Chapter 142 Ten Million to Kill

Chapter 142 Ten Million to Kill

Selene’s POV

The instant the trembling woman entered the conference hall, Jordan collapsed to the floor as though every secret he had fought to hide had suddenly walked through the door.

Cameras immediately turned toward her. Reporters stared at the small female werewolf standing between the warriors, and within seconds, someone in the crowd recognized her.

“That’s Freya Dawson!”

The name caused another wave of shock to sweep through the hall.

“Freya Dawson? The fugitive?”

“Yes! She’s the bomb-maker who was linked to several explosions years ago!”

More cameras lifted as whispers spread rapidly among the reporters. Freya Dawson was not an ordinary Rogue. She had a dark history with explosives and had been connected to several violent incidents in the past. Her strange obsession with bombs had eventually become too dangerous for her own pack to tolerate. After several attacks, she had been exiled and forced to survive as a Rogue in the outer forests of the Werewolf Continent.

She had disappeared from public sight afterward.

Yet now she was standing in the middle of Moonveil Group’s press conference.

And judging by Jordan’s terrified expression, her appearance was the last thing he had expected.

Lucian showed no surprise.

His face remained cold as he studied Freya, his powerful presence making the already tense room feel even heavier. When he finally spoke, his voice carried enough authority to silence every whisper.

“Tell everyone what you had to do with the explosion at Moonveil Group’s Warehouse No. 1.”

Freya looked around the room. Cameras were pointed at her from every direction, while several werewolf warriors stood close enough to stop her if she tried anything.

She seemed to understand that there was no point in resisting.

“I did it,” she admitted.

The reporters immediately stirred.

Lucian’s gaze sharpened.

“You planted the bomb?”

“Yes.”

“And you detonated it?”

Freya nodded. “I was the one who set it off.”

A cold silence followed her confession.

Even though we had already known the warehouse explosion was deliberate, hearing the person responsible openly admit it made the truth feel even more disturbing. Lucian and I had almost died that day. Two people had actually died, and countless workers around the factory could easily have been killed as well.

Lucian’s expression became even colder.

“Why?”

Freya gave a small shrug, as though discussing money rather than an explosion that had nearly taken several lives.

“I was paid ten million.”

The room erupted again.

“Ten million?”

“Someone paid her ten million to bomb Moonveil Group?”

“Who would spend that much money on an explosion?”

Lucian did not take his eyes off Freya.

“Who hired you?”

For the first time, some of Freya’s casual confidence disappeared. She shifted beneath Lucian’s icy stare, then slowly raised one hand.

Her finger pointed across the room.

Directly at Jordan.

“It was him.”

Every camera turned.

Jordan’s already pale face lost what little color remained.

“That’s a lie!”

He struggled back to his feet, shaking his head violently.

“I don’t know this woman! I’ve never seen her before in my life!”

Freya stared at him in disbelief before her expression hardened.

“Oh, stop pretending, Jordan.”

“I said I don’t know you!”

“You knew me well enough when you needed someone to plant a bomb.”

Jordan froze.

Freya continued before he could interrupt her.

“You were desperate to impress Madison. You wanted Lucian and Selene out of the way because you thought that would make her happy. You found me, offered me ten million, and told me exactly what you wanted.”

Jordan’s face twisted.

“Shut up! You’re lying!”

“I’m lying?”

Freya gave a bitter laugh.

“You told me to plant the bomb inside Warehouse No. 1. You told me when Lucian and Selene were going there. You wanted me to wait until the right time before setting it off.”

My stomach tightened.

That explained everything.

The timing had bothered me from the beginning. The warehouse could have exploded at any time, yet it had happened just as Lucian and I approached it. Jordan had conveniently stepped away to answer a phone call moments before the blast, leaving both of us directly in danger.

It had never been coincidence.

Jordan had known exactly when the bomb would explode.

Freya glared at him.

“You paid me to do your dirty work, and now that you’ve been caught, you want to pretend you’ve never seen me?”

“I don’t know you!” Jordan shouted again.

His denial sounded weaker this time.

Lucian watched him without emotion.

“Still denying it?”

Jordan turned toward him.

“This woman is a criminal! She’s a Rogue and a known fugitive. Why should anyone believe anything she says?”

Lucian’s lips curved slightly, but there was no humor in his expression.

“Because I expected you to say exactly that.”

Jordan stiffened.

Lucian took a slow step forward.

“My people investigated the payment.”

The conference hall fell silent again.

“A week ago, ten million was transferred from your account.”

Jordan’s eyes widened.

Lucian continued calmly.

“The same amount Freya received for planting and detonating the bomb.”

Jordan opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

That was it.

He could call the recording fake.

He could call the video fake.

He could even accuse Freya of lying.

But a financial transaction was different.

Money left a trail.

I stepped forward and looked directly at him.

“We have an eyewitness, your financial records, the recording of the call, and the video showing your agreement with Madison.”

Jordan stared at me.

His breathing had become uneven.

“There’s nowhere left for you to run, Jordan.”

The reporters moved closer, eager to capture every word.

I continued, keeping my voice steady.

“All this evidence will be handed over to the police. You contaminated Frost and Flame, endangered innocent customers, sabotaged Moonveil Group, and arranged an explosion that could have killed Lucian and me.”

Jordan shook his head, but the denial never reached his lips.

“You’ll have to face the consequences.”

As if my words had summoned them, movement suddenly came from the entrance.

