Free Web NovelChapter 184: Chapter 184
Aria’s POV
The man clenched his jaw, refusing to speak.
Beside me, Francis’ gentleman façade was gone. Completely gone. In its place was a lethal, territorial wolf whose eyes promised more violence.
His gripped the man’s throat and lifted him up with wolf strength The man, big as he was, turned red, choking, his arms and legs twitching.
I watched, my breath steady, as the man refused to answer.
Then Francis’s eyes flicked to mine as if asking me what I wanted him to do to the man.
The stepped forward and asked the man another question, “What’s your connection to that driver from yesterday ago?” I demanded, my voice low, edged with a growl I could no longer hide.
The man blinked rapidly. “What are you talking about?”
He tried to mask it, but I caught it, the sharp spike of adrenaline, the evasive flicker of his eyes.
He was lying...He was afraid.
A cold laugh slipped from my lips. “Still coming after me? Whoever wants me dead must have paid you well.” I stepped closer, letting my aura unfurl. “Who ordered this? Tell me, how much is my life worth to them?”
For the first time in my life, I truly felt it...the weight of being hunted. The value placed on my head. The danger circling me like vultures waiting for me to fall.
The man swallowed. His scent soured with panic.
Then, with a hiss, he spat, “I just don’t like you. You sold Hemsworth Group’s secrets. People lost their jobs because of you. And you still get protected by Alpha Nathan? He must be blind.”
His words sliced deeper than claws ever could.
I felt a mix of anger, sadness and shame swirl within me. I shouldn’t even feel because I knew I had done nothing wrong. But lies... lies always stuck like burrs under the skin.
Francis interfered sharply. “Don’t let him provoke you. That’s all he’s doing.”
His voice snapped the tension and then came the impact.
Francis’s kick sent the man crashing against the opposite wall with a sickening thud. The man collapsed, groaning, probably with cracked ribs.
Francis’s bodyguards dragged him up by the hair.
Francis stepped forward, his energy darkening like a storm.
“There is no surveillance here,” he murmured. “Do you want me to make you mute?”
The man’s breath seized. Terror rolled off him in waves.
But still...no answers.
The bodyguards tried everything to force the truth out of the man, but he remained quiet. Possibly loyal...Possibly more scared of whoever hired him than of us.
They turned to me, waiting for command.
“Should we turn him in to the enforcers?” Francis offered.
I shook my head slowly, a bitter laugh caught in my throat.
“No... tie him up and leave him here.”
Francis hesitated only a momentm The man was bound tightly and was left squirming like a caught animal.
As I walked away, I gave the alley one last glance.
I slid into the car with Francis, letting the door close on that Chapter.
“Someone will deal with it,” I said quietly.
Francis’s eyes narrowed. “Nathan’s men?”
I didn’t answer.
The old ache inside me pulsed. Francis sensed it and stayed silent. Nathan’s name was a wound neither of us touched lightly.
My voice cracked before I even realized I’d spoken. “Does everyone think it was me?”
“Aria.” Francis gripped my shoulders gently but firmly, forcing me to meet his eyes. Those dark amber eyes softened in a way that always disarmed my guard. “In my eyes, you’ve never been that person. You’re still the Aria I first met. You understand?”
The world outside blurred...trees, cars, people...all slowing as if giving me space to breathe.
My heart eased just a little.
As we reached his private lab, dizziness still tugged at me from the earlier drug. I leaned on Francis instinctively. He steadied me, his touch lingering longer than necessary... longer than neutral.
“The rumors about you are everywhere,” Francis said softly. “Are you really unaffected?”
My wolf flattened her ears. Rumors never killed but they tore apart reputations, trust and families.
I forced a smile. “You said it yourself, they’re rumors.”
Francis watched me with a sadness he didn’t voice...He knew I was lying...He knew it hurt, but he let it go.
We walked the corridor in silence until we reached a door he opened with a small flourish.
“Aria,” he said gently, “I arranged an office just for you.”
Inside, the space smelled of fresh paint, clean wood, and sterile labs. But what caught my eye was the curved, elegant crescent-shaped seat bathed in soft silver light.
A crescent.
The symbol of wolves...of resilience.
My heart warmed unexpectedly.
I turned to Francis, unable to hide the emotion rising in my chest.
“You...”
My voice came out hoarse, roughened at the edges. There were too many emotions trapped beneath my ribs. “Hey... hold on.”
Francis, always the serious, dependable older-brother type, actually smiled. On him, it looked almost shocking.
“Why don’t you check if there’s anything we missed?”
I nodded, maybe a little too eagerly. My fingers drifted across the new book covers he’d arranged for my office. They were thick, had heavy volumes and were sturdy like bricks. Yet the moment my fingertips brushed them, something inside me stirred. Recognition and familiarity.
These... these were from my old office at the Hemsworth Group. They were always placed on the shelf closest to my desk. Always within reach during late nights of strategizing as I hunted through case files.
I hadn’t told him any of that. I hadn’t expected him to remember these books...But he did.
“It’s perfect,” I murmured, my voice still rough. My wolf stirred beneath my skin, brushing against me with a soft, warm nudge, sensing the nostalgia tightening my chest. I’d agreed to help Francis mostly in name. A favor. A distraction. A way to keep myself busy after... everything.
Yet he took it seriously. More seriously than I did. freewebnσvel.cøm
“There was no need to go through so much trouble...”
“Of course there was,” Francis chided lightly, giving me a look that was filled with admiration.
“Aria, forgive my use of words.. have you forgotten who the hell you are?”.
