Chapter 23 #2
“This isn’t a court of law,” I cut him off. “This is a private company. My company. And you just admitted, in your own words, to conspiracy, fraud, and attempted murder.”
Almost immediately, the screen went black. Ethan had disconnected.
Coward.
I turned my attention to Selene, who was backing toward the door. “Going somewhere?”
“This is a setup. You fabricated that recording—”
“Did I fabricate the attack on my daughter four days ago? The one where someone dressed as a waiter tried to drown her?” My voice rose, fury bleeding through the control I’d been maintaining. “The one that nearly killed her? Was that fabricated, too?”
Selene’s face twisted with something ugly. “Your bastard daughter shouldn’t exist in the first place. She’s a stain on the Ravencrest name—”
She didn’t get to finish.
I was across the room before I consciously decided to move, my hand wrapped around her throat, slamming her against the wall. My wolf was snarling inside me, demanding blood, demanding justice.
“Dimitri!” Edmund’s voice cut through the rage. “Don’t. She’s not worth it.”
He was right. As much as I wanted to end her right here, right now, she needed to face justice properly. Face the consequences of every choice she’d made.
I released her throat, stepping back as she gasped for air.
“Security,” I said, not taking my eyes off her. “Detain her. She’s not to leave this building.”
Two guards appeared immediately, grabbing Selene by her arms. I’d already had them stationed outside the conference room in case Selene tried to run.
“You can’t do this!” she screamed. “My father will—”
“Your father will what? Start a war over a daughter who betrayed her Mate bond, conspired to commit murder, and tried to steal from the Ravencrest family?” I smiled coldly. “Somehow, I don’t think even he will defend you after this.”
She spat at me, but the guards were already dragging her away, her screams echoing down the hallway.
I turned back to the remaining board members. They looked shell-shocked, their faces ranging from horror to disbelief to—in a few cases—grim satisfaction.
“I apologize for the dramatic presentation,” I said, settling back into my seat.
“But I wanted you all to understand exactly what we’ve been dealing with.
This conspiracy has been in motion for five years.
Five years of Selene and Ethan working together, manipulating situations, positioning pieces on the board. ”
“You knew?” One of the board members asked, his weathered face incredulous. “You knew this entire time?”
“Yes. Long enough to gather evidence. Long enough to build an airtight case.” I looked around the table.
“I couldn’t act sooner. Selene’s father, Alpha Cornelius, has been an ally of my family for decades.
To move against his daughter without proof would have started a pack war.
And I needed to understand the full scope of the conspiracy.
Who else was involved. How deep the rot went. ”
I let that implication hang in the air. Let them wonder if I suspected any of them.
“But when they tried to kill my daughter—not once, but twice—I couldn’t play their game anymore.” My voice hardened. “So here we are. The evidence is clear. The conspiracy is exposed. And I want to make one thing absolutely clear to everyone in this room.”
I stood, my hands braced on the table, my Alpha presence filling the space.
“I am the CEO of Ravencrest Global. I am the Alpha of this pack. And anyone—anyone—who thinks they can challenge me, who thinks they can threaten my family, who thinks they can take what’s mine—they will meet the same fate as Selene and Ethan.”
No one spoke. No one even breathed.
“Does anyone have any objections?” I asked softly. “Any concerns they’d like to voice? Now’s your chance.”
Silence.
“Good.” I straightened. “Then this meeting is adjourned. Edmund will handle the formalities of Selene’s removal from the board and the investigation into Ethan’s shares in Crescent Valley. I expect full cooperation from everyone.”
I walked out of the conference room with my head high, leaving them to process what had just happened.
It was done. Finally done.
Selene and Ethan were exposed. The conspiracy had finally ended. I should have felt victorious. Relieved.
Instead, I just felt tired. I went back to my office to deal with some paperwork before heading back to the location where Adele and Isabella were. But barely past noon, my phone rang.
Edmund’s name was on the screen.
I answered. “Hello?”
“Dimitri.” Edmund’s voice came through the phone, panicked. “Selene escaped. I don’t know how, but she had help, personal guards from her father’s pack. They overpowered our security and got her out of the building. We’re searching now, but—”
I didn’t hear the rest.
My blood ran cold. My vision narrowed to a single point.
Selene was loose. Desperate. With nothing left to lose.
My thoughts immediately went to Isabella and Adele. I couldn’t afford to be complacent, thinking they were safe. The assassin Selene sent had managed to disguise themselves as a waiter and sneak into my resort. She would have no trouble finding out exactly where Isabella and Adele were right now.
“Send every available unit to the safe house,” I barked into the phone. “Now. And get me a helicopter. I need to be there five minutes ago.”
I was already running.
Selene had played her final card. And if she got to my family before I did—
No. I couldn’t think like that.
I had to get there in time.
I had to.
Because the alternative was unthinkable.