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Chapter 528 Exposed
Chapter 528 Exposed
Secretary Jack guided Lara through a second entrance she knew nothing about. They sneaked into the alley and opened the door with a key, stepping in and taking a deep sigh once they were safe.
«Feels like running away from predators,» Lara said, hoping it wouldn't be offending the wolf in front of her.
In all the time she had been in the company, never once had she felt in danger as much as while in front of the press. Wolves were predators, but they weren't nearly as stressful as the beasts outside.
«You're safe now, Alpha Lara. That's what is important.»
«But why is it such news?» she asked him. «I mean, I can't be the first...»
«No, but the press needs scandals to sell issues. That's why this won't settle anytime soon.»
«I'm not sure which option would be worse, at this point: passing or failing.»
Secretary Jack halted in his steps, confused. What was she talking about? Passing what?
«Oh, you mean the entrance test,» he realised. He had talked out loud, which meant he should have endured confused questions as well.
«Yes, of course. What were you talking about?»
«I... Ehm, let's hurry. Alpha Nate is waiting for you.»
«He wants to tell me by himself,» Lara said.
The secretary's guilty face was easy to read.
«What else could they find out?» she asked herself on the way up. She didn't insist on Nate's secretary, for she knew it was pointless and would just put the man in a tough position.
She waited to meet with Nate to hear the whole story.
«Sit down,» he said as soon as she had walked in. «The press is surrounding the whole building, but we'll go home eventually.»
«What is the matter? Have they found out about Scarlet too?»
She hoped it was the case: if Nate had been spotted with their daughter, they kind of were, even regarding scandals. But life was never as easy as she wished it to be.
«Someone found out about what happened,» he said. «It was just a matter of time, and...»
«My mother told them, didn't she?» Lara spat out. «She hates me more than she loves her own position. I can't believe she really did it!»
«Wait, wait... I'm not sure whether she's behind it. It will hit her really hard. A popular tabloid published a story about your pregnancy, how you were abandoned by your family and gave birth to them all alone. They say that Jaden is that same baby.»
«I knew this day would come,» she sighed. However, she didn't start trembling.
She didn't have any panic attacks. She didn't fear the future.
It was just another obstacle on their way, but it was something fated to happen.
«What do we do now?» she queried, sitting in front of the desk and waiting for Nate's instructions.
She had no ideas about how to move, for everything she did could hurt Nate or the twins.
«We'll give an interview and tell them the truth: that the twins are mine, that we two love each other... That your mother did throw you out of home when she didn't know I was the man you were with, and that she changed her mind later.»
«But, what will I say when they ask me why haven't we been together all these years?»
«The truth: we weren't together at the time and you didn't want a relationship with me. You changed your mind just recently after relentless courting from my side.»
«That's the truth, now?» she chuckled.
«I did my best.» He tried defending his honour, but his face wasn't convinced.
What could he say had changed Lara's way of looking at him? Their mate bond?
«You didn't want a relationship at first,» he said. «That's the truth.»
«We don't need to reply to intimate questions,» Lara said. «I guess it's enough to tell the world about our family. The twins will have it easier, in the long run. As for why and how we met and parted ways, we can just let things roll the way they always do. It won't be in the centre of everyone's attention for too long.»
«It won't,» Nate confirmed. «We'll survive this together.»
«Sure,» Lara replies.
She reached out to his hands and entwined their fingers, looking him in the eye. The worse part of the story was about running away from the press until things calmed down. She wasn't that afraid for her reputation.
Nate was by her side, and her mother wouldn't be able to meddle in anymore after revealing to the whole world how they weren't in contact anymore.
«I'll set an appointment tomorrow. A TV crew will come here and ask us questions. We'll answer those we find acceptable and send them back to clear our image,» Nate said. «I hate that no one believes the twins are mine. Look, we're so similar!»
«Sure,» Lara chuckled. «How haven't they noticed yet?» Read exclusive content at empire
She leaned back on the chair, sitting more comfortably.
«Will it disturb everyone's work, though? Getting in and out is a hassle, now.»
«Don't worry. The pack will back you, Lara. They will defend you in any way they know. It might look weird, to you, but they'll do it in good faith.»
«I wasn't worried about it. Somehow, now that it's happened, I'm not afraid anymore.»
«No?»
«My whole life is out there for everyone to read. Yet you're here, Nate. In front of me, working on a way to solve it. What can I be afraid of, at this point?»
«For me, the press means zero. It's the same for the others, believe me. Human public opinion is a worry just as much as it concerns our business and economic stability. We don't care what you did before becoming one of us. Even if they dug out your criminal record, no one would as much as bat an eye.»
«There's no criminal record,» she chuckled. «Even though I wouldn't be too surprised if my mother did something like that again. She sent an innocent man to prison, there's nothing she wouldn't do.»