Chapter 51
Tired Of Hiding
JESSICA
PRESENT DAY:
Isob after telling Christian about that night after the fashion show. He hands me a box of tissues and sits next to me. I can’t stop crying. It’s so late. Carmen never returns, so he calls a wrap on the interview for the day and escorts me back to my room.
I refused to let myself think about Liam after I walked away that night, likely why it hits so hard rehashing it.
I assume by now he’s mated. Chris and Elias, with the rest of their family, left for his mating ceremony.
Liam is like a son to Elias, and I can’t begrudge him that.
The same reason I won’t let my family choose me over Luke.
I flop on my bed and glare at the ceiling, angrier at myself than anyone else. Turning over, I bury my face in my pillow and start to cry again.
A small part of me always hoped he would at least call, send an email or text, but in typical Liam fashion, he vanished into radio silence. More tears fall. I was so stupid to love him, to believe he would choose me, fight for us, help me when I need him the most.
My bed dips, and a gentle hand strokes my hair. Sixes says, “That was a rough one.”
I wipe my face and nod.
“Why are you doing this?” she asks.
I roll onto my back, avoiding her gaze. “Time to move on. And because I make crappy choices in men, I may as well go through the process like I’m choosing a business partner.”
She snorts. “If you’re looking for a business partner, then why not choose Jacques? You two have a bunch of businesses together, not to mention you’re probably the only person in his life who stayed by his side for so long.”
“He’s the wrong species,” I grumble.
“Now you’re just being a speciest,” she teases.
I chuckle. “Is that even a word?”
“Yes, I’m pretty sure it is,” she retorts.
“Besides, he doesn’t have a pack. I need a mate who will merge packs with mine.”
She blows a raspberry. “Stupid political bullshit.”
I face her and rest my head in my hand. “I need to protect my pack. It doesn’t matter what I want anymore. The other option is I don’t mate and someone challenges me until I die or start an all-out war.” I blink up at her. “You think about it and let me know which option is better,” I mock.
She lies beside me, placing an arm behind her head, and stares at the ceiling. “What about that Henry guy you chat with online?”
I frown. “Henry? I don’t know Henry that well, and we don’t chat online.”
She hums. “I see the way your face lights up when he sends a text or an email.”
“He’s not real. He’s a fantasy I mostly built up in my head. Besides, I think he’s just a lonely, old guy, which is why he spends so much time sending emails and text messages.”
She rolls her eyes. “I read some of those texts. Remember? And I saw the pictures of his abs and his…” She blushes without finishing her sentence. “Anyway, he did not look nor sound like an old guy.”
I roll my eyes. “Can we not talk about Henry?” I ask dryly.
“Let me guess. You embarked on a destructive warpath and ended it with Henry after everything with Liam and Luke.”
“No…”
“I’m pretty sure that is exactly what happened. You went down the ‘I don’t deserve anything good or things that make me happy’ spiral.”
I cross my arms over my chest and pout. “I did not.”
She shakes her head. “What am I going to do with you? I thought we worked past all of that.”
I sigh. “I still have my moments.” I rub my face. I know she’s right, but I just don’t want to hear it right now. “Can we talk about something else?”
We both gaze at the ceiling, looking for answers.
My bedroom door open, and Carmen walks in. She stands at the foot of my bed. “Your parents are adamant that they have the day tomorrow to conduct their own background checks. I prefer that filming starts tomorrow to stay on schedule.”
I slide to the edge of the bed and slowly stand. “Let’s go talk to my parents, then.” She eyes me suspiciously, assuming I have no sway over my parents. Smiling, I push past her and leave the room.
My parents are absolutely livid. The producers threw another five men into the lineup, on top of the eight I already knew about.
I just didn’t tell them I knew. Carmen didn’t know about the changes the producers made, which I find odd, seeing as she is in charge of making all the arrangements.
The producers claim it was a last-minute decision to boost ratings and planned on informing Carmen tonight.
I insist that, even with the changes, we move forward with the meet-and-greet tomorrow evening.
The sooner we start, the sooner I can move on with my life and focus on my duties as the Alpha and whatever other disasters that ensue.
I assure my parents that all will be fine, and Anders can perform his checks tonight and all day tomorrow until the meeting.
Carmen flips through the pages on her clipboard.
Setting it back in her lap, she rests her forearms over it, clasps her hands, and addresses me.
“I’m sorry we need to continue at this late hour.
Life in front of the camera is not always easy.
I appreciate you being amenable and a team player.
I understand you have been through quite a lot these past two weeks, especially with all the unwanted attention from the reporters and paparazzi.
I just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing with all of that. ”
Since I revealed myself as both princess and “G,” the media ran with my big reveal.
I became an overnight sensation. An anonymous source leaked that I was originally from Territory Two, I came to live with and was adopted by the royal family, and, hours following, I became the successor for not only the Whitemore territory but the seventh territory as well.
They even included pictures of when I was in a coma and proof of my abuse.
The media portrayed me as a living, breathing, fairy tale princess.
And without warning, the media turned on me. I transformed from a real-life Cinderella to a sneaky, manipulative, evil witch. Past news clips resurfaced, and entertainment series spread rumors of my affair with Luke as “G,” as well as an affair with Jacques. Questions were raised.
Is she manipulating the royal family for her title?
Did she con Alpha Agnus into naming her as the successor?
Why did she always wear a mask when she performed as “G?” Did Young Alpha Prince Luke Langhlam know he was having sex with his own sister?
Was Jessica Langhlam responsible for the terrible breakup between the Young Alpha Prince Luke Langhlam and Elaine Powers?
