Chapter 255:

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The man lowered his head. “He said the word on the street is that those men are part of Alpha Darren’s faction. That they were kidnapping to pay off gambling debts. The whole city is watching this case now, my lady. He says his hands are tied.”

My mind went blank. A rumor? About Darren? How was that possible?

Then it hit me like a physical blow. A trap. It had to be Haven. That wretched creature was trying to drag Darren’s name through the mud!

Fear, cold and sharp, pierced my heart. Darren valued his reputation above all else. He had carefully crafted his image as a disciplined, benevolent “People’s Alpha.” If this rumor reached him…

𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀.𝗰𝗼𝗺

“Quickly!” I ordered Doris. “Get the carriage ready! I need to see my father! He’s the only one who can persuade Grant!”

Orson Grant POV

I stared at the report on my desk, a headache pounding behind my eyes. The kidnapping case involved two common thugs, but the victim was the Luna of House Contreras, and the whispers on the street implicated Alpha Darren Contreras.

I was caught between two powerful families.

My deputy wrung his hands. “Sir, Lady Charly Kramer’s people have been here three times demanding their release. Elder Gordon Kramer has also sent word.”

I snorted. “Release them? The entire city is buzzing with rumors about Alpha Darren’s men running wild. If I let them go now, the public’s outrage will burn my office to the ground.”

“But to offend Alpha Darren and the Kramers…” my deputy fretted.

I cut him off. “What does Alpha Darren care about most? His reputation! Right now, he’s probably wishing those two fools would disappear. He won’t lift a finger to save them. As for the Kramers… humph. It is Alpha Demetri who calls the shots for the Contreras family now.”

I made my decision. “Stall. Tell everyone the case is complex, the evidence is thin, and we need more time to investigate. Let them fight it out amongst themselves.”

I looked out the window. The political winds in the capital were turning. I had no idea where this fire, started by a whisper, would spread.

Darren Contreras POV

I listened to the report from my attendant, Milo, my face growing darker with every word.

“…and now the talk everywhere is that the kidnappers were your men, sir. It’s tarnishing your name. The public is questioning your ability to control your own faction,” Milo finished, his voice trembling.

My fist slammed down on the solid oak desk. “Nonsense! None of my men would be so foolish!”

Milo added quietly, “And word has also spread that Lady Charly tried to secure their release from jail today. Many are saying it’s an admission of guilt.”

The air left my lungs. Charly? She tried to get them released?

In an instant, everything clicked into place. Charly’s obsessive jealousy of Haven. Her petty, underhanded schemes…

A horrifying suspicion took root in my mind. Could it be? Were those men really sent by Charly? Was she so stupid as to attack Haven in such a clumsy way, get caught, and then implicate me in her mess?

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