Forbidden Mate- A Step-brother Romance - Chapter 67: Chapter 67

~EMILY~
I had been anxiously awaiting James's return. Earlier, he called to inform me that he had discovered the information I was desperate for. According to him, my suspicions were correct; there was indeed a woman in my son's life that he was trying to conceal from me.
"What do you have for me?" I ask the moment he steps into my office.
He could tell from my posture alone that I was on edge. I needed to know who this girl was—this girl who had ensnared my son and made him forget all about his loyalty to me.
"For a while, I couldn't turn up any leads on him," he admits. "I kept looking, trying to find out who he was interested in, and I started to think maybe you were mistaken and there wasn't a woman at all."
I frown.
So how had he finally located her? What had changed in his approach?
"Just tell me everything you found out," I snap, my impatience growing by the second.
He nods and places an envelope on my desk. "I realized I was searching in the wrong areas for this mystery woman. It turns out she's been living with him the whole time, which is why I couldn't find her. I just didn't think to look for someone residing under the same roof as him."
What nonsense! How could she be living in the same house as him? If someone had moved in and was claiming to be Apollo's girlfriend, my ex-husband would have told me. He knew better than to keep something like that from me.
I had spoken to him just yesterday about Apollo's engagement ball, and he hadn't mentioned anything about our son being involved with a woman living with them.
"What do you mean she's living in the same house as my son?" I queried.
He gestured toward the envelope. "Open it. Let me know if you recognize the woman in the photos."
I angrily tore open the envelope to retrieve the pictures he had discussed.
Upon seeing the first photo, the blood rushed from my face, and I felt a wave of disbelief wash over me. This had to be some kind of mistake. I looked at the second photo, and there she was again. Why was she the only one in all these images?
"What's going on here?" I ask, heart racing. "Why is she in these pictures?"
He regarded me as though I were clueless. "That's the girl I'm talking about. You asked me to find the woman your son is trying to hide from you, and this is her."
No. This was ridiculous, I knew this had to be a mistake. Maybe he'd gotten the wrong pictures. Maybe he saw the wrong girl. There needed to be a logical explanation for this.
It couldn't be her. Anyone but her. Not this girl. She bore her mother's smile—the very smile of the woman who had taken my ex-husband from me. I recognized that face instantly; this was undoubtedly her daughter, and I had already met her.
Apollo would never be with a woman like her. I look at the man in front of me, ready to explode on him for making such an insensitive joke.
"No," I say flatly. "This cannot be true. Yes, she lives in the same house as my son; that's his step-sister. My ex-husband married this girl's mother, and that's the only reason they share a home. He cannot possibly be interested in her! I know my son well. You are mistaken. I need to you to keep on looking. This is not the girl.”
He shrugs, "I'm just providing the information you requested, Mrs. Reign. I don't make mistakes. Her name is Lana, as you seem to know. She's the woman your son has taken a liking to."
The pictures slipped from my fingers as I struggled to comprehend what he was saying.
Apollo wouldn't be foolish enough to have feelings for the daughter of the woman who had torn our family apart. He loved me too much to even glance in her direction. From what I understood, he disliked his step-siblings. He rarely ever spoke about them. My ex-husband even told me that he didn't have a good relationship with them and was having a difficult time adjusting.
"I'm telling you, you made a mistake," I insisted, determined to defend my son's name. He was too good for her. He held a status far above hers. It made no sense for him to fall for someone like her.
Jada was more his type—someone who could bring success and fortune to our family. Lana was the kind of girl who would bring disgrace and embarrassment to our name.
"I saw it with my own eyes," he says firmly, ignoring my words. "He is clearly smitten with her. He follows her around, constantly asks for her, and even has his pack members keeping an eye on her when he isn't around. These are all things that I've learned while asking around to people willing to talk after offering some money.”
My body stiffened at his words.
No, he didn't know what he was talking about. Surely, Apollo just had pack members looking out for the entire family. He was always adamant about safety, especially when it came to family.
“That is absurd,” I tell him. “I’m sure that my son placed security for the entire family’s safety, not just this girl.”
“No.” He disagrees. “He has only been caring after her safety. No one else's.”
"Unless you actually witnessed them in the act, I'm afraid you've dropped the ball on this one," I snap. "You're tarnishing my son's reputation with these baseless accusations. He would never lower himself to being interested in someone like her."
He sighs, "No disrespect intended, Mrs. Reign, but I think you should take a seat and really listen to what I have to say. I'm simply reporting on the information you requested. You asked me to find out about the woman you believe your son is seeing, and I found her."
Reluctantly, I sat down on the white sofa, hoping for solid evidence.
This better be solid proof. If there weren't enough reasons to believe it, James wouldn't be getting that bonus we discussed, and I certainly would make sure to leave reviews highlighting his poor work.
“There seemed to be some commotion at home,” he tells me. “I’m not exactly sure what went down, but they definitely had an argument. Lana drove off in her car, and Apollo quickly followed her.”
I frown. “And what does that mean? They could have just been heading in different directions.”
He sighs, clearly desperate to convince me of his story. “I followed them. He stopped her—actually forced her to pull over. Anyone could have seen them; I mean, I was able to see them together. They were pulled over on the side of the road.”
He’s getting increasingly anxious to prove his point.
I didn’t like where this was going. Why would Apollo go to such lengths for that girl? She wasn’t significant in any way—what could he possibly care about her for?
Was she the one I’d overheard him talking about? The girl whose safety seemed to concern him? It suddenly made sense why he was so determined to keep her identity hidden from me.
Was she also the reason he abruptly ended our last call? A wave of rage began to rise within me as I thought about that foolish woman’s daughter trying to get my son involved with her!
“What happened next?” I demand.
“I can tell you,” he says as he walks over to me, “but since you won’t believe me, I think it’s best if I just show you instead.”
Show me?
What could he possibly have to back up his claims? More pictures that meant nothing?
“Well?” I press. “Where’s the proof you have for me?”
I was on edge, wanting answers quickly.
He pulled a picture from his pocket and handed it to me.
Why hadn’t he just shown me this from the start?
I snatched it from his hand, anger bubbling inside me, not expecting to see much. But the moment my eyes landed on the picture, all the air left my lungs.
No.
This couldn’t be happening.