CEO's Runaway Mate and Her Cubs

Chapter 541: Another side of the story



Gabriel Collier met with his paparazzi friend in the afternoon. Not far from the cafe where he would have coffee with Luther in a couple of hours - but first, he wanted to confirm the details of what had happened.

«So?» he asked, his arms crossed.

«You wouldn't believe it if I told you,» the other man said. «The more I find out about that woman, the more I like her!»

«Uh?» Gabriel was dumbfounded. He thought his friend would exploit that poor woman to become rich, but there must have been more to the story if he talked like that about his victim.

Was there something about Lara he had to tell Nate Woods? As a sign of his friendship with Nate's father, he would have warned him about that woman if she turned out dangerous.

But Lara was also Luther's niece, even though the latter didn't seem to care about the rest of his family. However, Gabriel had the impression it was different, with Lara Clayton.

«I talked with her roommate from college.»

«How in the world could you find her?» Gabriel asked. He had investigated, but it was difficult to track a woman who didn't want to leave any trace.

«I have my ways,» the paparazzi said. Differently from the other reporters, he would follow gossip as often as verified truths.

It wasn't as professional as confirming a piece of information before continuing, but it would turn out useful in cases like the one Gabriel brought him. It was worth the little mischief.

«She told me Steven Clayton, Lara's father, visited in college and offered her money for an abortion.» Discover exclusive content at empire

«What?» Gabriel said, his face turning pale. That poor woman had gone through hell with that family.

«Yes, yes. The roommate heard it all. That man offered her money, and Lara Clayton accepted it!»

«What?» he repeated. «But... She didn't get the abortion, did she?»

«That's correct. And also the reason why I like her. She took the money and disappeared. She moved in another quarter in Sheton and cut ties with her family.»

«I wouldn't want to talk with my parents either, in her shoes.»

«How badass is it, ah? She used their fake concern for her own gain.»

«Maybe she didn't use the money, though. We don't know...»

«I think she used it to give birth to the twins and for the first expenses. Children are expensive, and a single woman without a proper job simply can't afford it.»

«She's so stubborn, though. She didn't have her family's support, but she also didn't want to go to Nate. It took her years to do that.»

«I think she's the perfect woman for CEO Woods. She can get her will acknowledged, and... Honestly, I have the feeling that being away for a few years made him realise that she could choose for herself. Now, she stays with him because she wants to and not because she has no other choice. It's something that will make a powerful man like that one behave.»

Gabriel rose his eyebrow. His friend would often make up stories like that, but it was his job... He made up stories to sell copies.

«I think they'll stay together,» the paparazzi affirmed. «Unless Nate Woods makes a grave mistake. In that case, she'll take his money and leave without traces.»

«You're describing a cold-hearted and calculative woman.»

«No, I didn't say that! She is doing what she can to survive, and till now she did it well. After chatting about the Claytons for a while, I'm starting to wish to take their money as well. They're annoying, you know? But it's too late to blackmail them,» he sighed.

He could make a lot of money by asking them to pay in exchange for his silence. And then, once got a good amount, publish the story all the same. But he had been greedy to share the news with everyone.

«By the way, there has been a silent party in all this story,» he added.

«Yes?» Gabriel murmured. On one side, he was glad to have asked his friend to help. On the other, he was jealous of the speed he had collected all that - unverified - information.

Differently from him, Gabriel would confirm every single piece of information before publishing an article. It was what made his words reliable and his name a certainty. He wouldn't give up all of that for a moment of glory, but sometimes his job was tedious and never-ending. Not to mention all the cases he had to abandon because there wasn't enough information available.

«I'm going to contact David Clayton. He's Lara's brother... I'd like to hear his version as well.»

«Oh, that... It's commendable, from your side,» Gabriel commented. «You want to hear all parties, now? What a change.»

«I just think he might have something interesting to say. And I have no intention of hearing any more about or from Grace Clayton. She came to me and tried telling a heartbreaking story about how she didn't throw her daughter out but Lara left on her own, after saying words a child shouldn't say to parents.»

Gabriel rose his brow, again. That family was unbelievable. They would lie even in front of so much - circumstantial - evidence.

«She even invited me to see the wall she had filled with Lara's pictures as proof of her grief. But she never called me again, so I didn't actually see that wall.»

«So, next on your list is the brother?»

«Yes. He might let it slip and tell me something juicy. I mean, he's her brother. Would he have left her alone even if their parents didn't want to see her again? She stayed in Sheton for a couple of years, so they might have kept some sort of contact.»

«I see... I tried looking for him, but he refused to talk with me.»

«You're a famous investigative reporter. If there is any crime his family is guilty of, be it throwing trash on the road or stealing chewing gums from a shop, he won't talk with you. But I'm different.»

«I know, my friend. That's why I asked your help,» Gabriel sighed.


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