81\u2013Karma Did Not Strike\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeline:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWow, you\u2019ve changed so much,\u201d my father said as we stood face to face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, you seem not to have changed at all,\u201d I replied. I wasn\u2019t trying to insult him, I was just being honest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, your sister takes good care of me. I don\u2019t have to worry about money or anything. All I do now is enjoy my life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was so quick to praise her, something he had never done with me, or so I thought.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard you\u2019re doing great things in the human world. You must be doing well for yourself,\u201d he continued.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As soon as he said that and the frown began to form on my forehead, he laughed, as if to let me know it was just a joke.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess I should say I\u2019m proud of you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
At those words, something tugged at my spine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWow\u2013thank you,\u201d I said, taking a deep breath. \u201cMaybe Mother would\u2019ve said the same thing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I slipped her name into the conversation deliberately. I had never done that before.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I lived with my father, I was never allowed to speak of her\u2013ever. If I did, I was punished.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But now, I was an independent woman. I could finally mention my mother, the woman who gave me life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I saw my father\u2019s body stiffen at her name, but he had to respond.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t just his daughter anymore, I was the researcher the council and the alphas had paid handsomely to bring here.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They couldn\u2019t treat me the same way they used to.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I\u2019m sure she had,\u201d he said, nodding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did she pass away? I mean, I know you said she died giving birth to me, but I checked. I asked Alpha Ron about my birth records, and he said I wasn\u2019t delivered at any hospital of the pack,\u201d I spoke in a monotone, watching the color drain from his face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was because I was lying. I hadn\u2019t spoken to Alpha Ron but the thought of doing it had crossed my mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, the bluff seemed to work, because my father quickly began to speak.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s because she didn\u2019t die,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before I could react to the shock, he continued.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I\u2019ll say this, what she did and how she left- I guess it\u2019s safe to say she just died. That\u2019s why I told you she was gone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He spoke as if that explanation made any sense.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at him in disbelief.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMadeline,\u201d he went on, \u201cwhen you were born, I told your mother I would take care of her. But she didn\u2019t want a\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
81 Karma Did Not Strike:\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
child. So what was the point of telling you about her when she didn\u2019t even want you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His voice was flat, his reasoning vague, but he must have noticed I wasn\u2019t convinced.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So he went on.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was reckless back then. I was cheating on Karla with women from the brothel.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The mention of those women made my body stiffen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd one of those women was your mother,\u201d my father said. \u201cShe used to entertain the rogues. One of those nights, I made an irresponsible mistake. After that, I never saw her again because I never went back to that house.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He sighed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was ashamed. I apologized to Karla, made too many promises, and focused on taking care of my newborn. I became the best husband I could for those nine months. Then your mother left you on the doorstep with a note saying she didn\u2019t want a child. She didn\u2019t want shackles. That\u2019s why I told you she was dead. That\u2019s all I have of her. That\u2019s all I know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My father rubbed his face tiredly with one hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre we talking about that woman again?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, my stepmother appeared.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I watched her come out of the kitchen, wearing a fake, concerned smile and pressing her lips together as if she were upset for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s forget about her. Have you met my daughter? She\u2019s a big researcher now,\u201d my father said to her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Karla wore a gray dress and had dyed her hair blonde.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was covered in jewelry and dressed in branded clothes, thanks to Baxter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I\u2019ve heard about her,\u201d she replied. \u201cShe confronted Yuvonne in a caf\u00e9. They had a huge fight. I was so surprised that Madeline is coming back and that she\u2019s back to her old ways.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As expected of Karla, she spoke in her usual taunting tone, but this time she didn\u2019t raise her hand like she used to in the past.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh yeah? So your daughter told you that she hired the same woman who started rumors about me and Alpha Graham?\u201d I shot back, my voice steady and sharp.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, she didn\u2019t even respond.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then she shook her head, forcing a smile and waving her hand dismissively.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s not talk about it,\u201d she muttered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyway, I saw the kids. They\u2019re really pretty. But they have completely different features. I mean, not just their features, their hair color and eye color are different.\u201d She laughed, making me swallow hard, afraid she might figure it out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was always the type to notice things before anyone else.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI see you\u2019ve redecorated your house. It looks nice,\u201d I said, shifting the attention from my kids to the house.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, Baxter loves Yuvonne so much. He just likes to surprise her with new things.\u201d Of course, she threw it in\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bl\u2013kom Dis Not Strika\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
my face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She remembered that Baxter used to be friends with me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI can tell,\u201d I uttered. She had no clue that I was now good at hiding my feelings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when my kids rushed out of the living room, hugging me tightly. And then Baxter appeared with Yuvonne clinging to him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBaby, I really like that little beard you\u2019ve got going on,\u201d I heard her say as she ran her hand along his jawline.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then she tiptoed to kiss his cheek.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked away quickly, and when I did, my eyes met Karla\u2019s by accident. She was watching me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Baxter walked toward us again, his phone started ringing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He unwrapped his arm from around Yuvonne to take the call.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While holding the phone to his ear, he lingered nearby but kept glancing at me before turning back to Yuvonne with a smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby\u2019s writing style is bold and irresistible\u2014perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.<\/p>\n
81\u2013Karma Did Not Strike\u00a0 Madeline:\u00a0 \u201cWow, you\u2019ve changed so much,\u201d my father said as we stood face to face.\u00a0 \u201cWell, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-no-daddy-novel-by-novelnozi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19077"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19077\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19282,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19077\/revisions\/19282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}