Free Web NovelChapter 194: Chapter 194 The Watch In The Photo
Christina’s POV
I couldn’t stop grinning. The smile was so wide it almost hurt my face.
"I’m going to tell him I want us to be official. Not because of some contract or family pressure, just because of my... feelings."
Ysolde shot up so fast she nearly knocked over her coffee. "You finally did it!" Her eyes lit up with excitement. "Perfect. Tell him how you feel, serve the cake, drag him to bed—done. Best night ever." freewēbnoveℓ.com
"Keep it down!" I hissed, grabbing her arm. "There’s literally a kid two feet away."
She giggled and collapsed back onto her stool. "Sorry, I’m just excited for you. Leave the cake to me."
"Something simple," I said, then paused. "Oh, by the way. That boyfriend of yours, Cade Lawson? I saw his picture on some promotional stuff. He’s auditioning for a reality show."
"Yeah." Ysolde nodded. "He made it through the first round. Not sure when filming starts though. Probably after the holidays."
"Are you sure about this? He already has fan groups. I’ve seen them going at each other online like it’s a war zone. And don’t those shows ban contestants from dating?"
I’d seen clips of Cade a few days ago. If he had talent to match that face, producers would make him a star overnight. If fans or show people found out he had a girlfriend, they’d destroy him.
Ysolde patted my arm. "Relax. I’m not in too deep. Just having fun. If he gets picked for the show, we’ll probably be over by then anyway."
She said one thing, but her voice got soft every time she said his name. She couldn’t stop smiling.
I crossed my arms. "Is he using your connections? Doesn’t your pack own a media company?"
"No, he hasn’t asked for anything. He only told me after he passed the audition. Christina, I swear, if he tries to con me out of money or favors, I’ll break his legs myself. He sings at Club Roxy. He got in because he’s talented."
"Fine. Just don’t let him play you."
"He won’t. He’s a good guy. Once you and Alpha Hudson make things official, I’ll bring Cade and we can double date."
I nodded. "As long as you know what you’re doing. I need to get back."
"Got it. I’ll text when the cake’s ready."
I left Sugar & Whim and walked back across the street to the studio. Everything inside was chaos.
Priya was hunched over her desk, muttering about bezels on a prototype. Daniel sat cross-legged on the floor, swearing at his laptop about development servers.
The final version of my competition piece had just finished production. If sales kept up like this, we’d be sold out within a week. freeweɓnovel.cøm
But the website was a disaster. Every time traffic spiked, it moved like it was built in 2004. Daniel needed to tear the whole thing down and build something that wouldn’t crash if someone looked at it wrong.
The competition had brought way more attention than we’d expected. My follower count had tripled in four days.
Several celebrities who’d been ignoring me last month suddenly showed up with polite emails and fake apologies. One of them had already signed this morning.
I wasn’t even pretending I didn’t love the turnaround.
By three o’clock, we were all dead.
I ordered a bunch of pastries and iced drinks from Ysolde’s shop and told Priya and Daniel to stop working for ten minutes or I’d start unplugging stuff.
We sat in the narrow loft upstairs.
Daniel scraped the frosting off a lemon cupcake and ate it.
With his mouth still full, he suddenly yelled.
"Holy shit! Rowan Hale is in Highrise City!"
Priya looked up from her drink. "Who?"
"You don’t know Rowan Hale?" Daniel stared at her like she’d just asked what color the sky was.
"She’s a singer. She’s been overseas so long she’s basically unknown here. But I had her albums on repeat in college. I even went to Amsterdam to see her perform. Her voice is incredible. If she starts releasing music here, the whole scene is screwed. No one’s ready."
"I met her in Riverbend," I said. "She was one of the judges."
"That’s what I’m saying!" Daniel pointed his fork at me. "She didn’t announce it at all. If I’d known she was there, I would’ve found a way in. I swear, I would’ve begged for her autograph. Now she’s in Highrise, I might actually get to see her. Though I’d probably make an idiot of myself if I did."
"How do you know she’s here?"
He shoved his phone in my face. "Look, someone posted this photo last night. It’s blurry as hell and she’s basically a shadow, but I’d know her anywhere."
I leaned closer to Daniel’s phone.
The photo was grainy with harsh lighting and glare, but Rowan Hale’s silhouette was unmistakable—sharp jawline, platinum hair pulled back, sunglasses.
Her posture gave her away more than her face.
She was pressed close to the man next to her, practically hanging on his arm.
Only half his body showed in the frame.
The rest disappeared into shadow.
I couldn’t see his face, but I could see his movement—the way he walked, one arm positioned in front of his chest.
And I could see the watch on his left wrist.
You shouldn’t be able to make out details in a photo this bad, but I knew that watch instantly.
I designed it.
One of a kind.
I stared at the photo.
My chest got tight, and Akira snarled in my head. "Hudson with another woman?!"
I stayed quiet.
I studied the arm, the shape of his hand, the angle of his fingers.
It was Hudson.
Daniel groaned. "Someone saw them going into a hotel. My heart is shattered. Can’t believe she’s back and already seeing someone. Though she’s almost thirty, so I get it."
I didn’t look up. "A hotel?"
"Not confirmed. But the building in the background looks like one. Zoom in. That’s a hotel lobby, right?"
I didn’t answer.
I leaned back in my chair.
My back hit the edge hard, but I didn’t move.
Hudson hadn’t gotten home until after midnight.
