THE SCANDAL
Antonio hurried down the stairs, adjusting his suit.
"Jerome is the car ready?" he asked, grabbing the remote.
"Almost, Alpha," Jerome replied from outside.
Antonio turned on the television to catch the early morning news before heading to the office. His fingers automatically found the buttons to volume up while he scrolled through his phone, checking for business emails he might have received.
"…. Luca was the first male Alpha to be rejected."
Antonio froze midway through opening an email. His ears immediately perked up.
What have I just heard?
First male alpha to be rejected?
Antonio immediately directed his attention to the television. The newscaster, occupying a quarter of the screen, went on talking, but Antonio's mind could barely make out what she was saying. His gaze riveted on the caption in bold black type at the bottom of the screen. It reads:
"ANTONIO DE LUCA, MOST SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS MOGUL OF THE YEAR AND ALPHA OF THE REDWOOD PACK SETS NEW RECORD FOR BEING THE FIRST MALE ALPHA TO BE REJECTED."
Antonio watched the news, his stomach knotting with each word Olivia uttered. Her voice, dripping with disdain, was like a constant hammer to his pride. He clenched his fists, the remote cracking under the pressure. The rejection wasn't just personal; it was a public execution of his dignity. The video ended and the newscaster came back on. This time, she was with Olivia as her guest. They began yakking about why Olivia rejected the most suitable alpha mate.
"Being an international model, I've met pretty lots of males out there, bold, muscular, broad-chested, and sexy. Alpha Antonio is way below my ideal man," Olivia said proudly.
"Does your ideal type of man matter when it comes to your mate? I mean, we all know a mate is a blessing from the moon goddess," the newscaster inquired.
"Yes, it does matter. I don't believe in mates, I set my standards myself. It's my mate, not the goddess's, I should be allowed to make my own choice," Olivia replied.
"Wow," the newscaster exclaimed. "Ms Olivia, do you have anything to say to Alpha Antonio? I'm sure he must be watching"
Olivia leaned forward as if seeing Antonio. "Hit the gym, dear Alpha."
Antonio turned down the volume of the television and threw the remote at the wall, shutting his eyes to steady his breath. A sharp headache began to throb in his forehead. Grimacing, he rubbed his temple, but the image of the rejection refused to leave his mind.
"The car is ready, Alpha," Jerome said, entering the living room.
Antonio didn't answer, he couldn't bring himself to speak at that moment. Luca had gone wild and he was fighting hard to tame him. Antonio had immediately gone to bed last night, not thinking much able the whole scenario. But the morning news was just too harsh on him.
How do I face the pack members?
Wouldn't they see me as an incompetent alpha?
What if the elders find me unfit? And this is all because of Olivia. I swear, I'll make her regret ever rejecting me.
"Are you okay, Alpha?" Jerome asked, his voice laced with concern as he noticed Antonio's lips moving slightly as if he was talking to himself.
Antonio heaved a deep sigh. "I'm okay, let's go," he lied, heading out of the living room.
As Jerome stepped forward, he trod on the broken remote, a piece piercing his sole.
"Ouch," he winched, squatting to remove it. He saw the scattered parts and looked up, shock replacing his expression as he saw the headlines.
Jerome picked up the broken remote, his face a mix of concern and determination. "We'll handle this, Alpha. The pack believes in you. We'll show them this doesn't define your leadership."
"Jerome!" Antonio called from the car.
"Coming, Alpha," Jerome replied, leaping out of the house.
The ride to the office was quiet as Antonio's mind reeled on how to deal with Olivia.
"Luca," he called, reaching out to his wolf.
"Luca, can you hear me?" he called again but got no answer. "This isn't the time to be quiet Luca," Antonio complained as he ran his hands through his jet-black hair.
As soon as the car pulled into the parking lot of Luca's Enterprises, Antonio got out and walked into the building, his hands in his pockets. Jerome rushed behind him, trying to keep up. As he walked through the lobby to the elevators, he could feel the eyes of his employees on him, whispers following his steps. The normally bustling office was eerily quiet, everyone aware of the scandal. He heard snippets of conversations but paid little attention to it.
"Is he really unfit?"
"What does this mean for us?"
Once he was outside the elevator, he walked straight into his office and sank into his chair with a deep sigh.
"Alpha of Redwood pack faces rejection by famous model, Olivia," the voice of a male newscaster came from the television, echoing in the office.
"Don't y'all have something else to talk about?" Antonio fumed, grabbing the remote and turning off the television.
The door pushed open, and Jerome entered with a cup of coffee. "Your new secretary will be here soon," he said, placing the coffee gently on the table.
Antonio grabbed it, blew on it, and took a sip. "What are you doing about the video clip?" he asked.
"It will be gone in a few minutes, I'm handling it," Jerome replied.
"Good. Get me the names of the news stations that aired it and published articles," Antonio ordered, taking another sip. "You can go."
Antonio sat at his desk; his phone ringing nonstop. He answered call after call, each one bringing worse news than the last.
"Antonio, it's John from Smith Investments. We're going to have to pull out of our partnership with Luca Enterprises."
"What? Why?" Antonio demanded, panic surging through him.
"We can't be associated with a company whose leader has been publicly rejected by his mate. It's bad for business."
Antonio's jaw clenched as he hung up the phone. The next call was from Sarah at GreenTech.
"Antonio, we're withdrawing our funding from Luca Enterprises. We can't risk being tied to a company with a leader who's not meant to be in charge."
The calls kept coming, each one a punch to Antonio's gut. His company was crumbling around him, all because of Olivia's public rejection.