Bound To The Broken Alpha (Amy and Daniel) novel Chapter 61

**When Dawn Breaks Slowly Hope Finds Space To Grow by Jin Rowan**

**Chapter 61: She Is With Another Man**

**MARK**

I was just halfway through my breakfast, savoring the last bites of toast, when Brian strode into my office, his phone clutched tightly in his hand. The tension in his face was palpable, and his voice was sharp, cutting through the morning calm like a knife.

“Have you seen this yet?” he asked, his brow furrowing in concern.

I frowned, curiosity piquing within me. “What is it?” I replied, setting my fork down, suddenly feeling the weight of the moment.

He placed the phone on my desk with a sense of urgency. The headline blared at me: “Luna Amy Carter caught in a compromising moment with a mysterious man – dark rituals exposed?”

The photos displayed her in a shadowy corner, standing too close for comfort to a figure I didn’t recognize. Her expression was inscrutable, but the framing of the shots suggested something far more scandalous than what might have truly been happening. Not again, I thought bitterly.

I fixated on the screen, my silence stretching between us like a chasm filled with unspoken worries.

Brian broke the stillness. “Clara arranged it. I overheard her on the phone last night,” he revealed, his voice low, as if speaking of a dark secret.

A heavy weight settled in my chest, a familiar dread creeping in. “You’re sure?” I asked, my heart racing as the implications sank in.

“She used her contact from the press,” Brian confirmed. “Gave them the exact location of where Amy was and what story to run.”

I turned my gaze back to the pictures, my jaw tightening as anger coursed through me. It wasn’t just Clara’s scheming that riled me; it was the sight of Amy with another man. The images made it painfully clear: she looked as if she belonged to someone else entirely.

Brian must have sensed the shift in my demeanor because he let out a resigned sigh. “Don’t start this again, Mark,” he warned, his tone almost pleading.

“I’m not starting anything,” I replied, my voice flat, devoid of emotion. “But she just had to drag Amy into this. Again.”

“You’re not angry because Clara lied,” he pointed out, his eyes searching mine. “You’re angry because you can’t stand the thought of Amy with another man.”

His words struck home, and I remained silent, unwilling to concede the truth of his observation.

By the afternoon, the news had gone viral. Every gossip column, every social media feed, and every hushed conversation in the business world revolved around the same scandalous story. Phrases like “dark magic” and “affair” echoed through the air, tainting Amy’s reputation.

Clara, on the other hand, was reveling in the chaos. She called me later, her voice dripping with feigned innocence. “Mark, have you seen what’s online? It’s everywhere! I told you Amy wasn’t who she seemed.”

I chose silence, allowing the weight of her words to hang in the air. “You’ve gone too far this time,” I warned her, my voice steady but laced with anger.

She laughed lightly, as if mocking my concern. “I didn’t post it, Mark. The media did. I simply provided the proof.”

“There was no proof,” I shot back coldly. “Just lies.”

Her tone shifted, curiosity mingling with accusation. “You’re defending her?”

I abruptly ended the call, bracing myself for the emotional manipulation Clara was so adept at. By evening, Amy had already issued a public response. Her statement was succinct yet composed, radiating an aura of calm that could only belong to someone who was unshaken.

She denied the allegations, reminding the public that false stories didn’t define her. Then she added a line that caught everyone’s attention: “I genuinely hope Clara finds peace soon. It must be exhausting to live every day trying to destroy someone who simply moved on.”

That single line was like a spark in the dark. By the next morning, the tide had shifted dramatically. People began to sympathize with Amy, praising her grace and strength. The comments beneath the original post transformed from vitriol to admiration.

Brian dropped a newspaper onto my desk, the headline glaring up at me. “She handled it better than the PR team ever could,” he remarked, a hint of pride in his voice.

I nodded, acknowledging the truth of his words. “She always does.”

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