Free Web NovelChapter 46: Chapter 46 Gifts and Games
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Alpha Dominic kicked Vincent beside him in the private dining room, his patience clearly wearing thin.
"Vincent, can you stop using me as your cover story every time?" Alpha Dominic growled. "When I was single, fine, whatever. But I have a mate now!"
Vincent gave a sheepish grin, his wolf energy submissive compared to the Alpha King’s dominance. "I’m sorry, Dom. I had no idea that male model would make such a big deal and track us down here. I told him we were done..."
"Come on, calm down. I promise I’ll end things cleaner next time!" Vincent tried to calm him down.
Alpha Dominic growled and kicked him again. "You’re fixing that gossip story online! And you’re explaining this to my mate yourself!"
"Look at this mess," Alpha Dominic said, throwing his phone on the table. The screen showed the trending story with blurry photos and wild headlines. "The pack gossip mill is going crazy. Every wolf in the city probably thinks I’m cheating on my Luna."
Vincent winced as he read the comments. "Okay, this is worse than I thought. They’re calling her all sorts of names."
"Exactly!" Dominic’s voice got dangerous. "I don’t care what they say about me, but Elara doesn’t deserve this. She’s already dealing with enough family drama."
Vincent held up his hands. "I’ll call my PR team right now. We’ll get this taken down and put out a statement. Maybe say it was just a business meeting?"
"Make it believable," Alpha Dominic warned. "And you’re personally apologizing to her. Face to face."
Vincent gulped, knowing the Alpha King’s mate had quite the reputation for her sharp tongue. "She’s not going to like me very much, is she?"
"Probably not," Alpha Dominic said with a slight smirk. "But that’s your problem to fix."
--
Elara didn’t confront him about the headlines.
The next morning, she left the apartment early and went straight to the office.
Alpha Dominic had returned home late, when Elara was already asleep. But when he woke early, she was already gone.
Linda couldn’t help but comment: "Alpha, forgive me for speaking out of turn, but the way you two keep missing each other... it’s only natural Luna Elara would be upset."
"Alpha Hunter keeps asking about grandchildren, and here you two are living like roommates..."
Coming from someone who’d practically raised him, the criticism stung.
Alpha Dominic put down his coffee, wiped his mouth, and stood. "I’m finished. I need to handle pack business."
Linda sighed, her concern evident.
In the car, Alpha Dominic called Vincent with a tense expression. Before he could even speak, Vincent cut him off.
"Don’t push me, Dominic. I’m driving to your mate’s company right now to apologize."
Alpha Dominic growled, his voice ice cold. "You’d better hurry."
When Elara got to her office, Mark immediately called her over.
In the conference room, Elara saw Vincent waiting there. freewebnσvel.cøm
Vincent gave her a polite smile, his wolf energy carefully controlled. "Elara, it’s great to finally meet you properly."
Mark introduced them enthusiastically. "This is the general manager of Stone Group, Vincent Stone ."
Elara was confused but nodded politely. "Hello, Mr. Stone."
"Elara, Vincent has an entertainment complex project starting in Minnesota," Mark explained excitedly. "Since our hotel there just opened last month, and he’s impressed with our setup, he wants to book his entire management team with us!" ƒrēewebnovel.com
Mark was practically bouncing with excitement. One executive staying in a business suite would be worth $100,000 a year even with corporate discounts. Over three years, that’s $300,000. And Vincent was talking about at least 50 management team members.
Vincent’s apology came disguised as flattery, smoothly attributing everything to Elara. "I met Elara at an event recently, and she talked up Park Hotel Group so well. Everything she said impressed me, which is why I ultimately chose your company."
Elara’s eyebrow twitched at Vincent’s smooth lie.
"I’m sorry, Mark, could you give us a minute? I’d like to speak with Mr. Stone privately."
Mark was thrilled to step out, seeing another big deal thanks to Elara’s connections.
"Of course! I need to handle some paperwork anyway. Take your time."
Once they were alone, Elara got straight to the point: "Vincent, did Dominic send you?"
Vincent dropped his formal act, replacing it with an apologetic smile. "Elara, I’m truly sorry. That gossip story last night? That was actually about me. Dominic was covering for me."
"I broke up with that model, but I never expected him to hunt us down at the club and make a scene with Dominic. It was a total misunderstanding, and the moment Dominic realized what happened, he ordered me to come apologize to you immediately!"
"So, Elara, will this apology work?"
Elara smiled knowingly. A multi-million dollar business deal was certainly a sincere gesture.
"I wasn’t angry, but thank you, Vincent."
