Chapter 115
EMILY
This is the first time that my son has embarrassed me to such an extent that I can’t even face the people around me,
Anastasia has been my friend for years, and I promised her that my son would marry her daughter. I made all the arrangements to ensure that it would happen. Apollo even assured me he would marry Jada.
I had been looking forward to this day for so long, excited that it was finally coming to fruition, only to be let down in the worst way possible.
How could he do this to me?
I always believed Lana was just another girl for him to simply screw around with. A game that he would get tired of playing. Never in my wildest dreams did I think she was his mate.
This changes everything. It explains why he was struggling to let go of her. It was all starting to make sense. I had totally misread their interactions.
This was not good. Not good at all.
She posed more of a threat than I initially realized. If I had known she was his mate, I would have approached this situation with far more caution. Instead, I thought I had everything handled when my son agreed to grant all my wishes.
Now, I had to face the consequences of underestimating that infuriating girl. She knew exactly what she was doing when she walked onto that stage and got into my son’s head. She understood she had a weakness to exploit because of the mate bond, and she wielded it like a weapon against him.
My fingers curl tightly into a fist, tensing as a wave of anger courses through me. The heat of frustration radiates from my core, igniting a sense of urgency in my veins.
This whole ordeal is far from over. I’ve always gotten what I wanted in the end. Lana may think she has won this battle, but the real war has only just begun.
While my son may be momentarily distracted by that bond with her, nothing is stronger than the connection between a mother
and her son. She won’t be able to come between us.
I need to devise a proper plan to get rid of her once and for all. It won’t be easy, since he shares such a strong connection with her.
The only way to untangle this mess is for him to reject her. But right now, she seems to have him wrapped around her finger. He certainly wouldn’t willingly reject her, and I know she wouldn’t reject him either.
That means I need to force him to reject her, just not directly. I have to play this game smartly if I want my son back the way he used
to be.
“I thought you had everything under control,” Anastasia scolds me as she strides over, her heels clicking sharply against the tiles. “You promised that your son always does exactly what you want. How could you let my daughter be humiliated like that in front of so many people? We even had reporters in that room! Do you understand what that means?”
Absolutely, I was the one who brought most of those reporters on board. This engagement party was meant to go down in history as a grand and unforgettable event!/
Anastasia was clearly disappointed and upset with how things turned out. I couldn’t Blame her at all.
This was truly embarrassing: I’ve never had anyone speak to me like this before. I’ve always kept my promises.
“I sincerely apologize, Anastasia,” I respond earnestly. “I honestly did not expect Apollo to behave this way. But you can’t solely blame my son. Did you see the stunt his step–sister pulled? She is the real reason behind all this. I had no idea she was his mate. She is playing on his emotions for her own advantage. This isn’t typical behavior for my son. She is the one playing with his heart and mind, making him do things that he usually wouldn’t.”
She narrows her eyes, “I don’t care who’s at fault for this mess. All that matters is the pain and humiliation my family has suffered because of what happened today. You’re the one who promised me that you had everything under control. How could you not know your son had found his mate when you claimed to know everything about his life?”
Her words hit me like a slap in the face. It was true; I thought I had a handle on everything happening in my son’s life. But now, I was left wondering what other secrets he might have been hiding from me.
“You’re right,” I say, taking full responsibility for what occurred during the ceremony. “I should have paid closer attention to my son. He had plenty of time to lie and keep things from me. I promise you, Anastasia, I won’t let this happen again. Please give me one more chance to make it right.”
I desperately wanted to preserve our friendship and keep Jada as my future daughter–in–law. I had worked too hard to achieve that to just give up now.
More than anything, I didn’t want someone like Lana–the daughter of the woman who had shattered my family–to think she could waltz into our lives and take my son away from me.
“You need to find out from my daughter first if she still wants to go ahead with this wedding,” she says firmly. “I won’t force her to do anything after the humiliation she faced today.”
I didn’t believe convincing Jada would be tough. She had feelings for my son, and she reminded me of myself–determined and willing to fight for what she wanted.
“I will,” I assure her. “Please don’t let today’s events ruin our years of friendship. We’ve tackled so much together in both business and personal matters.”
Her eyes softens but she was still clearly upset. “It won’t ruin our relationship, but today has definitely changed how I view your son.”
This was all Lana’s doing; her actions were to blame for everything.
“As I mentioned before, it’s his step–sister who’s caused him to act this way. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s her,” I reiterated.
She sighs. “She does seem like quite a handful,/ She showed absolutely no respect for herself by creating such a scene in front of everyone.”
I nodded in agreement. I should have had security to stop her from even entering the ballroom to begin with. I truly underestimated her, but now I knew exactly what I was dealing with and would be fully prepared moving forward.
As Anastasia left, my ex–husband entered the family room. His shirt is unbuttoned at the top and he looks like he’s just been h the biggest shock of his life.
“You,” I say, jabbing my finger at him, “this is all your fault. I entrusted our son to you, and you couldn’t even see that he was involved with his step–sister under your own roof!”
“Emily,” he replies calmly, “this is just as much of a shock to me as it is to you. The last thing I want is for Apollo to have an intimate relationship with his step–sister.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You should have been keeping a closer eye on him. Our entire family is now a laughingstock because of that foolish girl!”
“Don’t talk about her like that,” he snaps. “She’s a good girl. It’s this mate bond that’s making her act out. We were unable to find our mates but our son somehow has. We can’t know what those kids are feeling emotionally since we’ve never been in their situation before.”
stared at him, incredulous. “How can you stand there and defend her? Just like you always defend her mother, even when it’s clear she’s failed as a parent!”
He rubs a hand over his face in frustration. “Emily, I’m not going to sit here and listen to you belittle my wife and stepdaughter. I came here so we could find a solution to this problem. We both want the same thing–to stop Lana and Apollo from pursuing this relationship. If we want that to happen, we need to work together.”
The last thing I wanted was to partner with my ex–husband, but I had little choice. He could help me persuade Apollo to put a stop to seeing Lana.
Meanwhile, I would devise a plan to ensure my son rejected Lana as his mate before he got the chance to mark her and claim her for himself. Time was of the essence; I couldn’t allow Lana to destroy what little was left of my family after her mother had shattered my life in the past.
I had to act now.
A
