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CHAPTER 1 — The Wrong Number
~Jade's POV~
"Jade, I need you to listen to me carefully."
Ms. Rowan stopped just inside the gym doors, her phone still clutched in her hand. Her usually neat ponytail had loosened, strands of hair slipping free as she exhaled sharply. I'd never seen her like this—tense, distracted, like she was already halfway somewhere else.
"I know this is short notice," she continued, lowering her voice, "but something came up."
I nodded, tightening my grip on my bag as we moved in. I did not want to pry, but judging from how her keys jiggled in her hands every two seconds, I knew the situation was serious.
"Is everything okay?"
She hesitated, then shook her head. "Not really. My boyfriend just got into the city this morning to celebrate the festivals with me, and now he's in the hospital. An accident. I can't stay."
That explained the rush.
"The new trainer and lecturers will arrive soon, probably after the New Year's," she said, already moving toward the weight racks. "The equipment shipment isn't fully arranged yet. I don't have time to wait for the rest to be logged or set up. He needs surgery, and they need me to sign."
I nodded almost immediately. I couldn't imagine being in her shoes. Ms. Rowan handed me a clipboard as we walked. "I need you to help me, please."
We moved deeper into the gym, the scent of rubber mats and metal filling the air. The place felt larger than usual, filled with rows of machines and training weapons mounted along the far wall.
"I want clear pictures of everything here and the other equipment when it arrives," she said, gesturing around. "Weights, machines, combat gear. Take inventory, too. Serial numbers, if you can find them. The new trainers need to know exactly what they're working with."
I flipped through the checklist, my heart thudding. "When should I send it?"
"Ten tonight," she said firmly. I blinked, but before I could ask why, she continued, "Not earlier or later. The Alphas are peculiar and have a mountain of work. They'll be free then."
She stopped walking and turned to face me fully, her expression hardening. "I'm giving you one of the trainer's numbers because they haven't officially resumed yet. This is strictly professional, Jade."
"I understand Ms. Rowan."
Her gaze sharpened. "I mean it. No jokes or personal messages. Nothing unnecessary. You send the pictures, the inventory, and that's it. He'll be expecting them."
"Yes, ma'am."
She studied me for a second longer, then nodded. "Good. Once you're done here, you're free to go."
I spent the next two hours waiting for the other equipment while working my way through the gym, snapping photos, counting equipment, and double-checking the list. By the time they brought the remaining machines, it was already 6:33 p.m.
Apparently, their vehicle had broken down in traffic. I thanked them and finished documenting everything until my arms ached.
Outside, the campus was alive with New Year's decorations. Lights glowed between buildings and music drifted from the main hall. I was too tired to care. I wasn't going to the party.
By the time I got home, the house was unusually quiet. My mum was away on a "business trip," though I knew she was actually on vacation with her new flame. I finished my chores, showered, and ate the dinner Mum had left for me. I set an alarm for 9:59 p.m. and climbed into bed, snuggling my white teddy bear.
My phone buzzed just as I pulled the covers up. It was a message from Troy.
Troy: Where are you? I miss you at the party.
Another message followed immediately.
Troy: What about my New Year's gift? You promised me something, didn't you?
My chest tightened. He had asked earlier at school—half-teasing, half-serious—for nude pictures. I'd laughed it off then, thinking he didn't mean it, but now in the darkness of my room, the expectation made my stomach knot.
Troy: Don't tell me you forgot. Or worse, don't tell me you're backing out now.
I gulped. Troy had been my boyfriend since the summer before senior year. As the school's star jock, he was impossible to ignore. When he finally noticed me during the summer tutoring I'd volunteered for, it felt unreal.
We studied together regularly. He was handsome—dirty blond hair, blue eyes, piercings—and when he smiled at me, I was a goner.
Two weeks in, we began lingering after our sessions, staying longer than necessary. One evening, he kissed me, admitted he liked me, and from then on, we became a couple.
We kept things low profile at school. He didn't like public displays of affection, and neither did I; his popularity would have put me in a spotlight I wasn't ready for.
I glanced at my phone screen to see another message.
Troy: You know I've been patient with you, right? I just want something that's mine.
It was true. We hadn't had sex, but we had done almost everything else. Because of that closeness, it was hard to say no. I told myself it wasn't a big deal—that couples did this.
Reluctantly, I agreed.
I changed into the open-crotch lingerie he'd bought me a week ago. My hands shook as I recorded a short clip and took a few photos. It didn't feel like enough. Troy had explicitly said he wanted to see me please myself.
Swallowing, I proceeded to my bed and set my phone just right to capture the moment.
"Deep breaths, Jade. You've got this, you're sexy."
Even saying that did not ease my nerves.
Shutting my eyes, I let my mind wander to all the times he touched me, and slowly mirrored his movements.
My fingers circled around my clit slowly, as my breathing gradually slipped out of rhythm. After a few minutes, I let my hand wander lower, following the need and warmth that had been building up and easing myself into my now-wet hole and slowly inserted it.
My eyes fluttered shut, my body responded, shuddering a little as I began thrusting in and out. It wasn't as breathtaking as Troy's, but it was still making me wet.
I opened my eyes a little, watching my fingers dip in and out of my body. My face burned with embarrassment. Without thinking, I reached for my phone and ended the recording.
That was when my alarm rang.
The sharp sound startled me, snapping me back to reality. I glanced at the top of my screen.
09:59 p.m.
The gym equipment pictures.
My pulse jumped. I sat up quickly, wiping my palms on the sheets. I decided to send the files to Troy first to get it over with and delete them afterwards, before my mind talked me out of this.
After that, I'll send the trainer's files.
I typed "Tr..." expecting Troy's name to appear as usual, and tapped the first contact that appeared, hitting send on the photos and the video.
I still had a minute before I had to message the trainer. I lay back, trying to calm my breathing.
My thoughts wouldn't settle, though. I told myself I was overthinking. That I'd done this for Troy because I cared.
By the time I checked my phone, nervous to see Troy's reaction, and ask if it was to his liking, it was 10:05 p.m.
My stomach dropped.
"Oh no," I whispered.
I was late for the trainer. I quickly attached the gym inventory, forwarded them to the trainer's chat with a polite apology, and exited.
I lay there staring at the ceiling while my heartbeat raced. Ten minutes passed, and there was no reply from Troy.
Annoyed, I opened his chat to ask if something was wrong, but to my horror, my… my videos and pictures weren't there.
Instead, there was only a single impatient emoji.
Confused, I searched through the chat, scrolling again and again. Nothing. The files I sent were gone.
My breathing hitched as dread crawled up my spine. With shaking hands, I opened the other chat again. At first, I felt relieved to see that my pictures weren't…
Then I scrolled and froze.
Every indecent picture. Every freaking video was registered there in the chat, stacked one after the other… Unopened.
My phone slipped from my hand as fear slammed into me. Tears blurred my vision as realisation hit.
I hadn't sent it to my boyfriend. I'd… I'd sent it to one of the cruellest Alpha Triplets.
My eyes darted to my phone screen as I picked it up and noticed three dots appearing beneath his name.
My breath stilled. Then the dots vanished. Before I could exhale, they appeared again, and this time... longer.