Free Web NovelChapter 116: Chapter 116 The New Boss Arrives
Christina’s POV
When Violet was about to say something more, every head in the office suddenly turned to look at the door behind her. I followed their gazes to see what had captured their attention.
Two men walked through the front entrance. Several staff members followed behind them.
I recognized the first man as Rexford Caldwell from his company profile picture. He was the big boss of Nyx Collective who never came to the office.
But Rexford wasn’t the one making everyone stare and look tense.
It was Hudson. He walked confidently one step ahead of Rexford. His face had that controlled, stoic look he always used for business. His hands were tucked in his suit pockets casually. Something in his eyes told me he wasn’t happy.
I watched the wolves in the office react to him right away. Several put their heads down in submission. A few of the younger designers almost fell to their knees. They were fighting the urge to show complete respect to the Alpha of the largest pack in the North. freewebnøvel.com
"Is that Alpha Hudson?" someone whispered nearby. Their voice was shaking.
Violet still hadn’t noticed. Her back was to the entrance as she kept mocking me.
Rexford cleared his throat and clapped his hands. "Hello everyone! Can I have your attention? Some of you know me already. I’m Rexford Caldwell, majority shareholder of Nyx Collective. This is the fine studio you work in."
He stopped like he expected people to clap. Nobody made a sound.
He cleared his throat again awkwardly. "Well, anyway, I need to introduce the new owner of Nyx Collective. Alpha Hudson of The Sabreridge pack."
A few people started clapping. Then more joined in.
"Alpha Hudson," Rexford said with a nervous smile, "would you like to say something?"
Hudson stepped forward. He looked straight at Violet’s back.
"Mr. Caldwell, do I look like an old man to you?"
"Excuse me?" Rexford looked completely confused.
"I asked if I look old," Hudson said calmly. "Or maybe broke? Or like a waiter from some cheap restaurant?"
"No, of course not, Alpha Hudson," Rexford said nervously. "You’re much younger than me, but just as successful." He laughed awkwardly. "If you’re old, what does that make me? A fossil? Ha ha."
His joke didn’t work in the tense room.
"I don’t think I’m old either," Hudson said. "But someone just called me exactly that."
Rexford grew more puzzled. "Alpha Hudson, what do you mean?"
Hudson looked over at me with a small smile. "Someone just said my mate married an old, broke nobody she found on the street."
So he had heard everything. I wondered how long he had been outside the door, listening to Violet talk.
Violet finally turned around and froze when she saw who was behind her.
"This is Luna Christina?" Rexford’s mouth dropped open as he understood.
Hudson stepped forward and took my hand. He gently pulled me up from my chair. That’s when I noticed I was the only one still sitting. Everyone else was standing stiff with their heads bowed slightly.
Violet’s face turned white as a ghost. She looked like someone had just destroyed her whole world.
"Mr. Caldwell." Hudson put his arm through mine. His touch felt possessive.
"Yes, Alpha Hudson?"
"I’m starting to think buying shares from you might be a mistake."
"What?" Panic showed on Rexford’s face. "No, no! It’s a good investment. It’s made good money over the years. The profit is..." freewёbnoνel.com
"You didn’t tell me about the toxic work environment," Hudson interrupted him. "When employees talk badly about each other’s personal lives during work hours, can this company really do what you promised?"
Rexford understood quickly. "It’s just one employee! One person doesn’t represent our whole company." He pointed at Violet. "You! Say sorry to Alpha Hudson and Luna Christina. Now!"
Violet’s mouth opened and closed but no words came out.
Savannah came out of her office and walked over quickly. "Alpha Hudson, Mr. Caldwell, I’m very sorry about this. I’ll deal with Violet myself. Should we go to the conference room?"
"Yes, yes!" Rexford said quickly. "Alpha Hudson, let’s sit down. I’ll show you the quarterly reports..."
Hudson didn’t move.
"I heard something about a competition spot," he said calmly. "Someone paid for it. How much was it? I’ll pay three times that to get my mate the spot."
I pulled on his elbow to stop him, but he didn’t react.
"What spot?" Rexford wiped sweat from his face and looked at Savannah with panic.
"The Aureate Awards," Savannah explained quickly. "There’s been a misunderstanding. No payment is needed. I’ll look at the selection process again myself."
"No you won’t," Rexford said angrily. "Give it to her." He almost pointed at me but stopped. "Give it to Luna Christina."
"Of course," Savannah nodded.
Rexford turned to Hudson. "Does that work for you, Alpha Hudson?"
"I’m not the one you should ask."
"Right, of course. Luna Christina?" Rexford turned to me with a fake smile that reminded me of the greasy fries Hudson had bought and pretended Geoffrey made them.
I doubted he had even finished eating those fries.
"Savannah and I will talk about it later," I said simply.
"Of course, of course!" Rexford nodded quickly. "Should we go to the conference room now?"
Hudson lifted our joined hands. The custom diamonds in our rings caught the light and sent tiny rainbow reflections across the office.
"These rings are custom made," he said. His voice carried through the now quiet room. "But someone here who says she’s a jewelry designer thought they came from a toy machine. If she really can’t tell the difference between real craftsmanship and cheap plastic, I question if she should work in this field."
Violet’s face turned bright red. She stared at the floor like she wanted it to open up and swallow her.
"My mate doesn’t usually explain herself," Hudson continued. "She’s much more patient than I am, but don’t think that patience means weakness. If anyone here has a problem with her or speaks badly about her, fix your attitude right now. If not, save us both the trouble and quit. I don’t allow disrespect toward my Luna."
Hudson’s Alpha dominance sweep through the room like a wave. Even I could feel it. Several employees shook visibly. One man in the corner actually dropped to one knee before catching himself.
"How are you running this place, Savannah?" Rexford said quietly but angrily. "Get rid of that woman right now."
Savannah stayed quiet. She clearly knew better than to argue.
Hudson’s intense look returned to Violet, who was now shaking slightly.
"One more thing," he said.
I almost felt bad for her.
