Free Web NovelChapter 233: Chapter 233 Eavesdropping
Christina’s POV freёwebnovel.com
I dragged myself up the studio stairs around eleven, one hand massaging my lower back. My legs felt like lead, and certain parts of my body ached in ways I wouldn’t specify publicly.
Priya popped up from behind the counter, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Daniel came back early."
I froze. "What?"
Daniel? The guy I fired yesterday?
"He got here before me," Priya explained, looking conflicted. "Said the website needed backend patches only he could do." She fidgeted nervously. "Then he pulled out his contract and told me termination without cause wasn’t valid."
My face fell. After everything, this guy had the audacity to show up and act like nothing happened?
Rapid footsteps echoed up the stairwell, and Daniel appeared with an amnesia-level cheerful smile.
"Morning!" he chirped.
I didn’t return the smile. "What exactly do you think you’re doing?"
He walked straight up to me. "I’m not resigning. You’re short-staffed. Finding a replacement would take forever. Why not keep someone who already knows everything?"
I crossed my arms. "That’s not your problem."
He gave me puppy-dog eyes, mouth downturned and eyes wide like I’d just kicked him.
"Come on, Christina. We were friends. Do you really want to pretend none of that happened?"
"I thought we were friends," I sighed. "Until you lied. I don’t want to see you anymore."
"I didn’t lie," he insisted. "You never asked about my family, and no one brought it up. I explained everything last night. I didn’t do anything to hurt you."
"You’re Niall Granger’s brother. That’s enough. Just looking at your face gives me the creeps."
"I’m not on his side. I’d love to see him broke and homeless. The enemy of my enemy should make me your favorite person, shouldn’t it?"
I stared at him.
"I could destroy his entire empire, ruin his reputation," he continued. "Wouldn’t that make you happy?"
I held up my hand. "Stop. He’s nothing to me. If you want to bring him down, find your own opportunity. I don’t care."
"Fine. Truth is, I start at The Frostpelt Pack’s company next week. You don’t need to fire me; I’ll leave on my own. Just let me help until then. The studio’s a mess, I’ve got nothing else to do, and you don’t even have to pay me."
I wanted to scream or throw something.
Logic and emotion battled fiercely within me. Logically, he hadn’t done anything wrong, and being Niall Granger’s brother wasn’t his fault.
Emotionally, screw logic—I just hated his face!
But then I glanced at Priya and noticed the heavy dark circles under her eyes.
I rubbed my temples. "Fine, you can stay. It’s only a few days anyway. But I won’t be coming in until you start at Frostpelt Pack’s company."
If I couldn’t kick him out, I’d disappear instead. No urgent sketches were due anyway, and I didn’t need to see his face.
As I turned to leave, Daniel called after me, "So it’s either me or you? Really?"
I didn’t stop walking. "My husband gets jealous."
I closed the door behind me.
I had no idea where to go. I’d thought about stopping by Ysolde’s cake shop; she’d opened a new location downtown.
Before I could decide, Hudson called. "Why aren’t you in bed resting?"
"I went to the studio," I said. "Daniel refused to leave, so I did. Let me guess, you asked Geoffrey where I was? Are you monitoring me?"
"No need. I figured it out." Hudson quickly changed the subject. "Why is that guy still there?"
"He’s leaving in a few days. Don’t worry, I’m not keeping him around."
"Are you free right now?"
"Yeah."
"Good. Come to the hospital. You’ll want front-row seats."
When I walked into the hospital room, Hudson and Dominic were already there.
"What are we doing here?" I whispered, scanning the room.
Hudson rose from the narrow sofa by the window, pulled me beside him, and placed his palm on my lower back.
"Still sore?" His hand moved lower, thumb gently grazing the base of my spine.
I pushed his wrist away, shifting on the cushion. My face burned.
Dominic kept his eyes fixed on his phone, thumbs tapping the screen as if he hadn’t heard anything.
I exhaled slowly.
I glared at Hudson.
He grinned.
I narrowed my eyes harder, giving him a look that said: don’t act like a horny teenager; we’re not alone.
"Alright, alright," he said, half-laughing.
He turned to Dominic. "Ready?"
"Yes."
Dominic handed me a pair of earphones.
I took them without question and plugged them in. A familiar voice made me nearly jump back. "What’s wrong with you?"
I shot Hudson a look. "Did you plant a bug somewhere?"
"Next room." He nodded. "Sort of. Signal’s not great but workable."
I didn’t understand, considering his Alpha hearing could pick up sounds even through several floors.
He saw my confusion and explained, "For recording as evidence."
I nodded, leaning closer to him, trying to catch every word.
Rowan’s voice came through clearer now, sharp and slightly nasal. "Why are you in the hospital?"
Through the muffled audio, I could hear movement—fabric rustling, dull creaking sounds, and someone breathing through their nose.
Gwendolyn’s voice sounded weak. "Hudson froze all my bank accounts and fired all the staff. I have nothing left. At least here I get fed and have a warm bed." She paused. "And no bills to pay."
"You seem unusually calm for someone who just got financially castrated," Rowan said casually, then added, "Did he find out?"
"About the photos of Christina and Daniel? Yes, he knows."
Rowan’s voice went up. "The only backup copies were with us. How could he possibly know?"
"I showed him."
"We agreed to keep them for future negotiations! What’s the point of giving them to Hudson now?" ƒrēewebnovel.com
Gwendolyn’s tone was equally bitter. "You’re mad at me for giving him the photos? Then explain why the paparazzi you hired are throwing me under the bus."
