Chapter 206

My face was glowing with the heat of embarrassment and shame. Alex finding out about my secret agreement with Victor was something I feared would happen since I made the deal.

The look of disbelief in his eyes made me want to cry. But I helped make this mess, so I had to deal with the consequences. The pact I made with myself today to be more truthful was important to me, and I must live up to it.

“Yes, Victor and I spoke shortly after I moved into the mansion with you,” I confessed. “We agreed to pretend to be engaged until we each got what we wanted.”

“It was my fault and my idea, Alex,” Victor insisted. “I approached Daisy soon after you discovered she was your daughter.”

I was amazed by the way Victor was shifting the blame onto himself.

He sighed deeply and continued. “When Daisy told me she would only marry for love, I came up with the idea to fake our engagement because I wanted to be the leader of the Alpha Association.”

Victor’s voice softened. “But then I spent time with her, and I discovered what an exceptional young woman she is. I developed feelings for Daisy that I’ve never felt before. Now I know love is real.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! I listened in awe while Victor continued to explain everything to Alex.

“I told you the truth the other day. Daisy now means more to me than any job. I love her, and I want to be her mate no matter what you decide to do with the leadership job.”

Alex went to the mini bar for a drink. “I believe you, Victor. But I’m shocked that the two of you have been keeping this secret for so long.”

“There are too many secrets in this house,” I said. “I am sorry for deceiving you about my relationship with Victor. But I also know the truth about the actress Olivia.”

Alex hung his head for a moment. “What were you told?”

“I saw proof that you lied about the lab error and that you and Benson replaced me with his friend’s daughter, Olivia, an actress from another country,” I replied. “You must tell me if the evidence tells the truth, and I need to know if you did it to test Victor?”

Alex nodded. “My darling girl, I had to be sure he deserved you. “I must be sure you’re going to be happy with the male you chose to be your mate. You must have a mate who will love and care for you after I’m gone.”

“I can understand why you did it,” I said. “But I wish you could have found out if Victor could be trusted without putting me through misery. Couldn’t you have told me it was a test? I wasn’t being tested in any way, right?

“Absolutely not,” Alex said. “There was no need to test you. It’s difficult for me to believe you would deceive me.”

His words made twinges of guilt stab at my conscience. I couldn’t be angry with Alex when I had deceived him, too. At least he had my happiness and security in mind and not a selfish desire like mine.

Alex came to me and put his arms around me. “Dearest, my only goal was to find out what Victor really wanted from marrying you. I didn’t tell you what was happening because I thought you might tell him the truth and my plan wouldn’t work.”

“But I also ensured you were safe and cared for the entire time,” Alex added. “However, I had no idea the students at your school would behave so badly toward you. Olivia offered to remedy the situation before I called the whole thing off and told the truth to the world.”

I sat quietly, trying to absorb what Alex said. Part of me felt stupid that I could be fooled so easily, but then I trusted Alex.

But I had no right to be angry. I reminded myself there had been plenty of deceit from each of us. And I knew Alex had my best interests at heart. He didn’t want me to be used and discarded by an unscrupulous mate.

I was reassured of his affection for me, but I needed the answers to a few more questions that needed answers and assurances from everyone involved that honesty would now be a priority in our lives.

“Please don’t do anything like that again,” I pleaded with Alex. “I promise never to deceive any of you ever again. Honesty between us is the only way we can avoid making our problems worse and hurting each other.”

“I promise honesty will be first in our lives from now on,” Alex said. “I am sorry for lying to you and for causing you pain, sweetheart. Yet, I’m glad to have discovered Victor is sincere in his affections for you.”

“I also promise to make honesty a priority,” Victor said. “The deal I made with Daisy is over, but I still want to be her fiancé, and I eagerly await our marking ceremony and wedding.”

“If that is what she wants also, you have my blessing,” Alex said. “Daisy, what do you think? Do you want the same things that Victor does?”

“Then the choice is truly hers?” William asked. He stood near the door with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Of course,” Alex replied. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Everyone knows that you want Daisy’s husband to become the next leader of The United Association of Alphas, and their son will follow him,” William replied. “And it is also known that Victor has been groomed for the position for years.”

William unfolded his arms and walked closer to us. “Those facts don’t leave Daisy much choice, Alex. Instead of testing Victor, you should have given him the position and taken away any incentive other than love for Daisy.”

Alex pondered his words for a few moments. “Those are wise words. You may be right, William. The leadership role should not be a factor in Daisy’s choosing of a mate.”

He turned to Victor. “You are my choice to be the next leader of the Alphas. I guarantee the position is yours whether or not my daughter marries you. Daisy, you are free to choose your mate without any conditions.”

“Thank you, Alex,” Victor said. “I still wish to be Daisy’s mate. There is no other female in my heart.” He smiled at me in a way that assured me he meant it.

I wanted to say yes on the spot, but there was still William to consider. I had feelings for him, too.

Watching him standing nearby, looking so handsome, I remembered the bag of candy in my nightstand drawer. He saved my life. How could I reject him now when I knew how he felt about me?

But then there was Victor with his fiery kisses and the way he always put me first in his life. I should have known before today how he felt about me.

I couldn’t decide between William and Victor yet. I needed time to think. The decision was the most important one of my life. I had to be sure.

Before I could tell the males in the room this, Alex spoke up again. “When you made your agreement with Victor, he said that he wanted my job at the association. But what did you want out of the deal, Daisy?”

All I could do was shrug as I blushed from my toes to the roots of my hair.

But Victor spoke up. “She had a huge crush on William and wanted me to arrange for her to date him.”

William’s face bloomed into a massive grin while I blushed an even darker red. “Daisy, is that true?” he asked. “Do you still feel this way?”

“Daisy, now is the time to be honest, remember?” Alex said. “You must tell us how you feel and answer the question.”

I looked from William to Victor before answering the question the best I could.