted theirs without much reaction. Karen, however, snatched hers from Nyx's hands as if Nyx were about to run away with it. She shot Nyx another glare before deliberately sticking out her foot in an attempt to trip her.

Unfortunately for Karen, Nyx was already familiar with her little tricks. For a moment, she considered indulging her one last time, since she would be leaving this place soon and likely never see Karen again.

She's not worth it, Nyx thought.

Without breaking her stride, she calmly stepped over Karen's outstretched leg and continued walking as if nothing had happened. A faint smirk played on her lips, which only irritated Karen further, causing her to stomp her foot in frustration.

Everyone in the house, except Karen, was surprised and amused by Nyx's unusual behavior. She was acting far more confident and carefree than usual. However, they quickly dismissed it, assuming she had become smug after gaining Victor's backing.

Karen took a step forward, intending to shove Nyx and vent her frustration on her, but Rosa's sharp glare stopped her in her tracks.

With an annoyed huff, Karen grabbed her bag and stormed out of the house.

Soon, one by one, all three of them left.

After seeing them off, Nyx closed the front door behind them.

The moment Nyx closed the door behind them, Rosa's phone rang.

She glanced at the screen — Mia's name flashed across it — and frowned. Why is she calling instead of just showing up?

"Hello?" Rosa answered, pressing the phone to her ear.

"Rosa, I'm so sorry to do this on such short notice," Mia's voice came through, brisk and apologetic. "There's been a family emergency, and I won't be able to make it for Nyx's training today."

"Oh — I see. I hope everything's alright?" Rosa asked, though her tone carried more politeness than actual concern.

"It will be, thank you for asking. I'll call to reschedule once things settle down. Do give Nyx my regards."

"Of course. Take care, Mia."

Rosa hung up and slipped the phone back into her pocket, already turning toward the kitchen where Nyx was clearing the breakfast dishes.

"That was Mia," Rosa said. "Apparently there's some family emergency on her end. No training for today."

For a moment, Nyx simply stood there, the words settling over her like sunlight breaking through clouds.

Looks like even the gods are on my side today. What a perfect way to start the day.

A smile tugged at her lips before she could stop it. It widened into a full-blown grin, and only then did she realize what she was doing.

Get it together, Nyx.

The grin vanished instantly.

If you keep smiling like an i***t, they'll get suspicious. And if they get suspicious, you can kiss your escape plan goodbye.

She gave a quick, neutral nod while muttering, " Okay, ".

She hurriedly gathered the empty plates from the table and rushed inside the kitchen as if running from trouble.

Yet no matter how hard she tried to compose herself, the excitement buzzing inside her refused to settle. It fluttered wildly in her chest as she carried the dishes to the sink and started washing them.

Across the room, Rosa watched her for a moment, a small frown forming on her face.

"Mother," she said quietly, "don't you think Nyx is acting a little strange today?"

The old woman glanced toward Nyx, who was humming under her breath while scrubbing a plate.

"You're overthinking it," Grandma replied dismissively. "The girl is probably just in a good mood for once."

Rosa wasn't entirely convinced.

The image of Nyx standing outside her mother-in-law's room the previous night refused to leave her mind.

Then there was her behavior today.

The oversleeping. The smiles. The confidence.

The girl seemed almost... relieved.

As if a burden had suddenly been lifted from her shoulders.

Rosa didn't know why, but the feeling gnawed at her.

Something was different.

And she intended to find out what.