Free Web NovelChapter 133: Chapter 133 Fooled Again
Christina’s POV
Miss Davis was the literature teacher at my high school. Fresh out of university, she looked barely twenty with her signature long white dresses and thick brown braids. She always carried that canvas tote with broken straps.
Unlike everyone else, she wasn’t intimidated by Isobel Brooke. While other teachers pretended not to see girls getting shoved into lockers, Miss Davis regularly dragged Isobel into her office for stern talks. It didn’t stop everything, but it definitely kept that bully on a shorter leash.
When I reported Isobel to the police after years of torment, the school administration panicked. Only Miss Davis supported me. Everyone else stuck to the pathetic script of "just kids being kids." The case was dropped after my parents accepted the Brookes’ hush money, and Miss Davis mysteriously left a month later.
Rumors claimed she’d been fired for backing me. I never saw her again.
After university, I tried tracking her down, but Davis was too common a surname to find her online.
My mother’s voice notes continued flooding in.
"She looks exactly the same. Not a single wrinkle. Skin still glowing. We were just talking about you. She said you turned out impressive!"
I stared at the elevator doors, feeling uneasy. Something wasn’t adding up.
"Since when does she care about Miss Davis?" Akira growled suspiciously in my mind.
Back in the day, Caroline barely acknowledged Miss Davis’s existence. She called her "stubborn" and claimed she "wasted time sticking up for the wrong kids."
Weird.
I typed quickly: [Where did you run into her?]
Another voice note arrived instantly. "At the mall. We were shopping and bumped into her. She’s still with me now."
After a brief pause, another message landed. I hit play.
This wasn’t Caroline’s voice.
"Hi Christina. I’m with your mom now. It’s been years. Let’s catch up over dinner tonight? I’m only in Highrise City for a couple of days."
I stopped walking and hit replay. It was definitely her, the same warm voice. I hadn’t heard it in years, but it still carried that calm confidence nothing could shake.
Before I could decide what to say, another message arrived.
"You heard that, right?" Caroline chirped. "Miss Davis wants to see you. Are you free tonight? I’ll book the place."
I answered immediately: [Free.]
Part of me was genuinely excited to see Miss Davis again. Plus, it was the perfect opportunity to ask Caroline about Beatrice.
Knowing the Frostpelt Pack and Niall’s family, they’d kept the situation under wraps. The wedding cancellation was being blamed on some hotel emergency with no mention of Beatrice anywhere. Still, I found it hard to believe Clive or Niall hadn’t already confronted my parents directly.
Caroline took a few minutes, then sent: [Booked it. 8 p.m. at The Corner Table, Room 108.]
[Got it.] I shoved my phone into my bag and headed home to change.
I arrived at our mansion. As I kicked off my shoes in the foyer, I called out, "Geoffrey, Hudson and I won’t be home tonight. Skip dinner prep."
"Noted, Luna Christina," Geoffrey responded from somewhere in the house.
I darted upstairs, took a quick shower, and did a full face in twelve minutes flat. I chose the gray tweed dress with the square neckline and fitted waist – conservative but stylish. At seven-thirty, I was ready. The Corner Table was about half an hour across town, so Geoffrey called the car for me.
The driver took a side route, and we pulled up at seven-fifty.
Despite its name, The Corner Table wasn’t some casual diner. Crystal lighting, slate floors, velvet walls. The whole place looked expensive and smelled like bergamot and polished wood.
I had barely stepped inside when the host walked up to me. "Good evening, miss, do you have a reservation?"
"Christina?" A familiar voice called from my left.
I turned and saw Hudson in a perfectly fitted black suit. His tie was loosened just enough to show he’d had a long day.
"What a coincidence," I said, genuinely surprised. "I thought you had that pack business dinner."
"Finished early," he replied. He looked relaxed but alert. "Meeting someone else now. We can head home together afterward, if that works."
"Perfect timing," I smiled.
He looked at me briefly. "Which room are you headed to?"
"108." I glanced at my phone. "I’m running late. Catch you later."
I followed the waiter down a fancy corridor. My heels sank slightly into the thick carpet. Outside Room 108, I stopped to check my reflection in my phone screen. I fixed a loose piece of hair and straightened my back. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Then I stepped inside.
No Caroline.
No Miss Davis.
Just three men sitting around the table.
On the left sat Franklin, my father, with his arms folded and leaning back with that smug Alpha look I knew too well. Cousin Preston sat on the right, looking equally pleased with himself. The stranger in the center had a thick neck, pink face, and thinning blond hair slicked straight back. His eyes looked at me in a way that made Akira show her teeth inside my mind.
I didn’t move past the doorway.
"Where’s Miss Davis?" I asked.
Preston stood up and reached for my arm. "She’s on her way. Running late. Come, sit."
He tried to guide me inside.
I pulled my arm away. "Are you people pulling another trick?"
"No trick," Preston said. He grabbed my shoulder and pushed me down into the chair beside the fat stranger. "We’ve invited Mr. Maxwell for dinner. Sit with him."
He pressed down hard.
"Get your dirty hands off me," Akira growled. Her anger fed into mine.
I drove my elbow straight into Preston’s stomach. He bent over with a loud gasp.
I stood up right away. "You brought me here to meet another creep?" I snapped. "You said Miss Davis would be here."
I turned toward the door, ready to leave this stupid setup behind.
"You’re not going anywhere," Franklin growled. His Alpha voice turned into a command. He pulled a chair in front of me, blocking my way. "Sit down, Christina."
I didn’t move. The man called Maxwell shifted in his seat. His belt was digging into his gut, and he kept staring at my chest.
"Let me guess," I said coldly. "Another old Alpha who needs a young mate to make himself look better? What is this one offering The Crescent pack? Money? Territory?"
Franklin’s face got darker. "Watch your mouth."
Akira whispered in my mind. "How much is he selling us for now?"
If I wanted out, I’d have to go through all three men. I looked around the room quickly. No windows, only one exit.
This was definitely going to get ugly.
