Gunning A Rose Down

“Happy birthday!”

Clinking glasses and merry fake laughter were all too familiar at the birthday party like greeting another friend on a holiday. Same old, same old. Never changing except for the intentions—forging alliances and friendships in the name of power and money. Other than those two, it was matchmaking that made people buzz around. It was the other main event for these guests who had to fight for a step on the stairway to success and wealth. Single omegas and betas were out for one thing: Alphas.

It did not matter whether they were rich or average, Alphas were the top of the cream. There was no doubt on that matter even if a person were to try and turn the world upside down. Any family that has one is considered privileged. Having two or more puts your family in the upper class. However, a dominant alpha holds more weight than ten alphas in one room. Any person who has birthed a dominant alpha is treated like royalty. And their child?

A dominant Alpha is regarded akin to a pure blue-blooded monarch.

Inevitably, that is the kind of world I live in.

“Mrs. Cartiera, good evening. I thought you would be interested in hearing about my daughter’s pregnancy.” I blinked at the lady who called my name, unsure whether I should enter the conversation. However, I was swept away by an incoming crowd of guests and I simply smiled apologetically at them. She merely smiled, ready to get back to gossiping. That’s what they all find enjoyment in, anyway. “Next time then!”

I, for one, had enough of the repeated charades the people put on in every event such as this. Nothing was ever new and the scandals highlighted in the gossip of old maids and married women talked about were as ancient as the individuals involved. The omegas chattering away on the corner, wondering when their mates come was a subject that drones on forever. My thirteen-year-old self would have huffed in disbelief if I ever told her that parties were like this—dull and repetitively sleep-inducing. Definitely not like the parties I was promised by my gold digger of a mother who was thrown out of the household for the same reasons of partying up until dawn without care for her family or her image. Without status and immense wealth, my mother was just now a nameless omega. I can’t afford to be like her.

I never will be like her.

“Good evening, Mrs. Cartiera.”

Bored of gazing at the tiny bubbles floating up the gold untouched champagne adorning my glass, I began to search for my husband hidden behind the sea of glitter and suits after returning a guest’s greeting. The one thing that has made my life bearable was Keith Cartiera—the darling of upper-class society due to his background, family lineage, and handsome face. Yet his fate of being a dominant alpha made his presence even more sought after. The Cartiera family was already at the top of the food chain, but when Keith came to the world, their influence only grew.

Despite being victims of an arranged marriage, my parents had done one favor for me and it was to marry me off to Keith at the sweet age of eighteen due to a contract exchanged between the Cartieras and the Lichts.

A perfect dominant alpha paired with a dominant omega.

“Hello, Mrs. Cartiera! Lovely party.” A gentleman in his thirties smiled at me as I squeezed my way through another partying crowd. I shot him back a grin and resumed my search for my husband. I followed his scent, careful not to lose it as I went.

Everything was perfect in my life currently and there was nothing else I would want. Mother was the daughter of a retired pop star while my father, the second son of the prominent Licht family, ran a shipping company to rival his own family’s famous one. Failures were sometimes instances where we were close to living out in the streets due to my father’s stubbornness. I was sure we were bound to fall from our high status when all seemed bleak. I owe it all to my grandparents for keeping our heads above water—enough for my father to come to his senses and secure my future by having me married off. Ever since then, I never needed to be jealous of material things. One might not agree with it, as it is indeed unheard of sometimes, but I was grateful for the opportunity. Especially when I learned Keith Cartiera was a handsome dominant alpha with a tamed personality compared to the other alpha men I knew and came across. Men who would chew me up and spit out my bones were terrifying to be around.

So, I, Vivien Cartiera, have concluded that I’ve won the lottery in life.

My silver evening dress trailed behind me as I squeezed my way through the chuckles and thick smoke of burnt cigars enough to kill a lung. No one dared to step on the hostess’ dress, knowing full well the embarrassment it may bring. That and they were afraid of Keith and his family.

In a place as crowded as this where you could only see shoes and the carpet at the bottom while the bright crystal chandeliers beamed down on you, one should prepare oneself before diving into the pond of socialites chattering away. However, as a person who has been to these parties since childhood given my family’s status, navigating my way was not difficult. Finding my husband, however, was.

He was the celebrity of the night, overshadowing any big shot invited. Other than being the birthday celebrant, Keith had always been popular since he was born due to his status. Being the only son in a big family filled with daughters, Keith was destined to inherit his father’s will. He was destined for greatness one can only imagine.

“Mrs. Cartiera, good evening!” An old man with a gold ring around all his ten fingers slightly bowed his head at my presence. I returned the greeting before continuing my search, not wanting to lose my chances of seeing my husband since he often gets swept away by the crowd vying for his attention even if it only were a mere second. The power Keith Cartiera held over the city and its people was something anyone would kill for, more so for a spot in his growing family. And I, being his wife, have earned that rightful spot. Spotting the dark wavy locks poking out in a crowd of five boisterous people, I immediately went up to them with a beaming smile.

“I heard their bodies were found near a landfill. How awful could they be to do that…” The man trailed off upon seeing me come up to them, putting on a dashing grin, and gestured at me. “Mrs. Cartiera, what a surprise! I never thought you would grace us with your presence this evening—especially with so many guests still arriving.”

Wrapping an arm around my husband, I politely smiled at the man. Keith took my hand in his and squeezed it. “I can’t be swept away with the crowd and fail to greet every guest who graciously took the time to celebrate my husband’s thirty-fifth birthday.” Tightening my hold on Keith’s arm, I then glanced at him as my lips curled up even more. I must have done something great in my past life to deserve this man. “I’m the luckiest woman in the world and will do everything I can to keep Keith happy.”

My life was close to perfect, probably beyond it… I wouldn’t have asked for anything else. Say that every hardship I had to go through—all the things I sacrificed and had to let go of to reach this point in life—I won’t have any regrets. I was sure I wouldn’t have any when I slipped into the wedding ring my husband bought me. By then, everything I’ve gone through was all worth it.

My life was indeed close to being called perfection.

And perfection was what Keith Cartiera embodied.

“What’s going on?”

The crowd started to murmur when the music died down to a pause and a woman, whose face I knew all too well, climbed up the stage at the far-off end of the room. My body stiffened at her entrance, wondering why she was up there. Confusion was evident on everyone’s faces as this unknown woman started to steal the spotlight from the celebrant. Keith and his friends halted their merriment to see who had the audacity to ruin the party that was about to reach its peak.

Of course, it just had to be her.

“Who is she? Do you know her?”

My life was supposed to be perfect.

Well, almost perfect.

If only my naïve eighteen-year-old self knew what she was doing the moment her father proposed an arranged marriage with the twenty-five-year-old Keith Cartiera… she wouldn’t be standing still and watching as this shitshow was about to unfold. No, my eighteen-year-old self will not be stunned at all. The signs were all there from the start, yet I chose to ignore them for the sake of trust.

“Good evening, everyone… I’m sorry for cutting the music and dampening everyone’s mood for a bit. But I have a few words to say and this is the perfect opportunity to say it. Some of you may or may not know me, but that will not matter in the near future.”

If only I knew my best friend, Jasmine Kara, was on the stage to announce a scandalous statement, I would have prepared for the worst or a glass of champagne to toss at her thick face for fooling me and disgracing my family. However, what she had done was much worse than I expected. I wished I had prepared a gun to shoot her grinning face that belonged to a scum like her.

“My name is Jasmine… And I’m carrying Keith Cartiera’s firstborn child.”