Chapter 183
Freya
I fixed my gaze on Ben, both of us wearing identical smiles. But I could smell his fear beneath the confident facade - that sharp, metallic scent that betrayed his racing pulse. His wolf was panicking, even if his human mask held steady.
The conference room door swung open. Peter strode in leading a group of Morgan Group executives. When they saw Ben and me locked in our silent standoff, Peter's eyes darkened and his steps faltered.
Lucian emerged from behind him, his hostile gaze burning into Ben. Clearly, he knew Ben was our prime suspect.
"You still dare show your face here?" Lucian's voice pierced the air sharply, his eyes already transforming to their menacing golden wolf form.
"The wolf council cleared me, Alpha Lucian," Ben replied with practiced innocence.
I leaned against the conference table, arms crossed, watching this pathetic performance.
"Clean?" Lucian snarled, taking a threatening step forward. His wolf was right at the surface now. "Maybe you'll accidentally get lost and never find your way home."
Every one in the room understood that death threat.
But Ben was ready for this.
"I've uploaded recordings to the cloud," he said smoothly, pulling out his phone. "If anything happens to me, you'll be the first suspect, Alpha Lucian."
"You bastard!" Lucian's fury exploded.
"Enough," Peter's cold voice cut through the tension. "Let's watch the livestream."
Lucian whirled toward me, redirecting his rage. "This is your fault, Freya. Hiring that spy was a massive failure."
I didn't respond, simply lifting my eyes to the large screen.
"And that social media post," Lucian continued, his voice rising. "You warned Lekstar, gave them time to prepare. Every single decision you've made since joining Morgan has been wrong." He stepped closer, his Alpha presence pressing against me. "Ever since you - a mixed-blood wolf - entered this company, you've brought nothing but disaster."
I maintained my silence.
"Since you're defending her so fiercely, Peter," Lucian turned his venom on our ally, "look at what you're protecting. A worthless half-breed who can't even—"
"The livestream is starting," I said, cutting off his rant.
The Lekstar spokesperson appeared on screen, polished and confident. The stage was set with gleaming sports cars and a backdrop of the treacherous racing track. Media from around the world filled the audience.
The conference room fell silent. Except for Ben, every face showed simmering anger.
The presentation dragged on - background information, revolutionary technology, promises of change. Finally, the spokesperson announced: "We've purchased land in Lunar Forge district to build the world's largest automotive factory..."
The room erupted in angry murmurs. This should have been Morgan's opportunity!
Ben let out what sounded like a disappointed sigh, but I caught the satisfaction in his scent. He thought he'd won.
Only I remained focused on the screen, completely composed, as if everything was unfolding exactly as planned.
"Major financial institutions have committed over a billion in funding..." the spokesperson continued, his voice reaching a crescendo.
The room filled with heavy breathing and barely contained rage.
"Everyone knows they're thieves!" Lucian roared. "Why would anyone still support them?"
Hugo slammed his coffee cup down. His eyes had gone full wolf gold. Around the room, the R&D staff glared at Ben with murderous intent, low growls rumbling in their throats.
"Now let's witness the dawn of a new era!" the spokesperson finally announced.
Thunderous applause erupted from the screen. The livestream had attracted millions of viewers, comments flooding the chat in a dense stream.
As the applause died down and the car began its test run, I began to clap.
The sound echoed in the suddenly silent room. Every head turned toward me in shock and confusion.
"Freya, what are you doing?" Lucian demanded, disbelief in his voice.
I ignored him, a slight smile playing on my lips, my hands coming together in steady rhythm.
After a moment of stunned silence, Lucian seemed to recover. "Are you doing this deliberately? Are you actually helping those thieves?"
Even Ben looked stunned.
"Watch the livestream carefully," I said, my eyes fixed on the screen with anticipation. "The real show is just beginning."
The test drive finally began. Everyone stared at the screen as the sleek sports car roared onto the track, racing away with incredible speed.
Initially, the car performed flawlessly - accelerating smoothly, easily outpacing every other vehicle on the market.
Everyone watched in awe.
Just as the car was about to complete its circuit, Sean glanced at his watch. "About time," he said.
His words had barely left his lips when a massive explosion thundered from the screen. The speeding car erupted in a ball of red flame, black smoke billowing and obscuring the view.
The livestream fell silent, then erupted in terrified screams.
Everyone understood immediately - Lekstar's revolutionary smart car had exploded.
Security personnel rushed toward the accident site with fire extinguishers, but couldn't reach the wreckage on the steep, rocky slope.
"Stop filming! Cut the signal!" the spokesperson screamed frantically.
The screen froze for an instant, then went black.
The conference room fell into terrifying silence. Everyone sat frozen in shock.
Ben stared at the blank screen in disbelief.
From the explosion pattern, it looked like the smart system had malfunctioned. But he'd gotten the data from Iris - Morgan's smart car had passed every safety test! It was supposed to be foolproof.
Why had Lekstar's version exploded?
And during a live broadcast, no less?
I had known this would happen. No - I had orchestrated all of this.
"Why did the livestream cut out?" Hugo cursed in frustration.
"I arranged backup coverage," I said calmly. "Switch streams."
My assistant quickly pulled up another broadcast. Within minutes, Lekstar's revolutionary car had burned to a metal skeleton. Automotive experts on-site told reporters the smart car clearly had serious safety issues.
Ben watched in growing horror, his face pale as he realized he'd walked into my trap.
"Is our PR director here?" I asked.
"Yes, Alpha Freya."
"Post immediately. Announce that our smart technology was stolen, but don't name Lekstar. Just publish our research parameters - users will see both datasets are identical." I paused. "Also emphasize they stole fake technology. We installed a counter-system in our database. They accessed false data designed to cause explosions."
Everyone stared as understanding dawned. Our secrets had never actually been leaked.
"Contact the researchers Lekstar fired," I continued. "Interview them about the company's safety violations and cover-ups. Then announce our own test drive at Satan's Track in three days."
I turned to Peter. "How much liquid capital do we have?"
He sent me the financial reports. I smiled. "Perfect. I'm buying Lekstar's land, their planned factory, and their billion-dollar funding. All of it."
Sharp gasps echoed around the room.
Ben gripped the table, cold sweat covering his face. I had known his identity from the beginning, watching him walk step by step into my snare.
"Alpha Lucian," I said mockingly, "Are you satisfied with these results?"
His face went iron gray. Then I added casually, "I recall you signed an agreement with Peter."
Lucian went white, remembering his ultimatum - if I failed, Peter would sell his shares. Now Lucian faced expulsion instead.
Swallowing his pride, Lucian began to clap. The room erupted in thunderous applause.
"Keep watching," I told my assistant. "The aftermath should be equally entertaining."
On screen, the driver was being interviewed: "I have no idea why it exploded. The smart system gave no warning.I had no choice but to bail out of the car. Lucky for me, I'm a stunt performer with escape training—any regular person would've been toast by now."