Chapter 343

Benson was smiling while he poured our coffee the next morning. “If you don’t mind me saying so, Miss, it’s good to see the truth about you being reported instead of lies or distortions.”

Victor and I exchanged a warm look before I thanked Benson for his kind words.

I had spent a passionate evening with my

handsome and virile fiancé and slept as well as he had predicted.

We were both feeling refreshed and happy. The article Shane wrote about me was a bonus to our blissful morning.

After my first sip of delicious coffee, I unfolded The Gazette and placed it in front of me, grinning at the spread across the bottom of the first page.

Besides the copy Shane emailed to us last night, the newspaper had printed three photos. Two were photos I took of the burglar after he stole the decoy vase and was trying to leave the house.

In the first, I captured the neighbor pushing the vase through the dog door, and then the second showed his wolf as he was trying to escape through the same dog door.

Those two images told the tale of what had happened at Lucy’s home and proved I had solved the case for the police.

The third photo was a still from Amy’s video of the two police officers when they accused me of staging a publicity stunt. Hatred and disgust were plainly visible on their faces.

Shane quoted the patrolmen admitting they didn’t believe me when I told them what happened because “everyone knows I was a liar.”

Shane thoroughly disproved this opinion with facts and explained how other news sources spun past events to make me look bad.

As the day went on, I was more pleased by the result of the article than I imagined I would be.

My phone began to ring again. But to my amazement, the calls were to congratulate me or apologize. There were no more crank calls!

Shane’s article was such a hit that by mid-day, many TV stations picked up the story. They ran sound bites of the interview with Lucy, and I saw Amy’s footage of the behavior of the police toward me several times.

“Maybe my new truck won’t get barbecued if I go shopping today,” I told Jennifer.

She gave me a weak smile. “If you’re going shopping, I’ll need to clean out your closets. I’m already using the closets in two other bedrooms.”

“Are you saying I don’t need more clothes?” I teased.

“No, Miss,” she said. “I would never say such a thing.”

“You are right that I don’t need more clothes,” I admitted. “I am sorry if I’m making more work for you.”

Jennifer hadn’t been herself since Victor, and I came to stay at the mansion while Alex was away on his cruise. We were so close at one time. What had changed between us?

“Jennifer, is something wrong?” I asked. “You’ve been acting differently lately. Please tell me if I can do something to help you.”

“My sister is having problems, and I worry about her,” she admitted. “But it’s nothing for you to worry about.”

“I would be glad to help if I can,” I said. “You don’t need to tell me any personal details. Just tell me what I can do for her.”

“That’s kind of you, Miss,” Jennifer said without meeting my gaze. “But I think everything will work out fine.”

“If you change your mind, please let me know,” I said. “You made things easier for me when I first came here. I will do whatever I can to help you and your family.”

Jennifer blushed and excused herself before leaving the room. I made a mental note to check with Benson about her sister. I wanted to help and stop Jennifer from worrying.

Before I had the chance, Amy called and asked for a ride in my new truck. We drove around Denhurst until she told me about a sale on designer jeans at Gisele’s.

“My jeans aren’t stored in a closet,” I mumbled and steered the truck toward the edge of the next town where the designer’s shop waited for us.

“This truck is fantastic,” Amy said as we parked in Gisele’s lot. “I adore being up high when I’m riding in it, and it’s extremely comfortable.”

I giggled. “I like it too.”

Inside the shop, Amy and I were delighted to find multiple tables of folded and stacked jeans to look through.

I chose three pairs to try on and made my way to the changing rooms. One of Gisele’s assistants ushered me inside a curtained cubicle and told me to let her know if I needed any help.

The first pair I tried on felt wonderful. As I turned this way and that in the long mirror inside the cubicle, I grinned at my reflection.

I froze when I heard several women talking outside the changing rooms.

“Maybe she did do what they claimed, or maybe she didn’t,” one voice said. “But these new laws making it harder for Alphas to get into a good college are ridiculous.”

A younger-sounding voice chimed in. “Daddy said that if Betas get into a good school ahead of me, he’s going to sue the college and Daisy Wilson, too.”

“Her family has deep pockets,” an older woman said. “She can buy her way into any school. That’s why she’s not worried about the rest of her kind.”

“I may have to go overseas to school while a lawsuit happens. My mother always said I’m a legacy, so my grades didn’t matter,” another young girl stated. “I’d like to do more than sue Daisy Wilson.”

“She’s destroying Victor Klein’s life,” the older woman complained. “I think he should dump her and marry a girl more loyal to us Alphas. Daisy was ruined by being raised by Betas.”

Amy came looking for me and was told I was in changing room three.

She popped her head inside the curtains. “Daisy, have you had any luck?”

I shook my head and tried not to show I was upset. Amy and I were having a lovely afternoon, but now I just wanted to get out of Gisele’s shop.

Exiting the changing room, the women who had been talking about me recognized me, and their faces hardened.

“We said what we said,” the older woman snapped, and they all turned away from me.

I handed the jeans I still held to an assistant and headed for the exit. At least Jennifer would be happy I didn’t buy anything.

Amy followed me out of the shop. “Daisy, wait up. What happened?”

After we climbed inside my truck, I told her about the conversation I overheard in the changing rooms.

“Some Alphas are always going to be angry about the new laws,” Amy said. “You know how they are. A lot of people like having a scapegoat to blame for their failures in life.”

She patted my arm. “They won’t admit to themselves that they failed at something on their own. They prefer to believe it was someone else’s fault.”

Amy spoke the truth, but those Alpha women’s words still irritated me.

“I need chocolate,” I said as I started the truck.

“Let’s go to that new confectioner on the road back to Denhurst,” Amy suggested. “They have marvelous chocolate shakes, and I can pick up some candy for the new kids who enter the shelter.”

“That sounds like a worthy cause,” I said. “I’ll buy some for them too. Sorry, you didn’t get to buy your new jeans.”

She grinned. “I told them to charge them to my account and deliver them. Yours too.”

“You are getting really good at being rich,” I teased. Amy was the least selfish person I know. She deserved designer jeans after everything she does for others.

“I think I always had it in me,” she chuckled. “They say money can’t buy happiness, but it sure helps when it comes time to pay the bills.”

After a thick chocolate shake, I was relaxed again. I took Amy home and headed back to the mansion. It was a surprise to see Victor and Jayden standing in the driveway near the house.

I climbed out of my truck and hurried to them. “What’s going on?”

“I came to tell you and Victor that I know who’s responsible for trying to destroy your reputation.”

Anger flared in my soul. “Who?”

“It’s John Cameron. He and his wealthy faction are working against you from a secret headquarters. I don’t have the location yet. But it isn’t far from Denhurst.”

But Jayden wasn’t finished with the bad news.“They plan on taking over The Association by poisoning the public against you both and then installing their own leader.”