Free Web NovelChapter 48: Chapter 48 Planning This All Along
Third Person POV
Cassian frowned, swirling his drink. "Wait a second. I visited you multiple times in Eindhoven. You never once mentioned knowing Christina. Not even a hint."
"Because I didn’t realize it was her," Hudson admitted.
All that remained from that night was the memory of a woman with gentle hands and steady presence who somehow noticed he wasn’t right. The woman who got him to safety when his senses were failing him.
"She took me to the hospital that night. Paid the bill. By the time I woke up, she was gone," Hudson said.
"So how the hell did you figure out it was her?" Cassian asked, leaning forward.
"Had my Beta investigate."
When Hudson saw the photo in the file, everything clicked. Christina Vance, jewelry design student at Eindhoven University. The girl from Florence. The one whose eyes held that quiet determination, that spark of creative fire.
Cassian’s eyes lit with interest. "And then what? You tracked her down like some lovesick puppy?"
"First part’s accurate."
He did locate her. Couldn’t help himself.
But he never made contact.
Too many risks. Too many enemies watching. His stepmother was already positioning her pawns, trying to secure the Alpha position for her biological son. Hudson wouldn’t drag Christina into that mess.
Then his business took off. Life became meetings, acquisitions, expansions.
When he finally had time to breathe, she’d returned to Highrise City.
Already engaged to Niall fucking Granger.
Yet he couldn’t erase her from his mind.
"Holy shit," Cassian exclaimed, emptying his glass. "All those times you called asking about Highrise society news, charity galas, who’s dating who—that was all about her?"
Hudson just looked at him flatly. "When have you ever known me to care about gossip?"
Cassian laughed. "So you weren’t scouting Highrise’s business scene. You were straight-up stalking Christina."
"It wasn’t stalking."
"Right," Cassian drawled. "And you just happened to land in Highrise barely a day after I mentioned those rumors. Nothing suspicious there."
Hudson remained silent.
When Cassian had told him what was happening—that Christina and Niall were having problems, that Niall had eyes for someone else. Even though Niall and Christina were fated mates, Niall didn’t treasure her.
Something fierce and possessive that refused to be ignored.
She wasn’t happy.
She deserved better.
And that changed everything.
He hadn’t intended to return to Highrise City. His European empire was built entirely by his own hands, untainted by family politics.
But the moment he heard Niall might be out of the picture, he booked the next flight back.
Every move after that was strategic. Planned. Deliberate.
Christina—brilliant, beautiful, frustratingly trusting—ended up as his wife faster than most people decide on a vacation destination.
A few calculated conversations, subtle emotional leverage, and her perfect storm of heartbreak and vulnerability... and now she wore his ring.
"She’s not really over Granger," Lycaon commented in his mind.
"I know that," Hudson thought back. "I’m not stupid."
She hadn’t married him out of love. She’d married him because she was trapped, and he presented an exit.
Her wolf had been wounded by Niall’s betrayal,unable to recognize him as her second chance.
But that was okay,he could wait. He’d already waited seven years.
Besides, love could grow. Day by day. Touch by touch.
He’d fill every crack Niall left with something stronger, something permanent. However long it took.
Cassian was now finishing his third bottle, reality finally sinking in. This wasn’t some elaborate joke. Hudson Laurent, notorious commitment-phobe, had actually gotten married.
Not fake married. Not temporarily married. Legally married.
Even though they were bound by contract.
The smug bastard had brought documentation too, flashing the marriage certificate like a winning lottery ticket.
Elder Council-sealed, signed, completely legitimate.
"Well... congratulations, I guess," Cassian muttered. "If you’re happy. You finally got her."
Hudson clinked his glass against Cassian’s. "I am."
"Fuck," Cassian slapped his forehead dramatically. "I knew something was weird! You moved insanely fast! I didn’t even get to throw you a bachelor party."
"You know that’s not my style."
"It’s not for you," Cassian insisted. "It’s for your friends to properly grieve your freedom before you enter the eternal prison of matrimony."
Hudson just shrugged. "I’ll survive somehow." freёwebnovel.com
"But what about an actual wedding?" Cassian gestured at the certificate. "That paper looks official and all, but you can’t just wave it around whenever someone asks if you’re available. You need a reception."
Hudson’s expression darkened slightly. "There isn’t going to be a wedding."
"What?" Cassian squinted. "Is that trendy now? Not even a small Elder Council thing with family?"
"She doesn’t want one."
Cassian snorted. "Every woman wants a wedding. That’s literally why the whole industry exists."
"Perhaps."
Hudson remembered the bridal magazines he’d spotted stacked on Christina’s kitchen counter when he’d first visited her apartment.
Pages marked with dresses.
Notes about flower arrangements.
She’d thrown everything away when she moved.
"You sure about the no-wedding thing?" Cassian asked, swaying slightly.
"For now, yes."
But there would be one eventually.
That was his plan.
If he played everything right and didn’t push too hard, eventually there would be vows.
There would be flowers.
There would be Christina walking toward him in white, this time choosing him fully.
Cassian burped loudly. "No wedding means no gift, right? Those are the rules. No open bar for me, no fancy toaster for you." frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
"Fine, you’re excused from gift duty." Hudson leaned closer. "But I need a favor."
Cassian perked up instantly. "Anything, man."
"You’re a gossip machine."
"Excuse you," Cassian looked offended. "I’m a premium information specialist."
"Whatever. I need you to work your network. Start spreading the news. Casually. When you’re talking to people, just drop it in—’Did you hear? Hudson and Christina got married. Someone saw them at the Elder Council.’ Like that."
Cassian blinked in confusion. "You want me to spread rumors? I thought this was supposed to be low-key. That’s why there’s no wedding."
That had been her request, not his.
No media attention. No public spectacle. No wedding announcement headlines.
Hudson had respected her wishes.
"Let everyone else make noise about it," Lycaon suggested. "She’ll have to accept it’s real."
"Exactly," Hudson agreed silently.
He needed her to see this marriage not as some temporary arrangement or convenient escape, but as reality.
Permanent.
Unbreakable.
He fixed Cassian with an unwavering stare. "Just do it."
