Free Web NovelChapter 199: Chapter 199 Franklin’s Last Stand
Hudson’s POV
"I didn’t bribe anyone! It’s completely legal! You can check it at the notary’s office!" Franklin’s voice cracked with desperation.
I watched him coldly as he choked on his own lies, coughing hard. Sweat dripped down his forehead while his neck turned an alarming shade of red.
Franklin kept babbling the same defense, rearranging words like shuffling a losing hand.
I stopped listening, letting my Alpha aura flood the conference room. The pressure was enough to make any wolf submit, even another Alpha like Franklin Vance.
"That’s enough," I said flatly. "Clearly you didn’t hear a word I said last time."
Franklin blinked rapidly. "Wh-what do you mean?"
"I’ve had people watching every move you made. Your wife. Your nephew. Your niece. That disbarred lawyer you brought in. The accountant moving your money offshore." I tapped my phone, enjoying the terror spreading across his face. "Want to see the photos or hear the recordings first?"
Franklin froze. His whole body started shaking, mouth opening but no sound coming out.
My mood improved slightly. The hunt was almost over.
After letting him absorb his doom for a moment, I continued, " I know exactly what your pack and company are worth. I know all your personal assets. I know what Caroline is hiding and how much property you’ve stashed under your friends’ names. I know exactly what should be in that will."
Franklin’s legs gave out. He collapsed into the chair, hands slamming against the table as he tried to stay upright.
"You founded your company," I said, leaning forward. "But it stopped being yours the moment you started stealing from it. Did you think prison wasn’t an option?"
Franklin gritted his teeth until his jaw shook. "I didn’t touch anything—"
"Do you think I’m bluffing?" I asked, letting Lycaon’s growl slip into my voice. "Or just stupid?"
He finally broke. "I’m her father! You can’t do this! I’ll fix the will, okay? I’ll rewrite the whole damn thing!"
"Too late. I gave you a chance. You wasted it." I reached for my phone to make the call that would end his freedom.
Franklin lunged forward, hands up. "Please, Alpha Hudson. She’s my daughter... I’ll fix everything. Stocks. Trusts. The property in Switzerland. She can have it all. Just—just don’t do this."
"You did this to yourself," I replied, my voice ice-cold.
"Christina will hate you for this! You think she won’t find out what you did? You get me arrested, and she’ll never forgive you—"
"You’re wrong," I cut him off. "She stopped needing your approval a long time ago."
"You arrogant bastard," he snarled, desperation making him bold. "You think you’re protecting her? You’re just another man deciding what she gets and doesn’t get. You think she won’t see right through you?"
"She’ll see exactly what you are. That’s why I’m not worried."
Franklin’s chest heaved with panic. "Just let me go. I’ll fix everything, Alpha Hudson. I swear..."
His eyes darted toward the door like a trapped animal looking for escape.
Then he ran.
He barely made it two steps before I kicked a chair into his path with Alpha speed. The leg cracked against his shin with a satisfying thud.
He stumbled, crashed into the door with a grunt, and slid halfway down it, gasping.
Then came the knock I’d been expecting.
I opened the door calmly. Beta Dominic stood there, flanked by two Alpha Council investigators.
"He’s all yours," I said, stepping aside.
When they read Franklin his rights and cuffed him, he didn’t react. He seemed lost in a daze, unaware of what was happening around him.
As the investigators walked him to the door, his knees gave out. One had to grab his collar to keep him from hitting the floor.
I watched as they dragged him out, head hanging, mouth open, his body too weak to fight back.
The knot in my chest finally loosened. Franklin’s crimes—money laundering, fake documents, offshore transfers, tax evasion—had built a case worth over a hundred million. He’d be lucky to see freedom again in ten years.
"You were right, Lycaon," I thought. "He’s no real Alpha. A true Alpha protects his pack, his mate, his children. He threw away his only daughter for years." ƒгeewebnovёl.com
"We would never do that to our pups," Lycaon responded with fierce certainty.
***
I left the officer early that afternoon. Unusual for me, but after the morning’s drama, I didn’t see the point in sticking around.
Walking into our house, I loosened my cuffs and went straight to the kitchen. The place was quiet, no sign of Geoffrey or Carmen anywhere.
I opened the fridge, stared at what was inside, and closed it again. My mind wandered to Christina’s attempt at cooking dinner last night and the burn she’d tried to hide.
If I cooked tonight, she’d know I’d figured it out. She’d get self-conscious, and we’d end up in another awkward conversation. Too many ways for it to go wrong.
So I mind-linked Geoffrey. "Dinner for two tonight. Something nice."
Dinner was almost ready when Christina walked through the door, her hair wet from the snow, cheeks red from the cold.
"I have something to show you," I said, holding out a folder.
She took it and sat down, flipping through the pages. Her eyebrows drew together as she read.
"This is... Franklin’s will? He left me... everything?"
"It’s fake. The stamps are bogus. The assets listed are a joke," I explained.
"Huh." Her reaction was surprisingly calm.
I watched her face, trying to read her response.
"He hid most of what he owns. Offshore accounts. Fake names. Shell companies." I paused before adding, "He was arrested today."
Christina didn’t react right away. She just closed the folder and set it aside.
I waited for anger, accusations, or at least a cold stare. Franklin was her father, after all, despite everything.
But all she said was, "If he did what you said he did, then he belongs in jail."
My shoulders relaxed a little. "With the evidence I gave them, the case is solid. The will is worthless, but you’re his only biological daughter. Their assets will go to you naturally."
"They know about Beatrice?" she asked, looking up.
I nodded. "Caroline, Serenna, Preston—they’ll try to move whatever they can once word of the arrest gets out. Don’t worry, I’m keeping an eye on all of them."
She gave me a small smile. "You don’t have to do all this for me. You know I don’t care about their money."
"I know," I said quietly. "But it’s yours by right. And they owe you after everything they did."
She leaned across the table and kissed me. "Thank you." frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
"You don’t need to thank me."
"Right, I forgot," she said with a little smile.
I hesitated, then asked, "Was there something you wanted to talk about last night?"
She sat down with a sigh and picked up her fork. "What? Oh. Nothing important."
I frowned slightly, not buying it. But I decided not to push. Whatever it was, she’d tell me when she was ready.
"Franklin failed as an Alpha in every way possible," I said instead. "An Alpha’s first job is to protect his pack, especially his family. He did the opposite."
Christina looked up at me. "Not all Alphas are like you, Hudson."
Lycaon practically glowed with pride at her words. I reached across the table and took her hand, my thumb brushing over the bandage.
"No," I agreed quietly. "They’re not."
