The Love Affair(Good Wife Better Mistress)

Scandalous Baby Cover-Up!!?

John freezes, scared by his boss's violent reaction. Alex impatiently grabs his tablet to check the news. He has no patience for John's slowness today. He opens the news app, and a huge headline catches his eye: Scandalous Baby Cover-Up! Romano's Announce Plans for an Heir to Hide Alexandro's Philandering Ways! Mistress, Gabriela Montez Already Lives in His House! Which Woman Will He Choose?

"Who gave them permission to print this?" he asks.

No journalist would dare to print something he hadn't approved, and no one in his family would approve such a headline. Unless…

"Your wife did, sir," John says, confirming Alex's suspicions, "She told the media to report that Miss Montez lives in this house with you. She wants to threaten the family's reputation."

"Has she succeeded?" Alex asks.

He throws the tablet in John's direction. It slams into the floor and the screen shatters.

"I've already ordered all outlets to recall the news," John says.

Alex frowns. His face is severe and threatening. Yesterday, Nicole tried to publicly announce a divorce. Last night, she snuck around with other men and stood him up. And now she's trying to force him to marry Gabriela? It's too much.

"Nicole Romano," he thinks, "Don't think I can't persuade you to behave!"

Out loud he asks, "Where is she?"

"One of the maids said your grandmother invited her to tea."

"Ah, this won't end well for Nicole," Alex thinks.

At the other end of the house, a maid knocks on the doors to Mrs. Condela Romano's sitting room.

"Mrs. Nicolette Romano is here to see you," she announces.

Mrs. Romano lifts her gaze from her steaming cup of black tea. She only intends to glance at Nicole, but she's shocked by the woman's blatant disrespect. Nicole is standing silently in the door, refusing to even look at her grandmother-in-law. Worse, she's still dressed in the pajamas she slept in.

"What's wrong with you, Nicolette?" Candela asks, "What do you mean by this disrespect? I graciously invited you to tea and you respond with such terrible manners!"

"Grandma," Gabriela soothes, "Nicole must have only just awoken. She probably didn't have time to get dressed."

Candela makes a disapproving sound and sips her tea. Nicole enters the room and sits casually on one of the upholstered chairs. Candela opens her mouth to speak, but Nicole interrupts her.

"Grandma, I didn't come to listen to you talk nonsense," she says, "Please just say what you want to say so I can leave."

"Nonsense!" Candela thinks, outraged, "The nerve of this upstart young woman to speak to me that way!"

The wrinkles on her face deepened with anger. Gently, Gabriela strokes her back.

"Grandma, she might not be fully awake yet," she murmurs.

Grandma sips her tea and her expression calms.

"Very well," she says, "I asked you to come to inform you that Gabriela and Alex had sex last night. From now on, I consider both of you as my granddaughters-in-law. Though you are Alex's legal wife, you have failed to perform your marital duties. I want you to understand that Gabria now takes precedence over you."

Nicole straightens in her chair and looks at Gabriela. The woman is wearing an off-the-shoulder dress today, flaunting the bluish-purple spots on her neck. She has not attempted to cover them with makeup. Realizing that Nicole is looking at her neck, Gabby pretends to rearrange her hair, giving Nicole a better view. The hickeys extend up to her ear and down to her clavicle.