Then, the accusations started. Princess Jessica Langhlam conned the royal family into adopting her.
Sources from Territory Two state she was a horrible child, a monster.
Quotes from artists who wish to remain anonymous claim “G” is difficult to work with.
“G” is almost banned from the music industry for being eccentric.
Princess Jessica Langhlam used the royal family’s money to buy businesses, and profits weren’t returned to the pack.
Reporters and news channels televised this information and more rumors and speculations of how I came to live with the royal family.
Magazines, social media, bloggers, you name it, had a field day.
Of course, most of it is fake news. No one does a good job at really digging into a story and finding the truth anymore.
Opinions and gossip are misconstrued as fact.
People who don’t know any better believe it all.
If it’s on the news, it must be real. Right?
When I made the announcement I would be the next star of A Game of Heart’s Desire, the media circus exploded.
Gary, my PR guy, handles everything. As much as I dislike him and he dislikes me, I have to hand it to him.
He is very good at his job. I also should give props to my lawyer, Reggie.
I need to remember to give them both a raise before this is over.
“Yes, I learned over the years that people can be cruel. The media enjoys its own form of bullying. Sometimes, I don’t know which is worse—taking a beating or dealing with the aftermath of cruel words and false accusations.
I knew when I signed up for the show that I would face challenges.
I just hope that those who really know me believe the truth, believe me.
And I hope there are some good journalists out there who know how to search for real information. ”
Carmen narrows her eyes.
I shake my head and chuckle at her expression. I admit she’s pretty good at reading people. “What? Did that sound too scripted? You can thank my PR guy. He wrote it. I’ve been spewing this shit for the past week. I figured you can use the clip somewhere in editing.”
“Can you just be real with me about this whole thing? Share your true feelings on all of this? It’s a lot, and it can weigh on a person’s emotions and mental wellness.”
How real does she want me to be? I glance at the camera. Christian was given the rest of the night off. My parents are busy with the background checks. It’s just me and Carmen.
I sigh. “You want to know what I really think about all of this media crap? The truth is I don’t think much about it. It really doesn’t bother me, not in the way you think it should.”
Her brows raise. “What does that mean?”
I cross my legs, fold my arms in front of me, and grin. “It doesn’t bother me because I’m the one who started the media frenzy.”
Her eyes widen, and she leans back in her chair. “Care to elaborate on that?”
“Sure. Revealing myself as ‘G’ wasn’t accidental.
It was planned. I gave Stancy Danton, the famous gossip journalist, front-row seats to the fashion show.
I also gave her the exclusive backstory on Princess Jessica Langhlam.
Where or how she found those pictures, I’m not sure. I don’t even have copies of those.”
Carmen blinks repeatedly, stunned. “You’re the anonymous source?” she asks.
I grin. “Yes, Stancy and I discussed at length how we would control the narrative before someone else spun it unfavorably. To get ahead of the gossip and bad press, we brought up old articles, gossip blogs, news clips, and reports. You can thank Beta DuPont for the inspiration to paint such a horrible picture of myself. I gave Stancy permission to spread some of the lies Beta DuPont was spewing. It all took off from there. Everyone loves a good story. Everyone loves gossip.”
She shakes her head. “You’re doing this all for the attention?”
“Yes and no. I want the attention, but not for the reasons you may think. I don’t need money or fame. I don’t need to portray myself as the victim, and I am sure as shit am not evil or manipulative—well, in most aspects of my life..”
“Why, then?”
I think for a moment before I answer. “I want the bastards who have been hunting me for most of my life, the ones who hunt magic wielders, use them for sex trafficking and medical experiments, and kill them for no other reason than their abilities to wield magic. I want the ones who forced the white wolf species to become nearly extinct and the survivors to go into hiding.” My voice cracks. I swallow my rage.
“Jessica, you’re putting a target on your back. You can’t do this alone. You’re trying to start a war—you’re just one person. This is dangerous. This is suicide.”
I clench my fist in my lap. “They started this war out of selfishness and greed. And they’ve gotten away with it for centuries.
” The threat of tears burns behind my eyes.
“They could have won if they only focused on killing me. But they didn’t.
They killed my best friend! They attacked my family!
I will not stop until I take down their leader, even if it means killing myself in the process. ”
I hold Carmen’s gaze, unwilling to back down.
If she decides to pack up and abandon ship, then so be it.
I will find another way. I already planted the seeds outside of this show, and I’m not afraid of finding other avenues.
She has no idea what I’ve been doing the past three years, no idea what I am truly capable of.
No one knows, and I much prefer to keep it that way.
Recognizing the determination in my eyes, Carmen nods. “Okay. Okay.” She blows out a long breath and glances at her clipboard. “I think we should take five and probably resume your interview from where you left off with Christian.”
I wipe the tears from my face when I hear a click. Turning toward the noise, Carmen’s hand moves away from the camera.
“I had you figured all wrong. Didn’t I?”
I don’t answer her. She’s either on my side or she’s with them. I did my research on her, finding nothing significant, no glaring warnings.
She rests her elbows on the arms of the chair and steeples her hands in front of her mouth. “You’re either going to make or break my career. You know that?”
“Figured as much. It’s why I requested you. What I still don’t understand is why you chose a career in reality TV when you’ve won so many awards as an investigative journalist.”
She drops her hands away from her face. “I really did underestimate you.”
I smile. “I told you from the very beginning, I’m good at hiding out in the open. It’s a requirement when you’re one of the last of your kind and you spend your entire life simply trying to stay alive.”