Chapter 95


    Chapter 95: The Banquet


    Edrick


    “There’s my favorite girls,” I said with a smile.


    I didn’t even think about it before I said it, but I knew as soon as it came out of my mouth that I’d made


    a mistake. E didn’t seem to notice, but Moana sure did. Her green eyes, which looked even more


    beautiful with the small amount of gold eyeshadow around them, widened.


    “Ha,” I said, feigning surprise at myself in the feeble hope that I could get away without Moana dwelling


    on this too much, “slip of the tongue. Are you two ready?”


    …


    When we arrived at the banquet, the party had already begun. The end of summer banquet was a long-


    standing Morgan family tradition. The banquet that I had taken Moana and E to earlier that summer


    was solely for more immediate family and close friends, but this banquet was different. Each summer,


    practically every single member of the entire Morgan n, from immediate family to cousins several


    times removed and all of their own friends and extended families through marriage woulde from all


    over the globe to visit my parents’ mansion. Needless to say, these parties were huge, and often went


    on for two or three days. That was why I paid my old friend Tyrus toe and do Moana’s hair and


    makeup; sure, it was necessary for the nanny, but I wanted to make a good impression. Besides, I had


    to admit that I wanted to do a little something nice for Moana to make her feel better, although I would


    never tell her that.


    The driver pulled up to the front driveway and we got out. Moana held E’s hand as we walked up the


    wide stone pathway, lined with fountains and sculptures, but as soon as E saw her other little cousins


    she instantly took off running.


    “Oh— E!” Moana called, taken by surprise by E’s sudden mad dash.


    “It’s alright,” I said with a chuckle. “She only gets to see these kids once a year. She’ll be fine —


    although that dress will probably wind up in the trash by the time she’s done rolling around with them


    like an animal.”


    Moana managed a wryugh and followed me up the steps to the front door, where servants were


    waiting to take our jackets. sses of champagne were handed to us almost as soon as we walked


    into therge banquet hall, but Moana refused.


    “Darling!” my mother’s familiar voice called as I entered. She waved at us from across the crowd, and


    Moana and I made our way over to her. Of course, with so many people here, she only extended


    Moana the basic pleasantries, although I knew that my mother secretly wanted to dote on the mother of


    my second child all night. When I was with Olivia, it was the same thing. I didn’t have to hide my


    rtionship with Olivia quite as much as with Moana, so my mother would spend hours at these events


    gushing over her despite my father’s sullenness that I wasn’t married to her. Although, Olivia quickly


    stopped evening to the events as soon as she got pregnant; I didn’t realize it at the time, thinking


    that she was just dealing with morning sickness throughout the pregnancy, but she was really sneaking


    around with other men and only used the pregnancy to keep me faithful.


    “How are you, mom?” I asked, nting a kiss on her cheek while Moana stood nearby, looking a little


    out of ce despite her luxurious outfit.


    “I’m splendid,” my mother said, then turned to Moana. “And you look absolutely stunning, dear. You’re


    glowing.”


    Moana blushed. “Thank you.”


    Then, my mother turned back to face me and lowered her voice. “I’d advise steering clear of your


    father, at least until he’s had a couple of drinks in him,” she said, patting my hand. “He’s not happy


    about the tabloid.”


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    My eyes widened; so my father did see the tabloid after all. When he didn’t call to scold me about it, I


    thought that he never saw it.


    “Does he know…?” I asked, indicating Moana’s pregnancy.


    “I think he might have an idea,” my mother replied. “But I told him that we were just having a nice lunch,


    and that you never mentioned anything about a pregnancy. That might have ayed his suspicions for


    the time being.”


    “Good.” I felt a lump rise in my throat as I scanned the crowd for my father, but when I finally spotted


    him, he was far on the other side of the banquet hall and appeared to be deep in conversation with one


    of my uncles.


    Suddenly, I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around to see none other than Kelly grinning up at


    me. She really seemed to go all out for this banquet with her hair and makeup, but what most struck


    me was that she was wearing an eerily simr dress to the one that Moana was wearing. In fact, the


    longer I looked at it, the more I realized that it was in fact the exact same dress; just tighter, as though


    she had it altered to sit snugly around her waist and show off her t stomach. I couldn’t help but


    wonder if it was intentional, as if she was trying to one-up Moana, who had to hide her belly somewhat.


    I personally found Kelly to pale inparison to how beautiful Moana looked.


    “Hello, dear Edrick,” Kelly said, nting a wet kiss on my cheek. “It’s been a little while, hasn’t it?”


    “Since the g, yes,” I said. “Thank you again for that generous donation.”


    “Hm.” Kelly pursed her lips and nced over at Moana, who had still hardly said a word this entire time.


    Kelly’s eyes slid up and down Moana judgingly beforeing back to me. “Well, it was the least I could


    do to help you get a head start,” Kelly finally said. “Of course, if it were a werewolf orphanage, I could


    have donated more… But, you know, I didn’t want to be making too much of a political statement.”


    I stifled a scoff. Of course Kelly would say that; she had always been anti-humans, at least since we


    were teenagers. I always found it funny because of the fact that we often yed with the human


    servant children when we were little, and she didn’t seem to have a problem then. But, then again, I


    supposed that it was bound to happen eventually being raised by a wealthy werewolf family. Even I still


    had my hang ups about humans, although I had to admit that Moana was slowly breaking those walls


    down.


    “Anyway,” Kelly said, “I’m d I found you. Can we talk? I only need a minute of your time.”


    “Sure,” I replied, only to be polite. I followed Kelly across the banquet hall, taking onest nce over


    my shoulder at Moana. She stared after us with abination of abandonment and jealousy on her


    face, and it admittedly made me feel a little bad.


    Kelly eventually pushed through one of the doors that led to a small garden outside. Once we were


    outside and alone, she stopped on the steps and turned to face me.


    “I have a proposition,” she said, a coy smile spreading across her face.


    I frowned. “What is it?”


    “Well… Everyone saw that tabloid, you know. Now, I’m not saying that what was on the cover of that


    tabloid is necessarily true — although I think the nanny’s added weight says it all anyway — but you


    know that people are bound to start asking questions. And, well, say that the tabloid was right, and you


    did have something to hide… I could help you hide it.”


    “Oh?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as I folded my arms across my chest.


    Kelly grinned. “Yes. I think you need a public ‘wife’, so to speak. Preferably an Alpha from a good


    family.”


    I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “And I suppose you expect that to be you,” I replied. Kelly didn’t seem


    fazed.


    “I mean, it could be anyone,” she said. “It’s not like it would be real. Only real to the public. This ‘wife’


    could also im E as her daughter, so not only could you be free of spection, but you also


    wouldn’t have to hide E as much anymore. I think it’s a win for everybody.”


    I didn’t know what to say. I waspletely taken aback by this preposterous idea of Kelly’s, and it


    made me wonder deep down if she somehow orchestrated this; she was so infatuated with me that I


    wouldn’t put it past her to be the anonymous donor who tried to pay the tabloid to keep the picture up,


    just to cause an uproar and give me no choice but to go through with this ‘fake’ rtionship.


    Before I could say anything, however, Kelly spoke again. She moved closer to me as she did, and her


    eyes narrowed seductively.


    “Think of it this way,” she said. “If I came out as your Alpha wife and E’s Alpha mother, then no one


    would bother you about the nanny anymore; because no one would ever use the CEO of WereCorp


    of being unfaithful to his wife with a lowly human servant… Right?”