The Fostrau police had arrived.

Jordan looked toward them.

Whatever strength had kept him standing disappeared.

His legs buckled beneath him, and he collapsed to the floor again.

This time, no one rushed to help him.

The police moved forward and took him into custody while the cameras continued flashing. Jordan had entered this conference expecting to destroy Moonveil Group publicly. Instead, his own crimes had been exposed before the entire world.

I watched silently as he was taken away.

For days, we had been chasing shadows.

Now the truth was finally standing in the light.

Lucian turned toward the reporters.

The entire hall gradually became quiet.

His sharp gaze swept across the room before he cleared his throat.

“I believe everything is clear now.”

No one interrupted him.

“The Frost and Flame incident was not caused by Moonveil Group cutting costs or deliberately using dangerous materials. It was a planned act of sabotage.”

His voice remained deep and controlled.

“Jordan abused his position inside Moonveil Group and worked with Diamondstone Jewels to destroy Frost and Flame. The radioactive contamination and the warehouse explosion were both part of that scheme.”

Reporters hurriedly recorded every word.

Lucian continued, “Moonveil Group accepts that this situation exposed weaknesses in our internal security. We will learn from what happened and strengthen our systems so that nothing like this is allowed to happen again.”

For a second, there was silence.

Then applause filled the hall.

It started from one section before spreading through the entire room.

I looked at Lucian.

At almost the same moment, he turned toward me.

Our eyes met.

Neither of us spoke, but the relief passing between us was enough.

It was finally over.

The lies, the contaminated jewelry, the explosion, the accusations, and the fear that Moonveil Group could be destroyed by something we had never done had finally come to an end.

Before long, the truth spread online.

The same people who had attacked Moonveil Group after the explosion now turned their anger toward Diamondstone Jewels, Jordan, and Madison.

The change was almost immediate.

“Diamondstone Jewels is disgusting! Moonveil Group has our full support!”

“Jordan got exactly what he deserved. He endangered innocent customers just because he wanted to impress a woman!”

“Madison should be completely blacklisted. First plagiarism, now this?”

Other comments focused on something completely different.

“Mr. Frostbane is incredibly handsome, and Selene is beautiful. They look perfect together!”

“I knew Mr. Frostbane and Ms. Nightbane couldn't be responsible!”

“Unconditional support for Mr. Frostbane and Ms. Nightbane!”

“They should just get married already!”

Back at the hotel, I sat staring at my phone, reading one comment after another.

At first, they made me smile.

Then I became helplessly amused.

The crisis had barely ended, yet somehow people had turned Lucian and me into a couple they desperately wanted to see together.

I paused on another comment praising how perfectly matched we looked.

Were Lucian and I really as perfect together as everyone seemed to believe?

The question stayed in my mind longer than it should have.

“What are you looking at?”

Lucian’s deep voice suddenly came from behind me.

My fingers moved immediately.

I locked the screen and looked up.

“Nothing.”

Lucian gave me a look that made it clear he did not believe a word.

“Is that so?”

He walked toward me and settled onto the couch beside me. There was something dangerous about the quiet amusement in his eyes.

His gaze briefly dropped toward my phone.

Then it returned to my face.

“Were you thinking about making our fans’ wishes come true?”

I stared at him.

“Huh?”

Lucian leaned back comfortably.

“So many people are supporting us. They seem very determined to see us together.”

A teasing smile touched his lips.

“You wouldn’t want to disappoint them, would you?”

I was speechless.

This man truly had no shame.

Only Lucian could survive an explosion, expose a traitor before an entire room of reporters, and then use online comments as another excuse to flirt with me.

I pressed my lips together and tried not to show how much his words affected me.

After thinking for a moment, I answered, “I already told you. I’ll seriously consider everything and give you my answer in two months.”

Lucian raised an eyebrow.

He seemed satisfied that I had not rejected him outright.

Then he leaned closer.

His voice dropped beside my ear.

“Don’t keep me waiting too long.”

His warm breath brushed against my skin, and heat immediately rushed into my cheeks.

I shifted slightly away from him before he could notice how easily he had affected me.

“When are we going back?” I asked, deliberately changing the subject.

Lucian seemed amused by my obvious escape, but he allowed it.

“In a few days.”

I looked at him in surprise.

“A few days?”

He nodded.

“Shouldn’t you be rushing back to deal with everything at Moonveil Group?” I asked. “There must be a lot waiting for you after everything that happened.”

Lucian chuckled.

“Yaris will return first and handle the urgent matters.”

I studied him suspiciously.

“And you?”

“As for me, I’m still recovering.”

His answer came so casually that I almost laughed.

The man sitting beside me looked far too relaxed for someone who was supposed to be recovering from severe injuries.

“I’ll stay here for a few days and rest before going back,” he continued.

That surprised me even more.

Lucian was a workaholic.

I had seen enough of him to know how seriously he took Moonveil Group. Even when things were calm, work always seemed to follow him. For him to willingly remain in Fostrau while Yaris returned first was completely unexpected.

Still, after everything we had survived, perhaps resting for a few days was not such a terrible idea.

My gaze moved toward the clock.

Only then did I realize how late it had become.

Lucian, however, remained comfortably seated beside me as though he had no intention of going anywhere.

I waited.

He did not move.

I glanced at him.

Still nothing.

Finally, I cleared my throat and gave him a pointed look.

“Lucian, I’m going to rest. You should go back to your room.”