CEO's Runaway Mate and Her Cubs

Luciano Polenta couldn't move his eyes from the group of wolves. He hadn't brought anyone from his pack, and that might have been a mistake.

«Next time,» he murmured.

But... Who would have accepted? Maybe Renato. He could ask him to go with Lucretia...

«What exactly are you staring at?» Abigail asked while glancing back. «Are you so fixated with Mr Woods?»

«Fixated? You're delusional, woman.»

She chuckled, finding his reply cuter than she thought.

Luciano, on the other hand, didn't want to admit he was looking at Lara Clayton. That woman was so happy even though she had been frightened, angry, and cold when talking with him. Her smile while talking with Nathaniel Woods was so annoying.

He couldn't help but feel his mood get worse and worse, so much that he even stopped talking with the other businesspeople. All he could think about was that Lara Clayton was unfair.

Soon after, he left the hall with a frown and forgot about his image for good. Metres apart, Nate finally sighed, relieved.

Alpha Luciano was gone, and his mate was safe. He let his rage calm down, now that danger was walking away, and he smiled at Lara even more brightly.

Even if the other humans didn't have wolves' senses, they still could notice the change in the mood in the hall. Especially a reporter standing with a group of people in a corner and pretending to be following the discussion. Once noticed the dynamics around the two groups of people, he excused himself and found a door. He entered the men's restroom before taking a pen from his pocket. It was his old-time friend, an object that had helped him countless times before.

«Eight o'clock, Nathaniel Woods and his partner arrive. CEO Polenta is already there with Abigail Brown, and he approaches the couple to talk. They exchange only a few words before he walks away with Abigail. Nathaniel Woods relaxes as soon as Polenta is out of reach. Is there anything we don't know between them? Is Lara Clayton involved, and how willingly?»

The reporter observed his reflection on the mirror, adjusting his tie while he was at it.

«Is it a love triangle? Are Woods and Polenta fighting for the same woman?»

Oh, that idea, no matter how improbable, would have sold lots of copies.

«After the confrontation, Polenta walks away but never stops glancing in their direction. More precisely, in Lara Clayton's direction. At some point, watching the couple is simply too much for him, and he leaves the gala. Two businessmen, mighty CEOs, wrapped around a simple woman's little finger. Who is Lara Clayton? What's her background? Where does she come from and with which intentions?»

Oh, if only he had a clue about her... Clayton, though, wasn't a surname that told him much. He had heard from a colleague in Sheton about Clayton Enterprises, a company making fabrics for clothes.

«Could it be?» he murmured while a circuit was switched on in his brain. «Nathaniel Woods has several factories. The LY Corp is well-staying in the clothes industry. Clayton Enterprises produces fabrics for clothes. A medium-large company, not very developed. Yet, they had a good period lately... Could it be due to Woods, CEO of LY Corp?»

He registered every one of his thoughts in the pen recorder. He needed more information before formulating a theory. He could inquire about the Clayton family from Sheton without many difficulties.

«It doesn't sound like a coincidence to me.»

However, if that woman was related to the family founding and managing the Clayton Enterprises, why didn't she just admit it? Why keep her identity secret by saying she was no one when she did have, in fact, a family behind her back?

Was there something she wanted to hide?

«What are you hiding, Lara Clayton?» he asked the pen before interrupting the registration. He had collected quite a few pieces of gossip for his article. Too bad he didn't have a camera that day. It would have been better if he could take a picture of the events... But he wasn't expecting anything in particular.

Woods and Polenta facing each other was a totally new show for everyone.

«Hello, Boss,» said the man who had followed him to the restroom. He was late because he must have stopped to take some interesting pictures on the way.

«You always go to the restroom when you find a scoop,» he added, rubbing his head in front of the reporter.

Roger, the photographer, had worked with him for a while. He was an infamous paparazzi, especially among actors and singers. They all knew his face after he had managed to take the most impressive pictures.

There was nothing he couldn't catch if he worked hard enough.

«I'm here to sell you a pic,» he added. «Just tell which one you like more...»

«Do you have one of Nathaniel Woods, Luciano Polenta, and the woman who was with Woods?»

«Sure. I have all the combinations. I can also edit out Abby if you want.»

«Even one with Abby Brown? Oh, I want all of them, then. How much?»

«Depends on your conditions.»

«Three thousand dollars.»

«I would be at a loss,» Roger murmured. «The ticket for the gala alone was ten thousand. Let alone finding a suit, the hairdresser... The mental preparation and, finally, my own skill at taking pictures.»

«You will sell it to other people as well. I'm sure you'll raise ten thousand by the end of the day.»

«Hmm... No, I will sell them to you only. My only condition is to put my name under the pictures.»

«What for?»

«I want to leave this life and become a proper photographer. If people like my pictures, I won't need to hide in the corners or on top of trees to get the right pic. I want to be famous, and Woods and that lady are photogenic. How lucky, isn't it?»

«Eight thousand,» the reporter said. «What do you think?»

«Eight? Hmm... Still less than ten, but I'll accept it. In the name of our collaboration. I feel like you have a great hunch. If your article is a scoop, my name will be there as well.»