The Alpha's Forbidden Desire

03. An IRRESISTIBLE Offer

Ariel entered the bar, holding her purse tightly.

She didn’t know what else to do or where to go, and having these thoughts torture her was the last thing she wanted.

It was better to be drunk and have anything take her life while she was unconscious than to have to deal with this.

“Would you like anything, ma'am?” The barista asked her nicely. He was wearing a black shirt with its sleeves rolled up to give him a charming look. A few buttons were left undone to reveal his firm chest, which was currently drawing the attention of the female customers. Ariel nodded.

“A shot of whiskey, please.” She requested while pointing her fingers to make the request.

“Copy that. A shot of whiskey coming right up.” He smiled softly at her and disappeared. Ariel had her eyes glued on him until she couldn't see him anymore.

She enjoyed the hospitality, but she wasn’t here for that. She was here to drown in her sorrows.

The guy came back with a glass cup and a bottle which was still packaged. He opened it and was about to pour the contents when he paused and locked eyes with her,

“Do you know the prices for…”

“Yes, I do.” Ariel sniffed, and immediately after he was done, she drank the shot in one go.

She twisted her face at the burning sensation it gave her. Just then, a woman slid next to the seat on her right side, where Ariel could see her.

It seemed like she was a regular because the guy nodded and brought her a drink.

The woman took a sip from her drink and glanced at Ariel. She did that a few times until their eyes met.

“Why are you staring at me? I hope you know that it's rude to do that.” Ariel questioned her, and the lady nodded.

“I apologise. I was just trying to confirm something. You look depressed. Are you alright?”

Ariel ignored her, but the woman didn't back down. She brought out a card that contained her contact information.

“I have a job for you if you are willing to do it.” She offered. It was now Ariel's time to look at her. She furrowed her brows. Who was this woman, and what did she want to gain from her by trying to befriend her?

“What are you talking about? I didn't mention anything about needing a job, so why are you offering me one?”

The lady chuckled, “Well, you look like you just lost your job, and you have nowhere else to go. I saw you in the rain a few minutes earlier, crying with your luggage, so yeah, I might have figured that out easily.”

“Did you follow me?” Ariel's voice was high now.

“Not at all. I just found it a coincidence that you ended up coming to the same place I wanted to go. Back to business, this offer is meant to provide you with housing for nine months, you are going to be taken good care of — your feeding, your expenses and other things, you are not required to be stressed. When you are done after nine months, you will be paid a hefty amount of money, and you will leave. Are you interested?”

Ariel was confused. What kind of work requires something like that? Not stressful? She couldn't possibly think of one.

“What job are you talking about?”

The lady looked around before whispering,

“Surrogacy.” She replied.

“The job is to become a surrogate, and after giving birth to the child, you will be paid, and then you can leave. It costs you nothing at all. You are going to do this for a couple that you will be living with, and they will take care of you until you deliver. It's a top secret mission, actually, so you can't show your face in public for the next nine months unless there's a reason for it.” She explained to her.

While Ariel was still processing what she had just heard, the woman went ahead to introduce herself.

“By the way, my name is Sophie.”

Ariel pushed the card away from her, “If this was supposed to be a secret, why would you risk telling a stranger? Aren't you afraid I might go out and tell?”

“About what? What are you going to talk about?” Sophie smirked, and Ariel looked away. She was already depressed enough and didn't need anything else in her life.

“So are you interested?”

Ariel rolled her eyes. Being a surrogate? Nope. That was not in her plan. She wasn't interested. Her mind wasn't even stable enough to think much about it. However, before she could respond, Sophie stood up and exhaled loudly.

“I need to leave. Nothing urgent came up. By eight in the morning tomorrow, I need to get your response. If I don't get it before or at eight am, I will take it as you are not interested at all. Have a fun time.” Sophie walked out of the bar.

Ariel was left alone once again, and this time around, she took it hard on herself and drank till she almost fainted.

The next morning, she woke up feeling so weak and tired. There was intense pain all over her body. When she realised where she was, she noticed that she was lying on the bare ground outside. It was six in the morning, and she had headaches too. Now her life was miserable. She checked her pocket, and there were a few changes left, but they wouldn't last her for the day. With no other place to be, she remembered the card. She started searching for it vigorously and luckily found it with her phone.

“Being a surrogate isn't something bad at all, is it? The only thing I have to do is to carry a child.” She whispered to herself and quickly pressed Sophie's number into her phone, which she dialled. It was picked up at the first ring.

“Hello, who is this?” Sophie's sleepy voice could be heard from the other side.

“Hi Sophie. This is Ariel, the girl you met at the bar yesterday. I called to inform you that I am interested in the offer.”

“Wonderful decision. I will text you an address where we are to meet.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

The calls ended.

Sophie rubbed her eyes with a smile and texted a number with the name, “Lady Luna.”

“I found a surrogate, Luna.”