Free Web NovelChapter 220: Chapter 220 Caroline’s Call
Christina’s POV
We stepped outside onto the sidewalk.
Fabrizio checked his watch. "I’m only in Highrise City until tomorrow. I’d love to hear from you before I leave."
"I’ll think about it," I nodded, actually considering his offer.
He held my gaze a moment longer, his eyes studying me with interest.
The screech of tires against the curb broke our eye contact. A black Maybach pulled up right next to me, the back door swinging open.
Hudson stepped out looking absolutely gorgeous in a black bomber jacket and faded jeans. Dark sunglasses with thin gold frames sat perfectly on his face, hiding what I knew would be possessive eyes. His hair was messier than usual, slightly damp at his temples like he’d been in a hurry.
One hand slid into his pocket while the other adjusted his sleeve. Behind those lenses, his eyes were locked on Fabrizio.
Without taking off his sunglasses, Hudson tilted his chin slightly.
"Aren’t you going to introduce us?" His voice carried that subtle Alpha tone that made weaker wolves want to submit.
"This is Fabrizio Marchetti, CEO of Valmont & Cie," I said, then turned to Fabrizio. "And this is my husband, Hudson Laurent."
Hudson’s expression didn’t change, but I felt his satisfaction. His cheek twitched slightly.
Fabrizio held out his hand first. "Alpha Hudson. I’ve seen your name in the headlines lately. Didn’t expect to meet you here." ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
Hudson shook his hand briefly. "Hi."
The single word was cold enough to freeze water.
"You’re not quite what I imagined. In a good way. It’s a pleasure to meet you," Fabrizio continued.
My husband gave a single nod, then looked between us.
"Was this about work?" His tone was flat, but I could feel his territorial energy bubbling.
"Yeah," I confirmed. "We were discussing Valmont & Cie’s fall-winter launch for next year."
Fabrizio picked up on the tension quickly. "We’ve finished up. I’ll leave you to it. My car’s here."
A silver SUV pulled up beside us. He made a phone gesture near his ear. "Don’t forget to call me."
As his car drove away, Hudson yanked off his sunglasses, revealing eyes that practically glowed with barely controlled jealousy. "Who exactly was that?"
"I told you. He runs Valmont & Cie."
"He looks fifty."
"He’s thirty-six."
"He looks fifty," Hudson repeated, his jaw clenching.
"Somebody’s jealous," Akira sang in my head.
I ignored both of them and turned to yell at Daniel, who was still hiding behind a food truck. "Go find dinner or something. I’ll pay for it."
Daniel gave a thumbs-up without turning around.
Hudson and I drove across town to get my replacement SIM card. As soon as I put it in, the phone buzzed with a notification.
Caroline Vance. My mother.
I didn’t need to ask what this was about. Franklin’s fraud case was moving faster than expected. Last I heard, the Vances had burned through every connection trying to delay it. Looks like they’d finally run out of favors to call in.
I answered, bracing myself.
Caroline’s voice hit me before I could even get the phone to my ear—high-pitched, breathless, fake tears practically dripping through the speaker. "You finally answered! Are you really going to send your own father to jail?"
"That’s not up to me. That’s up to the investigators and the judge," I said calmly.
"You—" She stopped herself, took a shaky breath, then switched tactics. "I’ll pay back the money. All of it. There’s no need to go this far. Just talk to Alpha Hudson for me. Please?"
"It’s too late for that. Let the court decide. If he didn’t break the law, he won’t get convicted."
Silence for a moment. Then she exploded. "Christina Vance!"
Her voice turned sharp and fast, like she’d been holding it in the whole time. "You ungrateful little bitch. We raised you, we paid for everything, and this is how you repay us? You want your father in prison? You have no conscience. If I’d known, I would’ve left you with some stranger when you were six!" freēwēbnovel.com
"The Alpha Council is investigating your father," Caroline continued, her voice getting desperate. "If it weren’t for Beatrice marrying Niall, if we didn’t have The Frostpelt Pack’s protection, our Crescent pack would be done! Do you understand that? And you’re making everything worse!"
I looked at Hudson, whose face had gotten dark at the mention of Niall.
"You think you can do whatever you want because you’re married to Hudson Laurent?" she hissed. "Just wait. I’ll destroy that pathetic little studio of yours if you don’t make him drop the charges!"
I held the phone steady, feeling weirdly calm. The more she screamed, the more obvious it became that she’d lost control—which meant I’d finally gotten it back. There wasn’t a shred of family left between us.
Hudson took the phone from me. "Mrs. Vance," he said. "Let me make something clear. I won’t let The Crescent pack face unfair consequences for Franklin’s actions. The pack itself isn’t responsible for his crimes."
He continued, "But if you or anyone from your pack threatens my mate or her business again, you’ll answer directly to me. Got it?"
I couldn’t hear her response, but Hudson handed the phone back to me looking satisfied.
Knowing my family, when they threaten me, they’ve usually already done something behind the scenes. Like when they said I’d be ruined if I didn’t get back with Niall, then immediately set me up on a blind date with some old guy.
I nervously FaceTimed Priya.
She answered right away, but the camera angle was all wrong. Her forehead took up most of the screen, way too close. Behind her, the studio floor looked completely destroyed—chairs knocked over, papers everywhere, one of the velvet necklace displays lying face down.
My stomach dropped. "What the hell happened?"
Priya sounded exhausted. "Your mother showed up with half the pack. They started yelling the second they walked in. I tried to stay calm, but then Preston cornered me. He was about to grab me when Ysolde and her boyfriend showed up."
"Slow down," I said, feeling Hudson tense next to me. "Tell me everything from the start."
She sniffed. "They came looking for you. Kept pushing me to tell them where you were. I said you weren’t in Highrise City, that you were out of town. Your phone was off, so they thought you were hiding on purpose."
"They didn’t believe you?"
"Of course not." Her voice cracked. "I told them you lost your phone. Caroline called you three times anyway. When you didn’t answer, she lost it. Preston and Serenna followed me around the whole place, demanding I tell them where you were."
"Then what happened?"
"Preston got aggressive. I told him to back off. He didn’t listen. Cornered me behind the front desk and kept yelling in my face. Ysolde and Cade walked in right then. She ran over to pull me away. Cade tried to get between us, but Preston wouldn’t quit."
"They fought?"
