3. Provocation

"Those ingrates! How could they have done this to you?" Arla cursed after they finished unloading Sienna's things from the moving car. "So now what's the plan? Are you just going to let him keep the house that you all paid for?"

"Hm." Sienna only nodded. "Can we talk about this another time? I'm still trying to make sense of things. Please."

"Oh, sorry. Let me get your room ready then. You rest in here in the meantime.

************************

"Your father said to have you come home. He wants to introduce you to your grandfather. You're finally going to be acknowledged, Noah." Nora excitedly informs her son once he returns from work.

"I'm not going anywhere, mother. After all these years of ignoring my existence, you can't expect me to go to him now, all because he asked me to. I'm doing fine on my own. There's only so much that I can deal with at a time, so just let me be." Noah refused.

Faiza moved from the couch and went to his side. "You can't let go of this opportunity, my love."

"Ha!" Noah let out a wry laugh. "And what opportunity is that? You think that my father has anything good for me or that he would do anything for my sake? If my last name is the reason that you're with me, then sorry to disappoint. 

I do not have any of the opportunities that the McDermotts have. How else do you think that I ended up working at your family's company instead of theirs?" Noah turned to go into his room, but Faiza's next words made him stop in his tracks.

"Your grandfather, Alpha Seamus, intends to change his heir. And I think that your father wants to give you the chance of that."

"You knew." Nora was surprised to know that her son's lover also knows of the Alpha's announcement.

"I heard from a friend not too long ago." Faiza lied. This was the main reason why she targeted Noah. "At least, now your status as an illegitimate child isn't going to be a stigma anymore once the Alpha approves of you. What do you have to lose anyway?"

Despite his misgivings, Noah finally caved in and went to see his father, whom he hadn't seen in person for over a decade.

*

"Whew! That was quite intense." Noah said once they were finally out of the old McDermott family villa. 

The last time that he met the old man was when he was in his teens, before his father stopped taking him anywhere because his main wife didn't like that. 

But he is still surprised at how much charisma and aura the old man was exuding, even in just his casual clothes.

Faiza was quite glad at how their meeting with the old Alpha had gone. Noah wasn't such a bad catch either; maybe she could settle with him if she couldn't have Ryan. 

Most especially now that he also stands to have a chance as the Alpha's heir. Now what's left is for her to actually get pregnant before she is caught in her lies. 

**************************

Knock.

Peter McDermott pushed the door open after knocking just once without waiting for his son to respond.

"Father. What brings you here?" Ryan said and got off his desk to the sitting area. 

Peter sat in the armchair before addressing his son, "Father is planning to bring one of your distant cousins to take the vacant Vice President position of the company, but my other brothers are protesting vehemently." 

"Why? I mean, why is grandpa doing that, and why are uncles also refusing?"

"Isn't it the obvious? Your grandfather wants him to take the position just temporarily until Renjith returns into the country, but your uncles also want it for their own sons."

"If grandpa needed someone to step in until Renjith's return, why that said cousin? And I'm sure he knows that Renjith has no intention of staying in this country, which will mean that this person has the chance of maintaining the position for himself. 

So why is he choosing a totally new person? What is he up to again?" Ryan was still not getting his grandpa's reason for choosing someone who's never worked with them before. 

Peter shrugged, "All I know is just the rumours that his girl is Faiza O'Dwyer, your ex. I believe that this is just father's way of letting you understand how serious he is with that announcement he made. I guess you need to be careful and act fast if you do not want to be removed from your position, son."

Peter soon left. 

'Huh! So I've got a competition now. And he chose no other person but my ex. Who is this guy even? I need to look him up later.' Ryan thought to himself.

***************************

"You know, when you informed me that you're with that nobody, I didn't understand why you would choose him despite the many admirable suitors that you have and as per your status.

But I get it now. You chose him because he was McDermott, right? And with the Alpha's new announcement, I'm guessing that is your main goal?" Maryam, Faiza's mother, enquired from her daughter.

"Yes, mother." Faiza replied a bit shyly. Her mother is very sharp to catch onto things like this, so there was no need to lie to her.

"Good. Very good. Keep going in that direction. This way, none of your other siblings would be able to take your position as your father's heir."

Cough. Cough. 

"Here. Drunk this." Her mother gave her a glass of water.

"How are things going between you and your man? Is any baby underway?" Maryam asked after a few minutes break.

"Still working on it, mother. He was being a little difficult because the other lady left, but he's started to come around since meeting the old man. I guess he is more ambitious than he actually lets on."

"Hurry up before you're caught. And let me add a warning: Do not, under any circumstances, tell the old Alpha that you're pregnant until you actually are."

Faiza raised her brows in confusion. "But why so, mother?"

"He has a very sharp nose and can easily tell these things. He can even tell if the child is of the McDermott's blood or not before it is even born. You were with his grandson for years; didn't you pick on these things?"

"I never knew about that. We were quite young then."

"Fine. Now you know, so do your things accordingly. Don't mess things up. I'm leaving. Just know that you cannot play too smart on that old man."

"Yes, mother." Faiza made a mental note to tell Noah not to inform the old man about her "pregnancy" yet.

************************

"Welcome back, team leader. How was your trip?" One of Sienna's subordinates asked her. She returned from another business trip yesterday and was now reporting to the office. Sienna keeps working very hard as a means to occupy her mind in order not to break down after her separation from her beloved.

"Miss Quinn." Sienna's colleague addressed her. "The GM (General manager) said to have you come to his office, please."

*

"Once again, congratulations." The gm said after making Sienna fill out some forms.

"Thank you, Idan." Sienna thanked her boss, who is also her close friend's fiancé, and left the office. Both she, Arla, and Idan worked at the same place, but Arla is in a different department.

Ding! Ding!!

Sienna checked her phone after hearing the notification sound. The messages were from an unknown. Her first assumption was that they might be from Noah. He's been calling and texting her since their breakup, but she refuses to answer any of them.

Sienna tapped on the notifications to check what kind of messages that he's sent, only to realise that, this time, they weren't his but rather, his new woman's.

They were pictures and gifs of Faiza and Noah having fun on the beach and at some other resorts.

"What does she want me to do, sending me pictures like this?" Sienna immediately left her department to go and show them to her friend, Arla.