From His Ex-Wife to the World's Most Sought-After Restorer (Jade and Hudson) novel Chapter 243

"Mrs. Gable!" Jade said, looking down at the sobbing woman. She pulled out her phone and dialed the police, explaining the situation clearly. She grabbed the woman's arm and hauled her back to her feet.

"Mrs. Gable, you were there on opening day. You saw those manuscripts. You know some are worth $50,000, and others are worth over a million. You destroyed a client's property for ten grand. You should have thought about the consequences. This isn't a small mistake—I'm not letting this go."

The woman started to mutter, a note of resentment creeping into her voice.

"But... it was just one page."

In the world of high-end restoration, the value is in the completeness.

A missing page meant the manuscript was defaced. Worse, it could strip the piece of its entire collector's value, rendering the whole book worthless.

Jade knew the woman didn't understand the craft, but she'd used Jade's business for her own gain. That was unforgivable.

"You can explain that to the police."

—

High-end private hospital.

Hudson Walter was propped up against his pillows, a laptop on his knees as he worked through files.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

He checked the caller ID. Amara. He answered immediately.

"Amara? What—"

"Hudson... sob... Hudson..."

Amara's quiet sobbing came through the phone.

Hudson's voice softened instinctively. "I'm here. Tell me what's wrong. Take your time."

"The police... they're at my house. They say... they say I bribed someone to destroy a book at Ms. Merchant's studio. But... Hudson, I would never do that..."

Jade again?

He'd warned her to leave Amara alone.

What was she trying to pull now?

Hudson threw back the covers and stood up, ignoring the twinge of pain.

"Don't worry. I'm coming to you."

At the precinct.

Was it just a tactic to scare her into submission?

The thought made her stomach turn.

Jade realized talking to Hudson was like shouting at a wall. She turned to Mrs. Gable instead.

"Mrs. Gable, she's here. Tell the police exactly what you told me at the terminal—about the $10,000 and how Amara Hoyt hired you."

Mrs. Gable glanced at Amara for a second, then immediately dropped her head, playing dumb.

"What deal? Ms. Merchant, I don't know who this woman is. What are you talking about?"

Jade froze, her expression hardening.

"You just told me—"

"I was talking about Mrs. Sterling!" Mrs. Gable snapped, looking more confused than Jade. "Sheis getting a divorce, and she hated her husband so much she paid me to tear a page out of his book. I... I never said anything about this Amara woman. I don't know why Ms. Merchant would drag her into this."

Hudson's jaw tightened. This was exactly what he thought—another one of Jade's desperate plays to hurt Amara.

"Jade, I wanted to believe you weren't this petty. But you're literally lying to the police to smear Amara. You've gone too far."

Amara leaned into Hudson, her hands lightly clutching his arm. Her eyes were rimmed with tears, the perfect image of a victim.