Free Web NovelChapter 192: Chapter 192 Tracking Down the Mastermind
Christina’s POV
While the host went on about the procedural changes, I turned to Hudson with a questioning look.
"Did Octavia fill you in?" I asked quietly.
He nodded, his expression calm but his eyes sharp. "Tristan works for a friend of mine. I had him investigate. DuBois got a payment. Six hundred thousand, wired two days ago to an offshore account. She set up everything—the sabotage, the switch—all of it."
I frowned, feeling Akira bristle inside me.
"I’ve never met her before today. Not once."
"She’s just hired muscle," Hudson said, keeping his voice low. "Tristan only had time to confirm the payment details, not track down who sent it. The money was well hidden. Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing."
Interesting, Akira growled. Someone’s specifically targeting us.
I wonder who would bother, I thought back. And why?
No time to dig deeper now. The host’s voice echoed through the speakers, "The final scores are in! First place goes to... Miss Christina Vance!"
A staff member waved for me to come back to the stage. The crowd exploded in applause as I took the trophy, smiling for the cameras despite the uneasy feeling in my gut.
After the ceremony ended, we hit another snag.
"Miss Vance, a question about the copyright of your designs," said an employee walking up with a fake apologetic smile.
"Yes?"
"According to the contract, designs submitted during the competition belong to the organizing committee, including both sets of work."
"Wrong." I shook my head firmly. "I only submitted one set. The second was entered after your colleague messed with my first submission. That one’s yours. The original is mine."
"We really appreciate your cooperation—"
"Not happening." My voice got colder.
She tried again, quoting random contract clauses.
I didn’t budge. Akira snarled in my head, Let them try to take what’s ours.
After five more minutes of going nowhere, she gave up and left.
I pulled out my phone and texted Priya.
[Go high-end with the necklace. Quality gems, higher price point, position as affordable luxury. Rings, bracelets, earrings—use cheaper materials. Keep designs clean, prices accessible, wide appeal. Views just hit 200K. Let’s ride this wave.]
She texted back immediately, "On it!"
"Christina!"
I turned to see Octavia pushing through a gap in the curtains.
"Congratulations! You got what you deserved."
"Only because you wouldn’t let them bury me."
Octavia shrugged. "If your work was garbage, my words wouldn’t have mattered. People aren’t stupid."
I laughed. "True."
"Let’s find Hudson. He’s the one who got Tristan to come forward and expose DuBois."
"I know. But he wasn’t the only one," I said. "Who was that woman sitting next to you? She gave me a ten when all the other judges were following DuBois’s lead."
"Rowan Hale. Singer. She works mostly overseas. But I think now she’s—oh." Octavia suddenly stopped.
I followed her gaze.
Rowan Hale was standing in front of Hudson, talking excitedly.
"I didn’t know they knew each other," Octavia whispered.
"Neither did I."
Seeing the confusion on my face, Hudson explained, "Rowan and I know each other."
"We went to Wessexia High together," Rowan added with a smile that showed perfect teeth. "I was a year behind him. Haven’t seen him since he moved back to Highrise City, so this is quite the surprise."
She was completely polite the whole time.
But she stood a little too close.
Her hand almost touched his sleeve when she gestured.
Something felt wrong.
I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what, but it made me uneasy. Akira growled quietly in my mind, on alert.
I forced a smile. "Thank you for what you said earlier."
"Of course. Your work was incredible."
Hudson stepped closer to me, taking my hand. "Everything’s taken care of now."
I nodded.
"Let’s go." freewebnovёl.ƈom
He nodded politely to Rowan, then started walking.
Octavia’s heels clicked behind us. "You two are giving me a ride back to the hotel. My car died, and my assistant and driver went to get it fixed."
"Fine," Hudson said, not slowing down.
I could feel Rowan watching us all the way out.
She was looking at him like he was a meal, Akira grumbled. I don’t like her.
Neither do I, I admitted silently.
After dinner, Hudson dropped Octavia off at her hotel, then we went back to the riverside house.
I curled up on the living room couch, scrolling through my phone.
My follower count was going crazy, growing even faster than when Octavia had tagged me last month.
Comments were pouring in, mostly asking about the new collection, when things would be in stock, and pre-order info.
I answered as many as I could.
Five minutes turned into thirty, then into an hour.
Hudson walked in, looked at me for two seconds, then picked me up.
"Screen time’s over," he muttered, carrying me upstairs.
I felt Akira playfully give in to the bigger wolf’s authority.
We didn’t stay at the riverside house much longer.
A few days later, we packed up and headed back to Highrise City.
The night before we left, Tristan Tristan showed up at the house.
He pulled out a glossy photo.
"I found who paid Dr. DuBois," he said. "They only talked online, never met face to face. But police traced the wire transfer. The account belongs to this guy."
I leaned in to get a better look.
The man in the photo had gray hair and hunched shoulders.
His jacket was wrinkled and way too big.
Sixty years old, maybe older.
Hudson glanced at me. "You know him."
I shook my head. "I’ve never seen him before."
He stared at the picture for a long time, his fingers pressed hard against the table edge.
"Weird," he finally said, "why spend so much to go after you? Six hundred thousand isn’t chump change."
"And he doesn’t look like someone who’s ever had that kind of money," I agreed. "Someone might have used his account. He could just be a front."
"This is going to take time." Tristan scratched his head. "International investigations are a nightmare. I might not get clear answers anytime soon."
"Then make this your top priority," Hudson said, his Alpha authority bleeding into his voice. "If you can handle this, I guarantee Ahmed will give you that promotion you’ve been whining about."
Tristan straightened up like he’d been shocked. "Yes, yes, absolutely!"
We flew back to Highrise City Airport the next morning.
We talked about the case on the plane.
"I’m betting it was some spoiled brat from my competition group," I said, stretching in my seat.
But Hudson didn’t look convinced.
"We can’t do much until we know more," he said, looking thoughtful.
As soon as we got off the plane, a freezing wind cut right through my clothes.
Akira shivered inside me. I forgot how brutal it gets here.
Welcome home, I thought dryly. Highrise City never fails to disappoint with its weather.
