47. Penelope
Chapter 47
Penelope
My stomach drops with Tristan’s words.
I knew something bad was going to happen, but this… this is so bad. My Alphas have been keeping this under wraps since we got married, but now that the board knows, everything they’ve worked for could be ruined.
They have about fifteen minutes to try to figure out what to do before they get hit with a storm. All of their phones are ringing constantly—board members calling to hear it directly from them that what Isaac said is true.
All I can do is watch with my heart in my throat. This is my fault. That’s all I can think over and over again. This is my fault. The three of them might lose everything, and it’s all because of me.
And that’s not even all of it. One of the board members tells Dominic that their ‘informant’ has threatened to go public with the information, and that will finish the job of tanking the reputation of my Alphas and their business.
Investors are talking about jumping ship, not wanting to be tangled up in the scandal of it all.
What really gets me is I have no idea how Isaac and the other even know about the marriage being fake. They didn’t even know I was married until they confronted me, and it’s not like anyone told them. Because no one else knew.
I frown, chewing on my lip as I think it over, and then it hits me.
We talked about the marriage being fake at the bakery. Isaac must have bugged it after he and his bruisers destroyed it, hoping to catch us talking about something they could use.
None of their other threats were good enough, apparently, and they had to resort to something like this.
Under the fear and despair, there’s a flicker of anger, and I hold on to it, trying to will it to drown out everything else. Anger can help get things done, and things need to be done right now.
Dominic turns his phone off and tosses it into the corner, declaring himself done. All three of them look exhausted, and it’s bad enough they spent the last two days barely sleeping, trying to come up with a plan and find something we could use. Now they have to deal with this.
They’ve been doing this for me, running themselves ragged for me, and I have to do my part here to. I have to protect the men I love.
I stand up, taking a deep breath. “I know what I have to do,” I say.
They all look at me, confusion on their faces.
“You don’t have to do anything, Pen,” Xavier tells me. “We can handle this.”
“No. I need you to listen to me, okay? I need you to pull some favors or whatever you have to do to call a press conference.”
They exchange wary glances. “What for?” Dominic asks.
“I’m going to get ahead of this before Isaac can go public. It’s the only way to beat him.”
“Penelope, no,” Tristan says. “You don’t have to do this. It’s nobody’s business what happened, and you don’t have to put it all out there.”
“It’s going to be out there anyway! If Isaac and Vincent get a chance to tell the story, they’re going to make it ten times worse than it is, and we’ll never recover from that. Your company, everything you’ve worked for will be done for. They’ll make sure of it. But I can do this. I can tell the truth.”
“I don’t like it,” Dominic says. “I really don’t.”
“I know. But I have to.”
They look like they want to argue more, but finally give in, albeit reluctantly.
It doesn’t take long for them to call who they need to call, and the next morning, bright and early, we meet with the press outside of the Vantage office building.
It’s no surprise that so many reporters turn up. Vantage is a big name, and it’s not often that the three CEOs offer to talk to the press. Or let their wife do it.
At least it means that Isaac hasn’t gotten to them yet. That’s one win in our column.
I spent the whole night fretting about what to say, and now with all these eyes on me, all my notes fly out of my head. But my husbands are behind me, standing firm and strong, despite their reservations about all this.
They have my back, and that’s enough.
“Those of you who know me, probably only know me as the wife of the CEOs of Vantage Digital Systems,” I begin, letting out a shaky breath. “When we got married, there was a lot of media buzz about it. But no one knew who I was or where I came from. Or why they were marrying me in the first place. The truth is, I wasn’t who I said I was.”
At the first hint of drama, the reporters are hooked on my every word.
“I lied to them, my husbands. I told them that I thought I was a Beta, but presented as an Omega suddenly. But the truth is, I had already done the presentation. I had already been courted by a pack. A pack I ran away from. I lied and I evaded the ORD office because I was afraid.”
The words come easier as I keep going. I name the Alphas in my first pack and talk about how they abused me. I describe the things they’d say to me, and how I wanted nothing more to get away from them.
As I speak, I think of the other Omega we reached out to. She was too afraid to speak up, and I can understand why. Standing up here, I’m scared too, but I know that I need to stop running from my past and stand up to it. To face it.
By coming clean like this, I’m taking away the last bit of leverage that Isaac and his pack had against my men. I’ve told my side of the story now, and whatever they come up with will be weighed against that.
I can only hope people will believe me and see my side.
Once I’m done speaking, the questions start.
“Why didn’t you reach out to the ORD to place you with another pack?”
“They wouldn’t let me,” I answer. “One of them followed me basically everywhere, and I didn’t have a chance to go. I also didn’t trust that they would help me get away.”
There’s a murmur from the gathered crowd.
“Are you saying there needs to be stricter background checks when it comes to vetting Alpha packs before they’re allowed to court a newly presented Omega?” one reporter asks.
I nod. “That would probably help, but that’s only as good as the information they can dig up. I know for a fact some stuff is being suppressed to hide previous records of wrong doing.”
That gets an even bigger stir.
I answer a few more questions and then Dominic takes over, calling the press conference to a close. I can tell that there are a ton more questions that people wanted to ask, but I’m already exhausted, and I feel shaky as the three of them lead me away from the makeshift stage that was set up.
We slip back into the building and the three of them pull me into a hug. I slump into it, pressing my face against Dominic’s strong chest. He smells so comforting now, and it’s funny to remember a time when I found their scents too overwhelming to handle.
Now I breathe in the comforting blend of the three of them and let it soothe me.
I can feel their support and their love, and I cling to them, so grateful for the path that led me to them. No matter how difficult it was and no matter what comes next, this has been so worth it.