Free Web NovelChapter 221: Chapter 221 Return To Highrise City
Christina’s POV
"Yeah. Cade tried to keep things calm, but Preston threw the first punch. They were wrestling near the shelves when your mother grabbed a ceramic pot from the reception desk and threw it at Cade."
"Did it hit him?" My heart raced as Akira growled in my head.
"Right in the chest. He collapsed, holding his ribs. Your mom and Preston just froze, like they couldn’t believe what they’d done."
"What about Serenna?"
"She panicked when she saw it was Cade. Started screaming about him being a major influencer with thousands of followers. She dragged your mom out before anyone could record anything."
Priya took a shaky breath.
"They’re gone now?" I asked, feeling Hudson tense beside me.
"Yeah. They left while Ysolde and I were checking on Cade." Her voice sounded completely drained.
I pressed my thumb hard against my palm, trying to stay calm.
Of course they’d wreck everything before I could even get there.
"How’s Cade? Is he at the hospital?"
"Ysolde took him a few minutes ago. He could walk, so probably nothing serious. I called the police. I’m waiting for them now."
"Don’t touch anything they broke. Let the police see exactly what happened." I exhaled slowly. "They won’t come back right away. Just stay there and wait for the officers."
"Okay."
I hung up and turned to Hudson. "I need to go back. This networking event will have to continue without me."
He’d heard every word. His jaw was clenched so tight I could see the muscle twitching. Before I even put my phone down, he was already texting.
"The driver’s waiting outside," he said, "If we leave now, we’ll reach the airport in forty minutes. There’s a flight in an hour."
"Perfect."
I quickly texted Daniel to handle things with the event organizers.
Hudson and I skipped the hotel completely, heading straight through the lobby to the waiting car. His driver kept the pedal down the entire way.
Two hours later, we pulled up in front of my studio. Light spilled through the glass door, showing Priya bent over with a dustpan, sweeping debris into a metal tray.
Dark ceramic pieces littered the floor around her feet, soil scattered across the tiles.
I didn’t even wait for the car to fully stop. I pushed the door open and jumped out.
"Priya!" I rushed inside and grabbed her arm, checking for injuries.
No cuts. No bruises. Her ponytail was messy, but she wasn’t limping.
"What did the police say?"
"They took photos and said I could clean up. They sent officers, but nobody was home. All their phones are off."
She’d already swept the largest pieces into a plastic bag, but signs of chaos remained—mud streaked across the floor, torn papers near the back door, a dent in the filing cabinet.
I pulled out my phone and called Caroline.
Straight to voicemail.
"Fucking typical," I muttered, hanging up.
They realized they’d attacked someone with a public following and now they’re hiding like cowards.
"Stop cleaning," I told Priya. "We’re closing for a few days. Go home and rest."
She nodded without argument.
I turned to Hudson, whose eyes had darkened dangerously. "Let’s go to the hospital."
In the car, Hudson finally spoke. "I should have their entire pack sanctioned for this." His voice was ice cold. "If she wasn’t your mother and they weren’t your pack members, I’d have already handled them. No one challenges my authority like this."
Lycaon was clearly pushing for dominance. I could feel the Alpha energy rolling off him.
I placed my hand on his arm. "I know. But let me handle this my way first."
"They hurt someone under your protection, which means they disrespected you. As my mate, that’s a direct challenge to me." His eyes flashed with Alpha authority.
Great. Possessive Alpha mode activated.
"Hudson," I said softly, meeting his gaze. "I’m not asking you to back down completely. Just give me a chance to confront them myself first."
At the hospital, we found Cade propped up in bed with two white pillows. His leg was in a soft brace, but his expression was surprisingly smug.
Ysolde sat beside him, peeling an orange.
"I’ve been breakable my whole life," Cade announced when he saw us. "Fell over a sidewalk crack when I was four, snapped my arm clean through. This is just a tiny fracture. Doc says three weeks and I’ll be good as new." He grinned. "My mom’s psychic once said I wouldn’t make it to twenty. I’m twenty-one now, so these little accidents must scare the bad luck away."
Ysolde looked murderous, her eyelashes damp with tears.
Cade gave her a pitiful look. "Ysolde, it really hurts. Can you rub it for me?"
"Doctor said don’t touch it. Deal with it," she replied, but her tone was gentle. She fed him an orange segment and tapped his nose lightly.
Two knocks sounded at the door.
Ysolde turned, her expression softening when she saw me. She stood up. "That was quick."
I moved closer to the bed. "How is he?"
"Just a hairline fracture where the pot hit his collarbone. He’s young—he’ll heal fast."
I exhaled slowly. "Thank you both for stepping in. If you hadn’t shown up, they might have destroyed everything. I’m sorry you got dragged into this mess."
Cade waved dismissively from the bed. "Come on, it was nothing! Like I’d let them gang up on Priya in broad daylight. I could’ve handled all three of them myself."
"Shut up, Cade." Ysolde rolled her eyes. "Christina, any word from the police? Did they find them?"
"No. All three vanished. Their phones are off."
I tried calling Caroline again.
Straight to voicemail.
I tried the others too. Same result. ƒrēewebnovel.com
Then, minutes later, my phone lit up with her number.
I answered immediately. "Finally decided to turn your phone on? Thought you could assault someone and just disappear?"
Her voice had changed—quieter, meeker. "Christina... did you really call the police? We didn’t mean for things to go that far. We’ll pay the hospital bills, okay? Just drop the charges. Preston got hurt too. He’s bruised all over. It was mutual not entirely our fault."
Hudson’s eyes narrowed as he listened. I put the phone on speaker.
"You broke into my studio, destroyed property, threatened my staff, sent someone to the emergency room, then fled the scene. That’s criminal behavior. If any of you had a brain cell to share between you, you’d turn yourselves in before this gets worse." frёewebnoѵēl.com
"You wouldn’t even answer my calls! Preston just lost his temper—"
"Fine," I cut her off. "All three of you show up at the hospital. Apologize to Cade in person. Take care of his medical bills properly. Do that, and maybe I’ll consider handling this privately."
"You’re serious?"
"Dead serious."
