Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Dear Lord Payne and Lady Wife,

I thank you for all the years of hospitality. You have graciously provided me with food, shelter and a wasted education. However, I fear I cannot continue down the path you have set for me.

I have thought arduously about this decision and I firmly believe this is for the best.

I do not wish to marry Simon Spencer.

I do not wish to find myself pregnant and tied down to another before I have the opportunity to experience what a full life has to offer.

I will not subject myself to a life of misery just because it was expected of me. And I certainly Will NEVER let the Baron Spencer lay his eyes on me ever again. I believe you are aware I was to be sexually assaulted tonight and had even planned for such an occasion to take place.

You may think me ungrateful, but I am not. In actual fact I am deeply thankful. I thank you for showing me your true colours before it was too late. It is you who have saved me from a life of abject misery and marital rape. So, from the bottom of my heart, father, you have my thanks.

You may also think me weak but I am not. I may be an omega, but I am first and foremost a Payne, and we Payne's do not get pushed around so easily. You have led me to believe I had no prospects in my future, but I do. You have tried to convince me I do not deserve happiness, but I do.

A dear friend of mine asked me last night "when has your family ever served you?" I had no answer for him. Because I simply did not know. I have spent my whole life doing as you have told me, and for what? I am loved and supported by my friend, which is more than can be said of the treatment I have received from yourselves.

I will not be returning home. Please do not look for me, as I will not look for you.

Happiness is a fools game. And I am quite content to live my life as a fool.

Yours sincerely,

Your unwanted son,

Edwin Payne

Chapter Text

Considering the late-night Richard had endured he still managed to wake up at eight o’clock and make his way downstairs for breakfast. He ordered Lauren to deliver some breakfast to the boy and release Gordon from his duties as he passed her. She quickly curtsied to him before scurrying off to the kitchens.

Sat at the breakfast table was his coffee, newspaper, and of course Edwina. She was sipping on a cup of tea whilst holding some romance novel in her other hand. She had glanced up over the rim of her cup at Richard as he entered.

An uncomfortable silence settled over the two of them. A hot meal was quickly placed in front of Richard. At least this was one of the only things in his life that still ran like clockwork.

He could feel Edwina’s eyes baring into him. He knew she was going to speak any minute now; it was only a matter of time.

 ‘Where did you run off to last night?’

And there it was.

‘I thought I had told you to call things off with that tramp from the council estate,’ Edwina muttered into her teacup before taking another sip and resting it down on the saucer. She reached out a hand grabbed a slice of white toast and began to butter it.

‘I was not seeing her,’ he quipped back, grabbing his fork and stabbing one of the sautéed mushrooms on his plate. Just as he raised it to his mouth, he dropped his arm.

‘And I have cut things off with her after you unceremoniously ruined her life,’ he said as he shoved the mushroom into his mouth, ‘and destroyed her face,’ Richard added as he continued to tuck into his breakfast, although his appetite was quickly dwindling.

Edwina smirked at the memory making Richard’s blood boil. That poor girl had done nothing wrong. Paige was her name; she was a buxom nineteen-year-old omega from a council estate in the centre of London. The two had met outside of his favourite gentleman’s club. He knew she was using him for his money, it’s why she had been hovering around there in the first place, looking for a wealthy man to have all to herself. He enjoyed spending money on her, having her rely on him for all her worldly goods in exchange for a thrilling fuck. It was nice to feel wanted.

It didn’t matter now; she had been young and beautiful. Then Edwina had found out about their affair and took it upon herself to hire some hitman to throw acid in her face while on a night out with her friends. She had deformed her, destroyed her youth, her beauty. Such a waste. He couldn’t even look at her anymore. He paid her a lump sum as compensation and dropped her as quickly as possible.

‘Pretty thing like that needed putting in her place,’ Edwina muttered again under breath, the smirk remaining fixed on her lips. She really took pride in her wicked actions. Although if she truly cared for their marriage she would have had the poor girl slaughtered rather than deformed, Lord knows he would have done that if it were her having the affair.

The thought of another man laying a hand on his omega riled him up. Perhaps she had taken another lover in the past and he was unaware of it, there was hardly a risk of pregnancy and producing a bastard so it would have hardly mattered. He wouldn’t have minded Paige carrying his bastard though, perhaps she would have given him an alpha at least.

‘Hmph. No, I was not seeing her last night,’ he continued as he grasped the handle of his coffee cup and took a sip, ‘I was, however, retrieving our son.’

That caught her attention. She dropped her book at stared at Richard; utter shock plastered on her face.

‘Edwin?’ she asked, causing her husband to snort.

‘Do we have any other?’ he asked, unable to contain the sarcasm in his voice.

‘He’s back? Where is he?’

Richard noticed Edwina was looking at the seats around their table for any signs of a placemat, but she would find none. Their rebel son was not worthy to sit at the table in their presence just yet. Once he had apologised for his behaviour and learned from his mistakes Richard would allow him to dine with them, like the son of a viscount should. But for now, he was to remain locked away until he learned his place. Or until Simon deemed him worthy enough as well, after tomorrow he was no longer Richard’s problem, thank goodness for that.

‘He’s in his room, where he shall remain until his wedding day,’ he said plainly. His wife then closed her book and placed it atop the table.

‘I suppose I should pay him a visit,’ she said as she began to move from her seat, but Richard stopped her.

‘Not yet, I need you to make arrangements for his wedding outfit first. You ordered a dress did you not?’ the alpha asked as he took another bite of one of his mushrooms.

‘Yes, they were keeping it at the shop in case he returned home. I’ll give them a call when they’re open and request an urgent consultation,’ she replied as she settled back into her seat. Thank God she had done that while he was still living under their roof.

‘When are you arranging the wedding for?’ she asked as took another sip of her tea and watched her husband carefully.

‘Tomorrow,’ he replied, almost making her spit her drink out.

Edwina coughed a couple of times. She placed her teacup back down onto its saucer and picked up her napkin, dapping her lips to clear the excess moisture.

‘Tomorrow?! Good god, Richard. You’re not giving me much time to organise this!’

‘You just get the dress. If you like you can source a cake from somewhere and I’ll deal with the rest,’ the alpha ordered. He had wanted this to run as smoothly and perfectly as possible.

‘Tomorrow. Bloody fool!’ Edwina hissed at him as she began to collect her belongings at the breakfast table. She shook her head as she marched past him and out of the room.

He may have been a fool, but he was not foolish enough to wait too long to allow the little shit a chance at escape yet again. Act fast, minimise the chances.

He had a lot to plan before tomorrow, but he believed he was fully prepared. He had contacts on the back burner to pull together a quick wedding. They were all simply waiting for his call.

He had wondered if it may have been easier if he had another like his wife helping him to organise this, but the more control he had over the important details of the marriage the better. At least then he would know it would be as close to perfect as possible. Not quite as perfect as it would have been back in January, but needs must when it came to improvising. There was so much to plan for and no time at all! It’s a good job money talks as much as it does. For the right price you could buy anything, including people’s souls.