Free Web NovelChapter 274: Chapter 276 He’s Dead, Christina
Christina’s POV
"I bet you were just devastated when you didn’t catch me sleeping with Fabrizio in some hotel room."
The sarcasm poured from my lips before I could stop it.
"Is that what you thought? What you’ve always assumed since meeting him? That he wanted me, and the moment you left Paris, we’d jump into bed together? Is that what this whole tracking thing is about?"
Then it hit me like a freight train. "Is that why you left Paris so suddenly? You didn’t actually leave at all, did you? You just pretended to, hoping I’d fall into his arms so you could catch me cheating."
Hudson tried to interrupt several times, but I wasn’t having it. Akira paced restlessly in my mind, growling with frustration.
He’d always had these possessive tendencies. I saw that clearly the day he bought the apartment across from mine. Then he showed up at a random bar I’d chosen. When I moved to Oakwood Apartments, he purchased the entire building.
It had unsettled me, sure, but back then, we were two people caught in a complicated lie, each trying to solve our own problems. I didn’t feel it was my place to call him out.
But I couldn’t ignore it anymore.
I jumped up from the chair and started pacing. Holy shit. Why hadn’t I connected these dots sooner? Hudson needed control like he needed air. He had to know everything, be in charge of everything. And I absolutely hated being controlled.
Why had I ever convinced myself this relationship could work just because we were attracted to each other?
"May I speak now?" Hudson asked.
"Go ahead," I gestured dramatically.
"I wasn’t stalking you or trying to catch you cheating. I tracked you down because I have news, something I needed to tell you in person before you heard it elsewhere or saw it in the press."
"You could have called me."
"I did. Multiple times. You didn’t answer."
I grabbed my phone from my pocket. Sure enough, there were several missed calls from him.
"I was in the middle of an important dinner."
"With Fabrizio," he said flatly.
"Yes!" I spun around and glared at him. "And instead of trying to seduce him like you clearly think I would, I was trying to get information to put him behind bars."
That stopped him cold.
In sharp, clipped sentences, I explained about Inspector Silva, his visits, and my undercover dinner operation. "Fabrizio was literally seconds away from giving me a name when you barged in. Now the whole operation’s ruined."
I folded my arms across my chest and shot him a look that clearly said, "This is entirely your fault."
But instead of looking guilty, Hudson looked... furious?
"You shouldn’t have done that," he said.
"Done what?"
"Accepted Silva’s request. You put yourself at unnecessary risk."
"Fabrizio isn’t dangerous." freewebnovel.cσ๓
"He’s a criminal."
"A white-collar one. He doesn’t prowl around with weapons murdering people."
"Back anyone into a corner and see how quickly they turn violent."
"He wasn’t armed. Plus, I can take care of myself."
"That’s not the point. You shouldn’t have agreed to this without telling me."
"So now I need your permission to make decisions?"
"That’s not what I meant."
"It’s exactly what you meant!"
He went quiet for a moment, then surprised me by admitting, "Yes, it is. I wish you’d talked to me first."
I looked away, feeling my anger deflate slightly.
He was right. That was the worst part.
If I’d shown him Fabrizio’s books from the beginning, he probably would’ve spotted the red flags immediately. He was sharp, with a much better eye for financial fraud than I’d ever have. Maybe then I wouldn’t have dumped five million euros into a sinking ship, and I wouldn’t be desperately trying to recover it now.
It wasn’t even the money that stung most. It was the humiliation of screwing up so badly, of looking stupid. And that was precisely why I hadn’t told Hudson. I couldn’t bear to lose face in front of him.
"I don’t need you monitoring my every move like I’m some pup who can’t be trusted," I said, my voice quieter but no less firm.
"Silva used you," Hudson said bluntly. "He could have made an arrest with what he already had, but he wanted more evidence to strengthen his case and advance his career. He used you as bait."
I knew that. I just hadn’t cared. If the plan worked, Silva would get his promotion, and I’d get my money back. Win-win. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
But the plan hadn’t worked.
Now I could only hope Fabrizio was too drunk to remember how desperate I’d sounded tonight.
"You should have come to me. I would have gotten your money back," Hudson said, his voice softening just enough to irritate me more.
That set me off like a rocket.
"I KNOW! I know you could have fixed everything with a snap of your fingers. You run the biggest pack in the North and have connections everywhere. You can make things happen with a single phone call. But that doesn’t mean I should come crawling to you every time something goes wrong in my life. I don’t want to be that woman, Hudson. I’m not going to fall apart and beg Alpha Hudson to fix my problems for me."
There it was. Every insecurity I’d buried since we got serious. Hudson’s power and influence didn’t comfort me; they made me feel small. I could ask for help, and he’d gladly give it. He was like this immovable mountain, solid and unshakable. Under his protection, I’d be safe.
But what if one day that mountain crumbled?
I didn’t want to be some weak, dependent wolf, living off someone else’s strength, incapable of surviving alone. Maybe it was better to end this before I completely forgot how to stand on my own four paws.
I touched the engagement ring on my finger. It was beautiful, simple yet elegant. He’d clearly commissioned one of the best jewelers.
But had he forgotten I was a designer too? Why hadn’t he asked me to design our rings? Wouldn’t that have made them more special?
Or maybe he hadn’t forgotten. Maybe he just didn’t think my work was good enough.
I started to pull off the ring.
"Christina!" Hudson’s voice cracked like thunder.
I looked up. "What?"
He was staring at my hand with an intensity that made Akira whimper.
"Don’t do it," Akira pleaded in my mind. "He’s your fated mate. Don’t say something you’ll regret forever."
I hesitated, my fingers still on the ring.
"I have news," Hudson said, his voice suddenly grim. "It’s about your father."
That stopped me cold.
"What about him?" Wasn’t Franklin still locked up in the maximum security wing?
Hudson’s face was grave, his eyes holding mine with an intensity that made my stomach drop.
"He’s dead, Christina."
The ring stayed on my finger as I sank back into the chair, the world spinning around me.
Not because I loved my father, Goddess knows I didn’t, but because death was so... final.
