Free Web NovelChapter 265: Chapter 265 Trust and Transparency
Christina’s POV
I woke up with a killer headache pounding against my temples and pure, undiluted irritation coursing through my veins.
Valmont & Cie had dumped over a thousand pages of financial statements on me. Five years of balance sheets, income reports, and enough graphs and tables to wallpaper our entire suite.
"Morning already?" Akira grumbled in my head, just as annoyed about our early awakening.
"Unfortunately," I responded silently.
I should’ve asked Hudson for help with these documents. That was my original plan. But something stopped me when he returned last night.
Fine, I knew exactly what stopped me. I was mad at him.
I’d seen him stepping out of an unfamiliar car, watched as some woman in a striking red dress approached him and wrapped her arms around him like they were old friends or something more.
They might have kissed. The awning blocked my view so I couldn’t be sure. But even if it was just one of those European cheek kisses, shouldn’t my husband know better?
"He shouldn’t let other women that close," Akira growled.
I’d kept Fabrizio at a professional distance with a handshake. I didn’t care about cultural norms. I wouldn’t have let him kiss me.
So why didn’t Hudson keep his distance? And if he thought there was nothing wrong with whatever happened, why hadn’t he mentioned her?
I’d told him about getting hit on. Which was true, though it happened my first day at Valmont, not yesterday. But still, wasn’t that my way of saying, "Look how honest I am with you. Can’t you do the same?"
Either he missed my hint entirely, or he caught it and deliberately chose to ignore it.
I was tempted to grab my phone and confront him with the photo I’d taken, but that felt petty and jealous. Like a stalker.
Shouldn’t he be the one to bring it up? Like he did with that Rowan Hale situation, when she tried to fool everyone into thinking they were together? Where was that honesty now? What made Red Dress Woman so different?
Too many questions swirled in my mind. Not enough answers.
No wonder I’d barely slept. I’d lain there stiff, afraid to toss and turn in case he noticed I was awake, which would only lead to more uncomfortable conversations.
I stared at the ceiling and counted the ornate patterns until my eyes finally gave in to exhaustion.
"Morning," Hudson said.
I rolled over to face him.
How did he look so awake at 6 a.m.? Like he’d just stepped out of a magazine shoot instead of bed. But the slight shadows under his eyes gave him away. He hadn’t slept well either.
"Serves him right," Akira huffed.
"Morning," I replied flatly.
I dragged myself out of bed, wincing as my headache worsened when I glanced at my laptop. I quickly looked away, promising myself I wouldn’t touch those financial statements until after breakfast.
"What’s your plan today? Also, you haven’t told me how long you’re staying," I asked, sipping coffee and nibbling a flaky croissant.
"You want to get rid of me that badly? I’ve only been here two days," Hudson replied, studying my face.
"No. But Highrise City probably needs its Alpha, and I don’t want you staying just because of me. Makes me feel guilty. Like I’m holding you back."
"You’re not. And I’ve got some business to handle here."
Something dark flickered in his eyes. This clearly wasn’t his usual kind of business.
"I want you to meet a designer," Hudson said, changing the subject. "I gave him your measurements. He’s made you a wedding dress. Try it on. If you hate it, we’ll find someone else."
"Sure. It’s Friday. I finish early. Can we go today?"
"Of course. I’ll pick you up at four?"
"I’ll meet you here instead."
After breakfast, he left early for that mysterious ’business.’ The driver who took me to work was someone new, but I was used to Hudson bringing in new pack members for various tasks at a moment’s notice.
The driver kept glancing at me in the rearview mirror. I noticed immediately but figured he was probably just curious about his Alpha’s Luna. freёwebnovel.com
In his office, when I told Fabrizio I was seriously considering investing in Valmont, he looked ready to leap across his desk and kiss my feet.
"It’ll still take me a few days to review everything," I said. "My, ah, financial advisor is busy at the moment."
"Of course, take all the time you need. Ask me anything. Although..." He trailed off expectantly.
I got his hint. "Don’t worry. We’ll sign before I leave Paris."
Fabrizio beamed. freёwebnovel.com
Valmont had an early Friday policy. People started disappearing right after lunch. Back at the hotel, I downed two espressos and forced myself to face the laptop.
I focused on the cash flow statements. Valmont’s main issue according to Fabrizio. Words like "depreciation," "amortization," and "EBITDA" began blurring together on the screen.
I literally held my eyelids open with my fingers and examined cash from operations. It looked solid. Positive and increasing.
No red flags so far.
I called Priya for a much-needed break. "How’s the studio?"
"Fine. We had some walk-ins wanting custom jewelry. I told them you were away on business, took their numbers, and said you’d get back to them."
"Good. What about online orders?"
"Still coming in. New orders have slowed, though. The manufacturer says they need more time to find the stones for our designs. So we might get a backlog. I’ve reached out to other manufacturers."
"Right. But don’t rush. The current one’s reliable. Their quality is consistent. I’ll need to personally check out any new ones."
"Got it."
"How are the new assistants doing?"
"Still learning. Admin and customer service are fine. I still handle most of the custom orders. It’s the jargon." Priya hesitated. "I’ve been studying jewelry design books. Trying to get up to speed. But when the manufacturer mentioned ’Dora polish,’ I knew he didn’t mean the fish, but that’s about it."
I laughed. "You’ll get there. Look up Oppi Untracht’s book. It’s basically the jeweler’s bible."
"Will do."
"Has anyone been bothering you?" I asked, thinking specifically of my ex.
"No. If you mean Daniel, he hasn’t been back since he found out you were in Paris. Though..." She whispered. "I don’t think he’s given up."
"Ignore him. If he shows up, call Finn Stone immediately." Finn, the Ravenclaw pack’s Alpha and my lawyer, would handle Daniel better than the regular police. "I’ll be back in two weeks. Keep things running."
I promised her a bonus and hung up before she could get emotional.
"Back to numbers," I muttered, staring at the screen. Then something else occurred to me. "Speaking of numbers..."
I closed the Valmont file and opened a different email. By the time Hudson returned, I had a freshly printed document waiting.
"Take a look," I said, handing it to him.
He picked it up frowning. "What’s this?"
"Prenup."
Akira stirred anxiously in my head. "Are you sure about this?"
"Absolutely," I answered silently. "If he has secrets, I need protection."
