Free Web NovelChapter 232: Chapter 232 Hidden Motives
Christina’s POV
"I’m not—!" Daniel struggled to stand. "The Wessexia apartment, yes, my mom and I lived there, but it’s not in my name. The deed is in Clive’s name. He never gave us any extra money. No allowance, nothing. The house just looked fancy on the outside. When my mom got sick, we couldn’t even afford medication. And those cars? I was allowed to drive them, but they weren’t mine. Not a single one."
He looked at me pleadingly.
I turned away.
"I’m renting a place now. Well, technically I’m crashing at a friend’s. He knew I had nowhere to go and gave me his keys. That’s it. As for this ’monthly two hundred thousand’? Complete bullshit. You have no proof. You’re accusing me of things that never happened."
He turned to Hudson, lifting his chin. "You found some wire transfers to Wesexia. That’s it. No receipts in my name, no direct transfer records. It’s just your speculation. You found nothing."
Hudson shrugged. "You’re right, I don’t have proof. But I know you’re up to something."
Daniel’s face flushed red.
He looked at me.
"Christina, please! You know me. You see me here every day, and I’ve never crossed any lines. I wouldn’t. I have no reason to—"
"I believe him," I said. freewebnøvel.com
Daniel’s face lit up with hope, but I quickly crushed it.
I squeezing Hudson’s hand. "He’s my husband."
"Daniel, whatever you planned to do doesn’t matter anymore. What you’ve already done doesn’t matter either. I don’t want to hear the rest. You lied. Repeatedly. That’s enough. You can’t stay. You’re not my friend. We’re done."
I turned away without waiting for his response.
"Priya!" I called out. "Process his termination paperwork. Right now!"
"Just like that?" Daniel stood frozen. "I tried explaining everything, but you never believed me from the start. You called me your friend, but you never meant it!"
He stepped forward, only about two feet away, but it felt too close.
Hudson pushed him back. "Whatever you want, stay away from her. Don’t come near either of us again."
Then he turned, still holding me. "Let’s go home."
I nodded.
Behind us, Daniel yelled, "Christina, you’re kicking me out just because I told a few lies? I didn’t even do anything wrong!"
I didn’t look back.
"What a mess," Akira growled inside my mind.
Once we were safely in Hudson’s car, I leaned my head against the cool window and closed my eyes. Why was Daniel really at my studio? How had I been so blind?
Gino drove slowly through the snow.
I felt Hudson’s eyes on me.
"You okay?" he asked.
"No," I admitted. "I feel like an idiot. I actually thought he was decent."
"Don’t blame yourself. He was convincing."
I sighed, then suddenly remembered something. "Oh! I need to go to Ysolde’s tonight. She needs my help with something, and it can’t wait."
Hudson’s eyebrow shot up, his expression instantly suspicious. "Really? What’s so urgent?"
"She just... needs help with some designs," I fumbled.
Hudson stared at me for a long moment. "Call her. On speakerphone."
"What? Why? Don’t you trust me?"
"I trust you. I don’t trust your excuse."
"He caught you," Akira laughed. "Terrible liar as always."
I rolled my eyes but pulled out my phone and called Ysolde on speakerphone.
"Hey, Chrissy!" Ysolde’s cheerful voice filled the car. "What’s up?"
"Hey, remember that thing you needed help with tonight? The urgent design thing?"
There was a pause. "Uh... what design thing?"
I coughed loudly. "You know, the THING. The really IMPORTANT design thing you texted me about?"
"Oh! Right!" Ysolde caught on, but her acting was terrible. "The, um, design... for the... charity event? With the... diamonds?"
Hudson reached over and ended the call.
"That was the worst performance I’ve ever heard," he said flatly. "Now, want to tell me where you were really planning to go tonight?"
I crossed my arms. "Fine. I was going to help Ysolde prep for a date."
"Chrissy, you know your eyes dart around when you’re lying, right?"
"They do not!"
Hudson shook his head, smirking. "You’d better be honest with me."
I mumbled, "I think we’ve been a bit... overindulgent lately. I wanted to take a few days off..."
Hudson’s expression darkened, and I was genuinely worried he might get angry.
Finally, he leaned close to my ear, his warm breath on my skin. "We’ll discuss this at home."
I glanced at Gino driving and blushed harder.
When we arrived home, Geoffrey greeted us at the door.
"Good evening, Alpha Hudson, Luna Christina. Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes."
"Thank you, Geoffrey, but we’ll be eating later," Hudson said, his hand firm on my lower back as he guided me toward the stairs. "Please keep it warm."
"Of course, Alpha."
Heat rose to my cheeks as Hudson led me upstairs. The intensity in his eyes told me exactly what was coming.
As soon as our bedroom door closed, Hudson turned to me.
"Lies have consequences, Christina," he said, his voice low as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt. "Even small ones."
My heart raced as he approached me, backing me toward the bed.
"I wasn’t really lying," I argued weakly. "Just... leaving out some details."
"Mmm." He reached for me, fingers sliding under my top. "Still deserves punishment."
He turned off the lights, stripped us both, and guided me to the bed. His fingers and tongue teased me relentlessly, bringing me to the edge again and again, only to pull back just before I could finish.
"Hudson," I gasped, desperate. "Please!"
Just as I was about to reach my peak, the bastard rolled off me.
"You look tired," he said with mock concern. "I should let you rest."
Then he closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.
Two seconds later, I straddled him, begging.
"Please, Hudson. I’m sorry I lied."
But his face stayed blank. "No," he replied, looking like a smug monk.
In my frustration, I blurted out something I immediately regretted – a reference to my vibrator collection.
That ignited his fury. He flipped me over until I was screaming into the mattress, cursing him every way I knew how.
Which only made him work harder.
And longer.
I must have fallen asleep around 4 AM, completely exhausted and thoroughly satisfied despite my "punishment."
I hadn’t planned on going to work today, but with Daniel gone, I knew Priya couldn’t handle everything alone. As soon as Hudson left for his morning meeting, I called a car and headed to the studio.
