Fake Mating To My Ex's Powerful Enemy

Chapter 320: Chapter 320 Can’t Catch a Break

Christina’s POV

"I... no, please, don’t."

Unlike Serenna, Genevieve knew Hudson well enough to realize he wasn’t bluffing. Hudson Laurent never made empty threats, especially when it came to protecting what was his.

"I... fine, I did it, alright?" She shot me a resentful glance, her voice cracking. "I sneaked into the suite when Christina was in the bathroom. I sent the text to Niall."

Serenna gaped at her, stunned that her partner in crime had folded so easily. "They’ve got no proof!"

"There’s a camera in the hallway," I added with a sweet smile. "We can pull the footage and see exactly who came in here."

Hudson didn’t say a word. His eyes stayed locked on Genevieve, cold as the winter.

She dropped her head, unable to meet his gaze. "I’m sorry. I made a mistake."

"I’m not the one you should apologize to," he said.

Genevieve bit her lip and looked at me through damp lashes. "Christina, I’m sorry. I was jealous of you and I did something I shouldn’t have."

"And you," Hudson turned to Serenna, his tone making it clear this wasn’t a request.

She stuttered out a half-hearted apology that sounded about as sincere as a wolf claiming to be vegetarian.

"Good enough?" Hudson asked me.

"Good enough." I shrugged and linked my arm through his. "Let’s go."

After that pathetic attempt at sabotage, I wasn’t in the mood to hang around. "When can we leave?"

"Bored already?" Hudson gave me a knowing look.

"Yeah. Watching amateurs try to destroy my marriage isn’t exactly my idea of a fun night out."

"I’ll speak to a couple more associates, then we can go."

"Fine. Then you go, I’ll stay in the lounge."

He led me to a sitting area on the second floor. The balcony overlooked the grand banquet hall below, giving me a perfect view of the glittering social elite of Highrise City. "Stay where I can see you."

"I’m not five. I can take care of myself," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Humor me."

"He’s worried about you," Akira commented in my mind. "After what just happened, can you blame him?"

I did as he asked. Before he left, he checked again. "Don’t wander off. If you need to go anywhere, let me know."

"Including the bathroom?" I teased.

He didn’t find it funny.

"Just kidding." I reached up and smoothed the frown line between his brows. "Go. Do what you need to do. Come find me when you’re done."

He gave me one last searching look, then walked away, his Alpha presence commanding attention from everyone he passed.

I poured myself a glass of orange juice and sank into a deep, plush armchair, watching the dancing, chatting, perfectly dressed crowd below. Everyone was smiling, just at different levels of fake.

"These society parties are all the same," Akira observed. "Even pack gatherings have more authenticity."

"At least at pack gatherings people bare their fangs honestly," I replied silently.

Using my phone, I zoomed in on the jewelry they were wearing. The women’s pieces were varied, expensive, and predictably from the usual luxury brands. I rarely designed for men, but watching this roomful of Highrise City’s business and political elite sparked new ideas.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

I glanced up from my jewelry app to see a pleasant-looking woman around my age.

She pointed at the chair next to me. They were the best seats in the lounge, with the best view.

"No, please, sit," I said.

She lowered herself with some effort, and that was when I noticed the curve of her belly under a loose dress.

Catching my look, she smiled. "Twelve weeks along. I’d have stayed home, but my husband dragged me here."

I sympathized. "Same here. Well, minus the pregnancy part."

"I’m Naomi Fenty." She held out a hand. freeweɓnøvel.com

I shook it. "Christina Vance." Then, remembering what had happened earlier, I corrected myself. "Christina Laurent."

Naomi’s smile softened in understanding. "Newlywed?"

"Sort of." The full story—complete with fake engagement, real marriage, and werewolf mate bonds—was too complicated for party small talk.

"Laurent, as in LGH?" she asked, polite enough not to push further.

"Yes, that’s my husband. Hudson Laurent." Pride crept into my voice as I said it. It still felt strange calling him my husband, but in a good way.

"What a lovely coincidence." Her smile, warm from the start, grew even brighter. "My husband came tonight hoping to meet him."

Hudson’s earlier briefing about the guest list came back to me. "Fenty, as in the Meridian Trust?"

Naomi nodded.

If Laurent Global Holdings was famous for its vast scale, global reach, and knack for having a finger in every profitable pie, the Meridian Trust was its shadowy counterpart.

The Trust was renowned for being low-key, even mysterious. Everyone had heard of it, but almost no one could say what it actually did.

On paper, it was a holding company with a tangle of subsidiaries, but even the sharpest investigators struggled to pin down what each one did.

I remembered hearing Dominic explain that Ryan Fenty, Meridian’s nominal owner, was widely believed to be fronting for a group of politicians and several old wolf bloodlines.

And I knew Hudson wanted to build ties with Ryan Fenty as a way to reach the people behind him, both human and wolf alike.

With that in mind, I summoned what little political savvy I had and struck up a conversation with Naomi.

For a woman married to a supposedly shrewd figurehead who preferred to stay in the shadows, she was surprisingly easy to talk to.

When she discovered I designed jewelry, her friendliness notched up again. Soon we were happily immersed in a lively debate about Van Cleef’s Alhambra collection, forgetting all about our husbands.

Naomi’s phone pinged.

She glanced at the message and gave me an apologetic shrug. "Time to go. The party downstairs is wrapping up."

I stood and helped her up.

"We should meet for coffee sometime," she suggested. "I’d love to see your designs."

"I’d like that," I replied, genuinely meaning it.

We were heading towards the wide, winding staircase when I spotted Serenna descending from the third floor.

Her eyes were red and puffy. Clearly, she’d been crying after her failed scheme blew up in her face.

I ignored her and kept walking, focusing on Naomi instead.

The thick carpet muffled our steps, but my wolf hearing easily picked up the quick click of Serenna’s heels coming straight towards me.

I tensed at once.