CEO's Runaway Mate and Her Cubs

Discover hidden tales at empire

In the end, Lara couldn't find out where did Luther's funds come from. Had he hidden some of them from the tribunal? She knew they must have frozen some of them for him to have when he left prison, but the process of getting money back should have taken way longer.

She was starting to think he was hiding something from all of them.

«Mommy, grandpa also has this painting,» Jaden said, eyeing the moon in their living room.

It was actually a night scenery, but somehow Lara knew her kids and Nate saw the moon only. They were hypnotised by it every single time, which enforced her theory that the painter was a wolf. However, since he was hiding, she couldn't exactly go hunting for him...

Or she could? In the end, Norwich was Nate's territory. It was better if she found Pike sooner than the others and had a chat with him. If he was a roaming wolf, she help them find a peaceful solution. Maybe he was like her cubs and didn't know the rules...

«What painting?» she asked. «This one is unique!»

She had paid quite a sum for it. She wouldn't have been happy to hear there were copies around. Oh, but the copy must have been the one in Luther's house. She doubted he would spend so much money on a painting while he was running after revenge.

It would have been a waste.

«It wasn't the same night,» Scarlet commented. «But the moon was the same.»

«It was also set in a grass field, not on the sea like ours, mommy,» Jaden added. «Ours is prettier.»

«I see... But why did you say it was the same if it's not?»

«Because it feels the same,» he said, not sure what he meant by that. He wanted to tell his mommy, but his mind couldn't find the right words.

It was right: the paintings were different. But how could they look so much alike that he felt like he'd seen them before?

«But I felt it was the same, mommy,» he whined, strolling to Lara and holding her hand in search of comfort. That riddle was making him feel insecure, and only his mommy could help him.

In fact, Lara crouched down and caressed Jaden's face.

«It's because maybe it was made by the same person. I can look into it and tell you, okay?»

«Okay, mommy,» he hummed, hiding in her arms.

Scarlet observed the show in silence, shocked by the event. She also had noticed the painting was similar, so why wasn't she getting a hug? Was it because she didn't care about it?

She pouted, too stubborn to simply ask her mommy to hug her as well. She even crossed her arms, in such a bad mood that Nate couldn't refrain from laughing when he entered the living room.

He found his mate and Jaden cuddling on one side, and Scarlet alone and sulking on the other. If he didn't know better, he would wonder if something had happened. But there was no need: Jaden must have said or done something causing Lara to hug him, while Scarlet was likely reflecting on how to obtain the same result.

Their daughter couldn't have Jaden's same way of acting, though. She was too different from him, didn't have his sweetness.

«Come here, Scarlet,» he said. «Daddy can hug you if you're alone.»

«But it's always Jaden!» she said. «Why?»

«It's not always Jaden. You just forget when your mommy spoils you. You don't keep track of the times she prefers you to Jaden. That's a little unfair, you know?»

«But it's more Jaden!»

«Is it?»

«Mommy brings him to buy paintings and to parties. I also want to go...»

«You will go to so many parties, one day, that you'll hate them. Believe your daddy,» Nate said.

«Will I? Is it part of being a CEO?»

«Not just a CEO, but even just a Manager. Your aunt Sam has attended plenty of them.»

«Oh, so I will go after. Then it makes sense Jaden goes now with mommy... I'll let him have some fun while he can.»

Nate didn't add a word. What was that? Jaden would attend just as many parties...

«But will you bring me to boys' parties, daddy?» she asked.

«Boys' parties?» He hadn't gone to many of those, but he was quite sure Scarlet wouldn't find it so amusing.

«Since mommy is bringing Jaden to girls' parties while he's still little, then you can bring me to boys' parties. This way, I'll see both of them. And Jaden too! He will go to boys' parties when he grows up, right? I want to see how they are!»

«Sure,» Nate said. Even though he certainly couldn't bring Scarlet to a club. Or to any other place referred as a men's place. Except, maybe... «Oh, sure!» he exclaimed when he finally found a solution. «I'll bring you to a boring place...

I mean, to a boys' party. You'll see both sides of parties.»

He even pecked her cheek. Scarlet blinked, confused. Her daddy sure knew how to get excited over simple things.

«Has aunty Sam been there?»

«Actually, she has. But it's truly not the right place for her, so she stopped going after a couple of meetings. But she told me all about it.»

While they discussed boys' and girls' parties, Lara and Jaden moved their hugs towards the painting. They observed it, each with their own eyes. One saw just the moon unless he worked really really hard on moving his eyes away, while the other sensed potential trouble on the way.

As the Alpha female of the pack, she had to protect everyone from unstable feelings. Maybe it was just a stupid feeling, something she had just because she self-conditioned.

But there was nothing wrong with checking out. If the solution was simple, she would have informed Nate and let him take care of it. A rogue wolf didn't sound like such a complicated problem, however.