Chapter 59

Ella POV

I barely touched the tea in my hands. My nerves were too frayed to enjoy it. The idea of standing beside Alexander while he made his statement to the press felt overwhelming.

Even though I wouldn’t be speaking, I knew people would be staring at me, judging my every expression and my body language. I knew that David would be watching. I was convinced now that he must be involved in this.

It was intense, almost nauseating to think of him watching me, hoping to see signs that I was hurt by the accusations against my new boyfriend. Would he stop at nothing to hurt me?

Maybe it was because I knew what we risked if Alexander didn’t win the election. In the original timeline, this scandal had been the thing that caused him to lose. I only hoped we had time to mitigate the damage now.

And Alexander seemed so confident. He believed he could handle it. I should trust him—he had followed through on every promise he’d made to me so far. There was no reason I shouldn’t trust him, at least as far as I knew.

But I didn’t like being left in the dark. I didn’t want to be blindsided again.

I set my cup down on Alexander’s desk and went out into the hallway. The building was mostly empty on this level. It was only offices up here. The elevator was empty when I stepped inside and hit the lobby button.

Alexander would already be there, speaking to the press and guiding them on where to set up their equipment. The ride down in the elevator felt like it took forever. It was so quiet, I could hear my heart beating in my ears.

I took slow, deep breaths, trying to steady myself. I needed to project confidence from the moment I stepped out of the elevator until the final member of the press had left.

I couldn’t afford to look weak or unsure.

A sudden thought struck me, catching me off guard: I wish I had my wolf to reassure me.

I hadn’t thought about my wolf in a long time, so it felt strange to miss her now.

But I did.

I shook the thought off. Now was not the time to go down that path.

By the time the elevator reached the ground floor, I felt more in control of myself. When I entered the lobby, I saw a few microphones set up, and Alexander stood off to the side.

He smiled with relief when he saw me approaching. He walked up to meet me, bending to kiss me on the cheek.

I smiled up at him, hoping it was reassuring. “Sorry that took so long,” I said.

“You’re just in time,” he replied. “We’re about to start.”

I took another deep breath and smiled, though I felt awkward. “Just tell me what you need me to do.”

“Just stand next to me and pinch me if I start rambling,” he joked.

I tried to look amused, but a laugh wouldn’t come.

Alexander took my hand and led me to the microphones. He stood in front of them, and I positioned myself to his right. He loosened his grip, but I didn’t let go. I couldn’t explain it, but holding onto his hand made me feel more grounded.

“Are we ready to start?” one of the reporters asked.

“Ready when you are,” Alexander replied.

Two of the reporters looked at me curiously, then leaned in to whisper to each other. I ignored them, knowing that Alexander hadn’t informed them I would be there; he hadn’t asked me to attend this press conference when he initially planned it. They were likely just surprised to see me.

Alexander rolled his shoulders a few times, trying to ease his tension. Then, one of the reporters—or maybe a cameraman—held up their hand and slowly began lowering their fingers.

Once all of his fingers were down, Alexander began to speak.

“Thank you for coming today,” he addressed the reporters. “I know there have been many questions about the situation you all have been reporting on for the last few days. I think it’s regrettable that my personal struggles have been made public in this way.”

At that comment, I squeezed his hand reassuringly, and he glanced at me with a tight smile before turning back toward the reporters.

"But I understand why people have felt the need to speak out," he continued. "I made a lot of mistakes in my younger days. I was arrogant and brash, and I didn’t always treat women with the respect they deserved. Ella has been through a lot recently, and I appreciate that people want to protect her."

I could see some of the reporters scribbling notes frantically as Alexander spoke. I tried to focus on his words, pushing down the nerves that came from knowing a news camera was trained on me.

The memories from the original timeline surfaced, reminding me of how easily I used to make a fool of myself in these situations. It took years to learn how to speak like a politician, to keep my emotions at bay. But that was the problem now—my emotions were anything but detached.

"Despite my past mistakes," Alexander went on, "I’ve done my best to improve myself, and I hope I’m a better man now than I was when those women knew me. All I can do is apologize for my past behavior. If any of my exes would like to contact me directly, I’d be happy to apologize to them personally—they only need to give me a call."

His voice softened slightly as he added, "I sincerely hope that the women I’ve wronged can forgive me one day, though I know they don’t owe me anything."

Alexander's words sounded sincere—so either he was a fantastic actor, or he truly regretted the mistakes he’d made in his past relationships.

Part of me hoped it was real, that he had learned from his mistakes and improved himself. After all, I was working to help him become king one day. I’d rather our king be the kind of man who could learn from his past and become better because of it.

I could tell by the expressions on the reporters’ faces that they were moved by his statements, though that didn’t stop them from firing off questions.

"Alpha Alexander," one of the reporters, a tall, slim man, called out. "Do you have anything to say in response to the accusations that you were unfaithful to past romantic partners?"

"I have never been unfaithful," Alexander said firmly. "Though I’ll admit, I’m a workaholic and often went on business trips without informing my partners of my whereabouts. So, I understand why they might jump to that conclusion."

“What about the women that say you were physically abusive to them?” a woman called out.

A pained expression crossed Alexander’s face and he shook his head slightly. “I don’t know why such horrible lies are being told. I have never in my life been violent with a woman.”

"Alpha Alexander," another reporter called out. "What do you think the motivations of these women are in coming forward? Is it anger, jealousy? Do you think they’re trying to ruin your reputation?"

"I don’t think it’s anything like that," Alexander replied with conviction. "As I said before, I understand why these women feel the need to come forward. Ella has been through a lot—they want to protect her from being hurt again. It's admirable, and I have no ill will toward any of them."

"Miss Rowan!" one of the reporters suddenly called out.

My eyes widened in surprise—I hadn’t expected them to address me.

“Yes?” I replied hesitantly.

A hard look crossed Alexander’s face, and he immediately turned, positioning himself in front of me, blocking me from the cameras.

"We’re done here," he said in a firm tone that left no room for argument. Then, without waiting for a response, he placed his arm protectively around my shoulders and led me away from the reporters, who were still shouting questions in our direction.