Chapter 53

Nan’s POV

A silver lining in my cloud of turmoil flashes before me.

I greedily grasp Mr. Darren’s verbal lifeline. “How? How do I fix this?”

“You have made a dangerous enemy Ms. Lupa.” He grimly reminds me.

“Mrs. Wolfsbane is not someone you or I could go up against. Especially not on her own home turf, so to speak.”

He pauses long enough to discern my reaction. Testing the waters. Ensuring I understand his perspective.

‘You have no power in this situation. Letting your outrage dictate your actions will not work.’ That is the message he conveys in the words he does not speak.

It is unfair. Unjust. But when has the world ever been fair and just to wolf-less like me?

I take a deep breath and hold it for a few seconds. Let all my negative emotions soak into that breath. Then I exhale.

This steadies me some. I do not feel any better. But my focus is sharper than before.

“I understand.” I say.

He nods approvingly. “I’m sorry to say that we can’t do anything about that. However, there is one way for you to fix the mistake and save face…”

I straighten up in my seat. Move closer to the edge. Resolved and ready.

“You cover for the mistake yourself.” He finishes.

My jaw drops. “Wait-wait. That is not possible!” I vehemently protest.

He watches me ruefully. “Ms. Lupa…” But he holds his tongue.

“That can’t be my only solution. I don’t have the money for this!” I babble.

All my previous calm vanishes like mist. “This wasn’t even my fault!” I say indignantly.

The money I made from planning birthday parties and planning both weddings was no amount to sneeze at. But paying bills and affording Patti’s expensive medicine had put me in debt. I paid every cent off but that had seriously eaten away at my pay checks.

I saved what was left for rainy days. Or, more likely…for my expenses after the contract deadline. I would be left with no job, no savings…no Patti.

And now I was being asked to give away my hard-earned money to cover for a mistake that was not truly my fault? That irked me. Especially since I know my meager savings would not cover the costs anyway!

Mr. Darren does not agree with me.

He breaks off my rant. “Ms. Lupa, let me remind you that you are partly at fault.” He asserts.

“What?” I hiss back.

“This entire conspiracy hinged on one thing…you.” He says.

I am confounded. “Me?” I repeat dumbly.

“More specifically, your own actions. Had you just waited for my personal sign off, or confirmed with me at any point before you made those orders…their plan would have failed.” He explains stonily.

‘Ouch,’ I wince. That barb hit its mark with ruthless accuracy. I find myself unable to argue against his logical assessment of the circumstances.

But Mr. Darren does not stop there. Apparently, he is not done with his point. His next words are another hole to my sinking ship of righteousness.

“They most likely would have tried a different angle to get to you. But not even Mrs. Wolfsbane would have actively interrupted the wedding of one of her relatives to get at you. It would have meant publicly harming the reputation of her pack or even herself.”

I want to disagree. To point out the last incident with her presence was at a public event. But I stop and consider his words more in depth.

‘But the only one who risked looking bad in that scenario was me or Cora,’ I ascertain. ‘This scheme is also leagues different from what Cora attempted.’

Giving that vile, mean old wolf any credit puts a bitter taste in my mouth. “I guess she wouldn’t risk her own reputation that way.” I begrudgingly admit.

Mr. Darren throws me a dirty look. “The point being that this little trick would not have worked if you had just waited…” He growls.

He is not entirely correct. Had Mrs. Wolfsbane not done anything to jeopardize the wedding then none of this would be taking place at all. But…I see that he is not entirely wrong either.

If I had not been in a rush…If I had followed my gut instincts to double check…. If I had just said no to a job coming from someone I do not fully know or trust….

If…If…If…

It is unfair. ‘But that seems to be my lot in life,’ I think. ‘No point in crying over spilled milk.’

“Okay, okay. I get it.” I tell him.

“Can I just have minute to think it over? I need to just…” I sigh.

He nods. “I need to drop some paperwork off anyway. Let me know your decision when I return.”

Mr. Darren’s cool look lightens into sympathy. He consolingly pats my shoulder on his way out the door. ‘That cold man must really pity me,’ I inwardly laugh.

I put my hands together and bring them to my chest. Near praying. Unsure of how to proceed.

I feel overwhelmed. How will I pull this off? How can I pull this off?

‘You idiot,’ I scream to myself. ‘You knew better…why didn’t you just check with the other coordinators?’

My anger at Lionel’s mother and her lackey is not gone. But it is surpassed by my anger at myself. I knew better than to trust any of those rich bastards…Lionel has been the only person to earn my trust and keep it.

I pull my phone out. Open the screen. Pull up his contact information.

My fingers hover uncertainly above his name. I stare without blinking. Until my eyes are stinging.

‘Lionel would know…Lionel would help me.’ I unwaveringly believe. ‘Should I tell him?’

Lionel had saved me before. I know Lionel would help me if I told him. But…

Lionel is a good alpha that takes excellent care of those around him. I live in his house for free and I am taken care of due to his generosity. I had become more and more dependent on that generosity as time went by.

Would his generosity last in a situation like this? Whose side would he really take? The woman who lived rent free that had seemingly squandered his relative’s money…or his own mother that favored him so shamelessly?

Or relationship may be changing…but I am not confident that I would be the victor in a choice between me and his mother.

Besides, this was my mistake…. Lionel would only offer to cover the cost. The idea is tempting, but…

Hadn’t I depended on him enough?

My phone vibrates. I glance down. A message appears like a divine sign to my indecision.

From Lionel:

It’s up to you. I’ll eat whatever you choose. Have a good rest of your day. See you at home.

I read it over and over. It’s up to you…. My mind is made up.

‘I will do this by myself.’ I decide. ‘I will not abuse Lionel’s faith in me.’

But the only question left is how…I mull over this. But I am unable to think of anything sustainable in time for the wedding.

Mr. Darren returns at that time. He returns to sit beside the place where he left me. Seemingly refreshed from his break.

I feel a pang of envy at that. Wishing a quick break could solve my own issues. But then I shake my head at my own silliness.

“Ms. Lupa, have you made your choice about this?” He asks me.

I smile faintly. “Yes, I have. I have decided that you are correct about the solution to our major problem.”

He awards me a warmer look than he has sported our entire meeting. It reassures me that I am making the correct decision. My confidence bolsters slightly.

“That is good to hear.” He says patiently.

“But my concern is that I don’t have the funds to cover the costs.” I sheepishly add.

“Are you sure you can’t receive any…help, from a friend?” He questions me with a knowing expression.

I blush. Aware of the rumors surrounding Lionel and me. “No, I don’t think it would be…appropriate for a friend to fix the mistake I contributed to.”

He smirks slightly but does not comment. I am grateful for it. “Mr. Darren…do you have any suggestions?”

He sits there thoughtfully for several moments. Then he cuts his eyes to me. Raises his hand.

He points his finger….at my necklace.