From His Ex-Wife to the World's Most Sought-After Restorer (Jade and Hudson) novel Chapter 210

Jewell said, "I will."

Before hanging up, Jade issued one last warning.

"Stay safe. If he even suspects you know, walk away. Please."

Jewell promised she would and hung up.

The Walter Group.

Hudson went through the files Kevin had prepared.

The more he read, the deeper his frown became.

By the time he reached the final page, his rage boiled over. He seized the documents and hurled them at Kevin.

His chest was heaving, his voice a thunderous roar.

"You let a no-name shell company steal the Evergreen contract from under our noses? What the hell am I paying you for?"

Kevin scrambled to pick up the scattered papers, his head bowed.

"Sir, I've started an investigation. This company only appeared two years ago. They have no history, no real tech... for Evergreen to choose them over us is corporate suicide—unless there was a massive back-room deal we didn't see."

"You think..."

Hudson's eyes turned lethal. "This was a setup?"

"It's the only logical explanation, sir."

Evergreen had been thrilled with the Walter Group's bid. To pivot to an unknown firm now was irrational.

As Kevin said, there had to be a hidden incentive that outweighed everything else.

This was a targeted strike.

Hudson narrowed his eyes into slits.

"Find out who owns that shell company. I want a name."

"Yes, sir."

Kevin paused, then added, "Regarding Silas Faith... I managed to reach his assistant."

Hudson leaned back, rubbing his aching temples.

"What time is he meeting me?"

Kevin hesitated, then lowered his voice, bracing for the fallout.

"Mr. Faith said the Faith family has nothing to do with him anymore. He's not interested in their business or their 'widows'."

Hudson's brow knit together.

He'd forgotten how deep the rift between Silas and the rest of the family went.

He had been desperate to find a way to get Amara off his hands and had turned to the only relative she had left in the city, but he had hit a brick wall.

"Fine."

Hudson massaged his temples again.

"It's my fault," Hudson said, his face half-hidden in the shadows. He looked broken, his eyes half-closed in a look of profound misery.

"I lost her mother's ashes."

"What now?" Charles' eyes widened.

"What the hell do her mother's ashes have to do with the baby?"

Hudson gave him a brief, ugly summary of the last few weeks.

Charles's jaw dropped. He looked at Hudson as if he were seeing a stranger.

"You... you did what?"

He stammered for a full minute before he could get a sentence out.

"You blackmailed her into coming back by stealing her mother's remains... and then you let Amara's kid run wild in your office until she smashed the jar? You..."

He slammed a hand against his leg, unable to contain his disbelief.

"Hudson, seriously. Are you suffering from brain rot? Did you read too many files and forget how to be a human being? No sane person would do that!"

"Sigh—"

Hudson let out a heavy, ragged breath.

"She wouldn't talk to me. She was obsessed with leaving, taking my child to another country. I had to do something. And Cortney... she's just a kid. It was an accident. No one could have known."

He trailed off, his breathing hitched as a sudden, sharp pain flared in his chest.