Chapter 52

Nan’s POV

This must be a mistake!

The man I talked to was skinny, tall, and brunette. Not this lean, short, red-haired man looking inquisitively at me and Mr. Darren. I know who I talked to.

We had an entire conversation! ‘What is going on?’ I think angrily.

“Jay, there is an issue we need to settle.” Mr. Darren says kindly.

“Oh?” ‘Jay’ hums.

“There was a huge mistake with the budget.” He reveals. Jay’s eyes widen.

“Ms. Lupa here insists that you were the one to give her an incorrect copy of the contract. Is this true?” Mr. Darren asks.

Jay turns his bewildered gaze to me. Briefly scans me before firmly shaking his head. “Sir, I have never met this woman in my life.”

Mr. Darren frowns. “That’s odd.”

I break from my stupor. “That’s not the man!” I exclaim.

They both turn their attention toward me. “Excuse me?”

“That’s not the assistant I met. That one was dark-haired with glasses.” I clarify.

Mr. Darren squints at me. “No one with that description works in this department.”

“No, no. He told me he was your assistant.” I shake my head.

The red-haired man gives me a blank look. “I’m the only assistant that works for Mr. Darren. This man can’t have worked here.”

The pieces are slowly fitting together. An off-putting idea is forming in my mind. But I am still in denial.

“I’m telling you; this is not the assistant I talked too before. I spoke to Mr. Jonsen. He’s the one who give me the contract.”

Mr. Darren shares a look with Jay. The red-haired man suddenly chirps, “I think I’ll go check on some of the paperwork.”

He hurries out of the room before I can process that he is leaving. “Ms. Lupa, you don’t look well. I’ll grab you a drink from the break room.”

Mr. Darren’s voice has changed from emotionless to pity. He too leaves the room. But I don’t care at that moment.

A horrible realization is flooding my mind.

I have been set up. Somebody had snuck in and impersonated an employee. They gave me a false budget so I would fail.

‘But why?’ I anguish. ‘Who could possibly have a motivation to set me up this way?’

There were obvious culprits. Lionel’s jealous admirers. Those who despised my close relationship with him.

‘But even they have tampered off ever since Cora’s breakdown. Plus no one would dare mess with the wedding for the relative of the Wolfsbane pack.’ I rule it out.

My other guess would have been Eillen or David. But I had not heard from either of them since my last confrontations with them. There is also no way either would be high enough on the social ladder to even touch this wedding.

But then who would have done this? By doing this, they risked the wrath of the Wolfsbane pack? More specifically, Alpha Lionel’s wrath.

Who is foolish enough to face off against him? Who would even have the status to dare?

The questions twist and twist in my head. ‘It makes no sense!’ I run a hand through my hair.

I go over the encounter with the impersonator again. Analyze every look and word. And then his words come back to me.

“…Mrs. Wolfsbane informed me of your visit. She told me to have everything ready for you… has high hopes for you. I hope you meet them all.”

Mrs. Wolfsbane…. the one who humiliated me. The person that the imposter made a point of mentioning. The same person who set me up to do this job.

‘The person who set me up…’

Of course Mrs. Wolfsbane could infiltrate the wedding planners with her own spy. It is her relative’s joyous day. Who would think twice about allowing her and her people access?

And of course Mrs. Wolfsbane did not worry about provoking the pack’s wrath. No one would suspect her. Lionel is her son; What did she have to fear of his wrath?

I finally see the bigger picture. But I am not any happier for it. It is just another stab in my stupidly vulnerable back.

Mr. Darren returns with a bottle of cold tea. I take it from his hands gratefully. I take a swig of the cold drink as I struggle to process my emotions.

“Are you feeling better now?” Mr. Darren eyes me critically.

I give a bitter laugh. “Not really.”

“It seems that this…accident will not be resolved too easily.” He remarks.

“No, no, I don’t think it will.” I scoff.

“Because the other party to this incident is unknown-”

I interject. “But they aren’t. I know exactly who is responsible for this mess.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Who?”

“I didn’t notice at the time. It seems so obvious now.” I reply harshly.

Mr. Darren does not say anything. But his gaze on me turns cautious. As if watching a wild animal.

‘He might not be wrong,’ I think distantly. ‘I don’t sound all there right now.’

“A false contract? An impersonator sneaking into a wedding planning…what does that sound like to you?” I ask. Needing him to understand.

“A set-up. You think someone set you up?” He asks thoughtfully.

“I can even tell you who did it.” I bite out.

“…who?” His tone is hesitant.

“The same person who has hated me before she ever laid eyes on me. Who else would benefit from manipulating me this way?”

I know I sound unhinged. Paranoid. But I also know that I am right.

“Jonsen even gave it away. To taunt me no doubt. Mocking the idiot that thought she had made an ally.”

“Ms. Lupa, I don’t understand what you-”

But I am on a roll now. The words pour out of me like an overflowing dam. No flow or discernable reason to the one in my path.

“Mrs. Wolfsbane! It was her!” I cry out.

His words come out strangled. “Mrs. Wolfsbane pretended to be my assistant?” He chokes out in disbelief.

I dismiss that with a wave of my hand. “She is the one who set me up!”

He froze. “Ms. Lupa…that’s a grave accusation to make.” He warns.

I purse my lips. Frustration makes my head pound. Then dart my eyes to my purse that I carried with me.

‘That could work!’ I grin.

I grab my purse. Pull out a stack of folded papers. Then place them on his desk.

“Don’t believe me? Here is your proof.” I reply coldly.

He glares at me. I jut my chin out. He eyes the folded paper with revulsion.

But he gives in and begins to read the false contract. A calculating gleam behind his eyes. I wait with bated breath.

I suddenly wish for Lionel’s presence with a ferocious ache. ‘Lionel would understand, I would not have to wait for him to catch up to my thoughts,’ I believe.

It takes several long moments before Mr. Darren speaks. “That…make an unfortunate amount of sense.” He tiredly sighs.

It is my turn to be confused. “Huh? You believe me?”

He smiles warily. “I did wonder at some of the inconsistencies…that explanation fills in a lot of the blanks.”

I feel vindicated. It is nice to have someone outside of Lionel and my family believe me. But my victory does not last long.

Mr. Darren rubs a hand over his face. Exhaustion creeps in. Pity enters his eyes.

“That will all have to be investigated later. Right now, we need to figure out a solution to this problem.”

“But-this proves it wasn’t my fault! We can make her pay for this.” I protest.

“Perhaps it does prove you weren’t at fault. But Ms. Lupa…” He pauses.

‘This is not going to be a fun conversation,’ I grimace.

“You are trying to go up against Luna Wolfsbane. Someone who is considered wolf royalty in our world. And a relative of the bride.”

I flinch. I had known on some level our inequality…but put like that…perhaps my anger has made me naïve.

“To be honest, Mrs. Wolfsbane could have committed the mishaps herself and claimed it was you. But you would still be the one suffering for it…” He points out.

“So there’s nothing I can do? She just gets away with this…” I say numbly.

He shakes his head. “It’s already done. Let’s just focus on repairing this mistake.”

I swallow dryly. “But how…”

He gives me an intent look.

“There is one thing you can do to fix this…”