Free Web NovelChapter 194: Chapter 194
Aria’s POV
Nathan said nothing.
I walked into my room.
Bang!
I slammed the door shut behind me.
The sound ricocheted through the room, sharp and violent, and my wolf flinched in alarm. Lana stirred immediately, her small body jolting awake. She blinked at me with wide, glassy eyes, confusion written all over her face, then lifted her little arms toward me.
“Mm... Mommy...”
That single word shattered what little strength I had left.
The anger that had been burning in my veins collapsed into exhaustion. My legs nearly gave out as I crossed the room and gathered her into my arms. The moment her warmth pressed against me, the dam broke. Tears slipped free before I could stop them.
I went and locked the door.
With the world shut out, it was just us...mother and child.
I buried my face against Lana’s tiny chest, breathing in her soft, milky scent. It grounded me, soothed the frantic pacing of my wolf. I knew I shouldn’t cry in front of her. A wolf mother was supposed to be strong, unyielding, a safe mountain her child could lean against.
But tonight, I couldn’t hold it in.
“Mommy... mommy...” Her voice was clearer and steadier than the day before.
A small, warm hand reached up and clumsily brushed my cheek, wiping away my tears as if she instinctively knew what to do.
My lashes trembled. I hugged her tighter, pressing my cheek against her soft hair.
Then I saw it...just for a heartbeat.
Nathan.
The curve of her nose. The line of her brow, they looked just like his.
My wolf snarled low in my chest.
Rage surged so violently that I had to bite it back. I punched the mattress beside me, the impact dull and controlled only because Lana was in my arms. In my mind, I tore Nathan apart, claws, fangs, blood. A thousand brutal endings flashed through my head.
But fury didn’t erase reality.
His words echoed in my ears.
I’ll buy out Celestyr Corporation.
Nathan wasn’t bluffing. An alpha like him never did.
I forced myself to breathe, slow and deep, until my wolf settled enough for me to think. If I wanted to protect Alpha Jonathan, protect Celestyr Corporation. I had to act first.
I gently laid Lana down, tucking the blanket around her small body, brushing a kiss over her forehead. Only when she drifted back to sleep did I reach for my phone.
I contacted Williams.
He replied almost instantly, eager and curious. I realized too late that I hadn’t checked the damage my earlier statement had caused. My stomach tightened as Williams drew my attention to them.
The screen exploded.
Comments...shares...mentions.
It was a storm.
I watched as my words spread across the internet like wildfire.
“Hello everyone, this is Aria. Regarding recent online rumors and controversies, I have a few clarifications: freewёbnoνel.com
1. My relationship with Alpha Jonathan Anderson is purely professional. I invested in Celestyr Corporation a year ago and am now a shareholder.
2. “The widely shared candid photos show us discussing business matters. I am Celestyr Brand’s chief designer, Selina, and we were discussing new designs.”
The post had dropped like a stone into deep water.
The ripples had come faster than I expected.
Ridicules poured in, thick and venomous.
“She’s hooked up with Alpha Jonathna and lost her mind? Now she’s claiming to be Selina?”
“Her? Selina? Don’t make me laugh. Every year some nobody pretends to be Selina, but she’s the worst.”
“Shameless! Clinging to Selina’s name! I’ve reported her for fraud already!”
My wolf bristled, her hackles rising. Strangers were baring their teeth, eager to tear me down. It was noise, meaningless noise... yet it still scraped against my nerves.
This had gone far beyond what I expected.
Williams’ voice came through the phone, sharp with disbelief.
“Are you really planning to reveal Selina’s true identity?”
“Yes,” I said without hesitation. My voice was calm, but inside, my wolf stood tall and resolute. “If I don’t stop it now, the rumors will grow fangs. They’re already hurting Celestyr Brand and Alpha Jonathan. I won’t let them bleed for me.”
There was a pause. Then excitement flickered through his tone.
“I’ll contact your private studio and the team managing your Twitter account.”
I leaned back against the bed, staring at the ceiling.
When I first invested, I’d made my boundaries clear. I didn’t want fame. I didn’t want exposure. I wanted to practice law and live quietly.
So professionals handled everything...the branding, public accounts, design releases.
But Selina was never a lie.
My designs carried my wolf’s precision, my obsession with quality. Only the finest materials. Only perfection.
“I never got the chance to tell you about the money,” I said softly. “You disappeared, and... well. It’s always been there.” Williams said.
I was shocked at his response.
This means Celestyr Brand’s dividends grew year after year, accumulating steadily, until a trust company stepped in to manage it.
It was a fortune I had built in silence.
Even at my lowest, when eviction notices howled at my door like starving wolves and homelessness bared its teeth at me after my time in prison, I had never imagined that a careless investment from years ago had quietly turned me into a minor tycoon.
The irony almost made me laugh.
I remembered those days too clearly. Lana bundled against my chest, both of us shivering in the early dawn as we took street-cleaning jobs just to scrape together rent. Survival was all that mattered at the time.
Compared to that, wealth felt unreal. Like a story that belonged to someone else.
I stared at the screen in silence.
“I’ll send you the contact information for the trust company’s manager and the person handling your Twitter account on WhatsApp,” Williams said, breaking my daze.
My phone chimed several times in quick succession.
Even though Kate’s inheritance meant money was no longer my immediate concern, the timing was absurd enough to feel almost cruel. When you’re truly broke, the world pushes you toward the edge of the streets. And when you finally stop needing money, someone casually tells you you’ve been wealthy all along.
I rubbed my forehead, my wolf snorting softly at the joke fate was playing on me.
“So,” Williams said, “what’s your plan? You do not plan on distancing yourself from my brother, do you?”
