CEO's Runaway Mate and Her Cubs

After chatting with Mary Dixon, Lara decided to change the topic and talk about the weather. She had revealed enough, so her new friends weren't going to trust the press.

With their net of gossip, they would spread this new story - maybe with some embellishments. That wouldn't stop the press, but it might have helped with Nate's social circle.

She wanted him to have no effects from any scandal concerning her or the cubs. Alone, she could do nothing. But it was her duty to attempt amortising the impact.

«Oh, you came here for the paintings,» Mary Dixon remembered at some point.

«That's right. I brought with me a pair of extra eyes to choose one. Nate said we definitely need one for the living room.»

«So, you two cohabit. You and your two kids,» Mary confirmed.

«Yes, we do.»

«And how is it? Living next to Nate Woods, I mean.»

«Oh... He's... He's very sweet. And he helps me a lot with the kids. He's a loving father. Am I right, Jaden?»

Jaden nodded. For nothing in the world he would have refused his mommy's words. Even if she said the sun was black, he would have confirmed.

However, he did agree with her. Nate was okay as a father. And he was fun to play with. Especially because he could have time alone with his mommy when Nate was out with Scarlet. And he would have fun asking him questions.

Since Nate appeared, he and Scarlet had stopped being the cubs and became Jaden, on one hand, and Scarlet on the other. They were two people, separate. Even if they were twins.

Even his mommy had more time and energy and could focus on one of them at a time. It was ten times better than sharing her with a sister.

And, even if they would have other brothers and sisters, on day, he was sure he would be only Jaden for the rest of times.

«Oh, who do you love more, Jaden?» Mary asked, giggling. «Mommy or daddy?»

«Mommy. But dad I also love dad.» He didn't add «a little» as he usually would. It didn't sound like the right moment.

«Oh, how cute! A mommy's boy, aren't you?»

«Yes,» he confirmed. «I am of mommy.»

Even though he loved Nate, he would be his mommy's forever. She had given birth to him, and she had brought him food for years. Nate couldn't buy him with steaks; not after a few days, at least. He needed to work harder so his mommy could relax even more.

«You wouldn't think this cute boy is cold Nate Woods's son,» Mary pointed out. How could someone be so silent and so adorable at the same time?

«They're very much alike, actually. They share more than meets the eye,» Lara said. Find adventures on empire

Jaden was sweet, but Nate was as well. And they both wanted to take care of her in many trivial ways. Jaden was learning from his father how to be a gentleman, and he was doing it quickly.

«Let's go take a look at the paintings,» Mary said, remembering she was working.

Having a cosy place to run meant dealing with that atmosphere more often than not. She had instructed her employees to treat the clients like guests and make them relax before talking business. It made them spend more, on average.

«I have a whole hall filled with Pike's works. There's also the one you saw at the party, the other day. I understood that you're interested in his artwork. Am I wrong?»

«Not wrong at all. I'd like to take a look around before deciding, though.»

«Sure.»

They toured the gallery, stopping in front of astonishing or funny paintings. She would make Jaden comment from time to time, and the little boy had always something to say.

She hadn't seen him and Nate discuss art before, so it must have been his own instinct. It seemed as if Jaden could see something Lara couldn't. More colours, precise strokes... Who knew, it could be related to his wolf eyes.

«Do you like this one?» she asked, pointing at the scenery Nate had already approved.

Jaden nodded, but his eyes couldn't stay on that painting for too long because he was attracted by another one. It was another night scenery, but this time the moon was full and giant. It used most of the space reserved to the sky.

There was a tree on a stone, then the sea underneath. The moon reflected in the water, perturbed by the waves.

«Pike loves to paint night scenes,» Lara realised.

Not just night, she thought. Each one of them had something in common: the moon. It would be round or almost round, but it was always somewhere visible.

The sea, mountains, a forest... The background would change every time. But the moon wouldn't: she was one.

«Mommy, this is pretty,» Jaden said. His eyes moved from the moon in the sky to the one between the sea waves, analysing every single detail.

Lara moved closer to the wall and noticed the strokes painting the pits and the darker stains with a precision that frightened her. She wasn't sure it was accurate - how could she be? - but there was something frightening in those strokes. Deep in her heart, she knew she would find each one of those stains if she looked up with binoculars or maybe a small telescope.

The moon isn't flat, she recalled from her school days. It has pits, as well as darker areas called seas. It had light-coloured parts, and the shapes were visible from earth quite well. Even to humans.

But that precision there was something else. It wasn't a human eye.

Someone had caught every little detail and imprinted it on canvas for everyone to see and witness the beauty of the moon. Even humans like her could discern.

«We'll take this,» she said. «Whatever the price.»

Mary blinked, surprised.

«That one is fresh from a few days ago. I haven't shown it around yet.»

«Is it a problem?» Lara mused.

«No. It's just more expensive because it's new. But I guess you won't mind having the last piece from Pike. If you're a fan, seventy thousands aren't such a huge amount.»