Free Web NovelChapter 137: Chapter 137 Family Deception
Christina’s POV
Maxwell kept darting his eyes at my father like he was sending desperate SOS signals.
Franklin finally broke his paralysis, standing stiff as a wooden plank. "Yes... this was merely business discussion. Standard procedure. Nothing inappropriate. Elder Maxwell was inquiring about our compliance frameworks. Said he was quite impressed. Wanted to examine our methods..."
Preston jumped in, voice high and tight. "Christina clearly misunderstood. She’s not involved with the company operations. Industry terminology can be confusing for outsiders."
Hudson turned his cold gaze toward me.
I held up my phone with a confident smirk. "I recorded everything. Every single word. Don’t understand industry terms? Fine, let’s have someone who does listen to it. Perhaps someone from Ethics & Compliance at LGH?"
Maxwell’s face contorted with panic. "Recordings can be manipulated. Everyone knows that."
I stared him down. "Let’s play it right now. We’ll see how ’manipulated’ it sounds."
"Wait!" Maxwell attempted to stand but collapsed back with a pained grunt. "Alpha Hudson, Alpha, I’ve served your company loyally for more than a decade. I’ve also devoted my heart and soul to The Sabreridge Pack. You must believe me! Luna Christina isn’t familiar with business negotiations. There must be some misunderstanding. I apologize if my behavior offended her, but I never solicited bribes. She’s twisting my words—"
Unbelievable. Just moments ago I was mentally unstable for saying I married Hudson, and now suddenly I’m being respectfully addressed as Luna. How shameless.
"You’re truly unbelievable." I positioned my thumb over the play button. "Let’s hear your own words, shall we?"
Hudson stepped around Maxwell’s crumpled form and moved to my side. "That won’t be necessary. I trust my mate’s word."
"Alpha Hudson, please!"
Hudson cut him off with a look that could freeze fire. "You’re finished. She doesn’t need to play anything. If you believe I’m simply taking her word without evidence, we’ll send the file directly to Digital Forensics."
Perfect timing, I thought as Beta Dominic entered the private dining room.
"Call the authorities, Dom," Hudson commanded. "Elder Maxwell is terminated from Laurent Global Holdings, effective immediately. LGH will be pressing criminal charges for bribery, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty—the full roster. Christina has the evidence. Make sure it reaches the proper channels."Beta Dominic nodded sharply.
He stepped out briefly and returned with two security personnel who hauled Maxwell to his feet despite his howls of pain as his broken wrist was jostled.
"Now, just the family remains." I turned toward Franklin and Preston, Akira growling low in my mind. "So. You deliberately set me up. Is Miss Davis actually in Highrise City, or was that another fabrication?"
I’d been suspicious from the start.
The voice message had seemed too convenient, too perfectly timed. Yet it had undeniably been her voice, enough to make me question my own judgment.
Perhaps Caroline had actually encountered her. Maybe they were all conspiring together.
Though it seemed unlikely Miss Davis would willingly participate in Caroline and Franklin’s schemes.
"Where’s Caroline?" I demanded coldly.
I’d long abandoned calling her Mom; she’d surrendered that privilege years ago.
Franklin seemed to finally register the gravity of the situation. The shock hadn’t left his expression as he kept stealing glances at Hudson like he was seeing a ghost.
"She’s, um..."
"Don’t claim she’s on her way." I rapped my knuckles on the table. "That lie is wearing thin. And Miss Davis—call her right now. Let’s clarify what’s happening."
"She’s, um..." Franklin licked his dry lips nervously. "Miss Davis attended a conference here. She was scheduled to depart in two days. But apparently something urgent came up. She had to leave unexpectedly—"
"Bullshit." I cut him off. "She sent that invitation at six-thirty. I arrived at eight. That’s barely ninety minutes. You expect me to believe she vanished from the city in that timeframe without a word? Try again. And don’t pretend you don’t have her contact information."
His face flushed dark crimson.
He’s cornered now, Akira purred with satisfaction in my mind.
Preston glanced at Hudson, whose ominous silence apparently emboldened him. "She said she needed to leave. What were we supposed to do? Chain her to the table?"
"So the voice message was fabricated." I reached for my phone again. "I’m contacting the authorities."
"Wait—don’t!" He would have lunged for my phone if the table hadn’t separated us. "So what if it wasn’t real? What’s the harm? Why do you always need to involve law enforcement?"
I glared at him. "Why are you so terrified of police involvement if you’ve done nothing wrong?"
His eyes darted away guiltily.
Hudson looked up from his phone. "Law enforcement is already en route."
I turned to him, surprised. "You called them?"
"Dom handled it. For Maxwell’s arrest. But they can certainly investigate this situation as well." He reached for my hand, his touch warm and reassuring. "Let’s go."
"No—wait!" Preston leaped to block the exit. "We were just having some fun, alright? It was merely a prank."
I crossed my arms, Akira snapping her teeth in my mind. "What kind of prank?"
He hesitated, blinked rapidly, then deflated. "The voice message. It was AI-generated. Caroline found a video of Miss Davis online and processed it through some application. Synthesized her voice to create a personalized message."
I stared at my supposed father, wanting to ask about his role. Was this his idea? Or did he simply follow Caroline’s lead as usual?
But I remained silent.
What’s the point? Akira whispered. They’ve never been worthy of being called family.
There was no purpose in asking.
Hudson squeezed my shoulder gently.
"I’m fine," I murmured, though my chest felt tight. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
He turned his attention toward the doorway as footsteps approached.
"Alpha Hudson, the authorities have arrived," Dominic announced. "Elder Maxwell has been taken into custody."
I’d long since stopped being amazed by how efficiently Hudson’s team operated.
"Good. Ask them to enter. Franklin and Preston Vance are involved in conspiracy, harassment, cyberstalking, and false pretenses. Ensure Caroline Vance’s name is added to the report."
Preston shouted desperately, "We didn’t commit any crime! It was just a harmless joke!"
His protests meant nothing as Dominic returned with two uniformed officers.
Franklin and Preston were escorted out like common criminals, their protests fading down the hallway.
When the door closed, silence descended heavily.
My shoulders finally relaxed.
I took a full, deep breath.
I smiled at Hudson, grateful. "Lucky you were already at The Corner Table."
He didn’t return my smile.
His expression had hardened into something sharper, more severe than when he’d first stormed in.
"What’s wrong?" I asked, feeling Akira tense within me.
His tone was dangerously flat. "What if I hadn’t been here?"
"Oh shit," Akira whispered in my mind. "He’s angry."
