Chapter 0342
Chapter 0342
Alexander POV
The headlines the next morning were dominated by Archer’s announcement. Any attention or goodwill we had hoped to gain from the party was completely overshadowed–exactly as he had intended.
It was a calculated move, and I couldn’t deny its brilliance.
Ella was shaken. Of course, she was. For a moment, it had seemed like we were finally putting all of this behind us, but now Archer was back, and he was determined to step in where David had failed.
I would see to it that he failed as well.
David had been dangerous, yes, but he was an oaf—a pawn easily manipulated by more sinister and influential people. Archer, however, had his own agenda, his own aims beyond simply seizing power.
That made him unpredictable. That made him even more dangerous.
His reputation in the Roguelands told me everything I needed to know.
I had earned the nickname Ice King for my cold detachment from the work I did there. Archer was the complete opposite. I had heard more than one story of him cackling joyfully as torture was carried out on his behalf.
I wasn’t sure how much stock to put into those rumors–I knew better than anyone how out of control stories could get. Half of my own reputation was unearned, but since it benefited me, I never bothered to correct it. Perhaps the same was true for Archer.
And yet, the sheer delight on his face as he watched Ella’s shock and fear made my stomach turn.
The headlines continued to pop up on my screen, each one marked as breaking news. I frowned as I sat back in my chair and glared at the laptop.
Ella and I had watched the press conference together this morning, and Archer had handled it as well as could be expected given the situation. He even managed to get a shot in at me.
I tried to force that thought away as I looked at the headlines.
“Gray Rock pack forced into Spotlight Despite Scandal.”
“Archer Gray Denies Claims of Family Involvment in Crime
Archer Gray Shocks Family with Announcement.”
Each article contained a nice little summary of the scandals his family had faced since Amanda’s affair with David had been made public.
Part of me felt I should be thanking him for bringing this back into the public eye. Anyone who hadn’t heard the rumors before now would know all about it now.
The king was going to have to make a statement.
Ella was on the phone with Elizabeth when I left the apartment. I could only hope that she had some news for us. Whoever was advising the king on this issue had created a real mess that we were going to have to clean up.
The sooner we could address them directly, the better.
For now, all I could do was think of my own response to the press conference.
I clicked on one of the articles and the clip started to play automatically.
+25 BONUS
Chapter 0342
“Mr. Gray, do you really think you stand a chance running against Alpha Black given your families recent scandals?”
A wide grin spread across Archer’s face as he looked at the reporter. “I’m so glad you asked about this,” he began. “I’ll be addressing all of these concerns in full shortly. For now, all I can say is that this so called scandal was a smear campaign orchestrated by Ella Rowan. I have the proof, you’ll be shocked when you see it. And as for Alpha Black, he has his own shocking secrets that will come out in the course of this campaign. You can quote me on that.”
I closed out of the video and groaned. I ran my fingers through my hair in an attempt to calm my own temper. My wolf was growling insistently, demanding action.
I knew that now wasn’t the time to act.
Shocking secrets. What the hell could he be talking about?
+25 BONUS
