Chapter 187: Chapter 187 Family Scandal
Author
The second Nadia hung up on Elara, she called Tommy.
"I just got off the phone with Elara. She says Sophie stole her ring. What the hell is going on?"
Tommy sounded genuinely shocked. "What? No way, Nadia. Sophie wouldn’t steal a ring. You must have heard wrong."
"She gets a five-figure allowance every month. Why would she need to steal jewelry?"
"Come on. You really don’t trust your own niece?"
Nadia didn’t distrust Sophie. But her daughter had no reason to lie about something like this either.
"Just ask her. Don’t let this get out of hand. Elara said if the ring isn’t back tonight, she’s calling the cops."
Tommy’s eyes shifted. "Fine. I’ll ask her. But I’m telling you, my Sophie didn’t take anything. Elara must have misunderstood. You should clear that up with her."
The second he hung up, Sophie walked through the door.
"Your Aunt Nadia just called. She says you took your cousin’s ring. What’s going on?"
Sophie snorted. "Dad, you’re the one who told me to get close to the Alpha King. I took it on purpose. If she loses the ring, he’ll think she’s careless. Maybe even question if she’s fit to be Luna."
Tommy’s face went pale. "Are you out of your mind? I said build a connection, not pull some juvenile stunt."
"Well, what was I supposed to do? Play nice and hope she invites me to tea?" Sophie tossed her hair. "It’s done. I’ll toss it in a sewer grate somewhere. No proof, no problem."
Tommy’s jaw tightened. "I told you to work your way in. Get close to your sister. Make yourself useful. Instead, you’re making us look desperate."
"Desperate? I’m making a move. There’s a difference."
Tommy stared at his daughter for a long moment, then picked up his phone.
"Nadia. I talked to Sophie. She has no idea what you’re talking about. Maybe Elara misplaced it?"
A pause.
"Listen. When you came back, Jack called Elara a curse. I was the only one who defended you. If this spirals, it drags all of us down. You understand what I’m saying?"
Nadia’s eyes narrowed on the other end of the line. She knew.
Sophie absolutely took that ring. And Tommy was covering for her.
She took a deep breath. Both her brothers were useless.
She swallowed her anger. "Fine. I’ll talk to her. But I can’t control that girl anymore. You need to be ready for that."
When Nadia tried calling Elara, she realized she’d been blocked again.
After Elara and Alpha Dominic filed the police report, Alpha Dominic launched his counterattack.
He hired an army of online trolls to flood every major platform with one message:
"Grant Corporation: Family Values in Question. Heiress Sophie Grant So Broke She Resorts to Theft."
The post exploded. Within hours, Grant Corporation’s official social media accounts were drowning in comments from people demanding answers.
Sophie saw the trending hashtag and thrown her phone so hard it shattered against the wall.
Tommy burst into her room. "Sophie, do you have any idea what you’ve done?"
Sophie’s eyes filled with tears. "A few days ago, you told me to seduce the Alpha King. Now I’m the problem?"
"Enough. They’ve already decided you’re guilty. You and your mother are taking that ring back tonight."
"Apologize. Properly. Then maybe we can move past this."
--
But Elara had no intention of letting it go.
Especially after Sophie had been stupid enough to post a selfie wearing the stolen ring, and internet detectives had already connected the dots.
"Stop reading those comments. Forget the ring. I’ll buy you a new one, okay?" Alpha Dominic ’s voice was soft as he tried to calm her down.
Elara felt humiliated. How could she have such trashy relatives?
And the source of all this shame traced back to one person: Nadia. Her wonderful mother.
Her eyes glistened. "I’m sorry."
A shadow fell over her. Alpha Dominic ’s fingers slid from her hair down to her trembling back, rubbing gently. "Don’t apologize to me."
"You’re not the one who should be sorry."
"Baby, you’re the victim here."
Elara felt stupid for getting so emotional. She forced the tears back. "I didn’t want to cause you trouble."
"I’ll handle everything. Don’t worry."
Alpha Dominic cupped her cold face in his hands, making her look at him. His gaze was impossibly soft, filled with a tenderness he didn’t even realize he had. "You call this little thing trouble?"
"Come on. Don’t let these nobodies ruin your mood. Now, how about we do something a little more... fun?"
His voice dropped low, rough around the edges. His hand slid from her waist down to her hip, fingers tracing slow circles through the fabric of her dress. The meaning was unmistakable.
Elara slapped his wandering hand away. "I’m going to sleep."
Alpha Dominic laughed, low and warm.
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. "Sleep then. I promise I won’t mess with you tonight."
