Freya’s POV
+8 Pearls
“Caelum…. don’t you usually trust your mother? Do you… still trust her now?” I asked, my tone slicing through the tense air like a fang through hide.
He froze, a flicker of shame crossing his features as he turned to look at Eleanor and Giselle. “When I bailed you two out… didn’t you promise me this wouldn’t happen again?”
Both of them shrank back slightly, the weight of their lies and pride momentarily faltering.
Aurora jumped in, her voice smooth but sharp.” Eleanor and Giselle were only upset because Freya refused to sign the reconciliation statement. After all, you were once a family. Why make such a scene?”
She turned toward me, eyes shing with some faux moral superiority. “If I were you, I’d never sink so low as to throw someone down when they’re already struggling.”
Giselle’s gaze softened toward Aurora, gratitude shining in her naive eyes. “Aurora, you’re wonderful. You don’t hold my past mistakes against me. Once my brother and Freya are officially divorced, I’ll make sure he marries you immediately!”
I chuckled quietly to myself. Watching the two of them now<b>, </b><b>so </b>sisterly and affectionate, it was almostughable. They’d barely survived a war of words in the station earlier, wing at each other over petty pride, and now they yed this game of sisterhood like wolves licking at each other’s necks in mock submission.
Soon, the press conference began. Reporters packed the room, alongside some high–ranking executives from SilverTech Forgeworks and representatives from partnerpanies.
Caelum and I sat in the center on the raised tform.
Caelum cleared his throat. “Today, I am here to officially announce that Freya Thorne and I have decided to finalize our <b>divorce</b><b>.” </b>
A wave <b>of </b>murmurs rippled through the room.
He continued, smoothly<b>, </b><b>as </b><b>if </b>rehearsed: “The UAV software patent Freya applied for during our marriage will, upon the divorce taking effect<b>, </b>belong to SilverTech Forgeworks. It will be developed exclusively under thepany’s management.”
The murmurs grew <b>louder</b><b>. </b>
“And <b>! </b>will provide Freya with financialpensation as part of the divorce settlement,” he added. “Thispensation will not draw from SilverTech’s <b>resources</b>, but from a portion of my <b>personal </b><b>shares</b><b>, </b>pledged to her.”
I <b>froze</b>. My instincts red<b>, </b>sensing the deception. Those shares were still locked<b>–</b>untouchable. Transferring them wasn’t <b>just </b>impossible overnight; it requiredyers <b>of </b>approval, <b>signatures</b><b>, </b>and corporate maneuvering. Caelum was speaking<b>, </b>but he <b>wasn’t </b>nning to <b>deliver </b><b>a </b><b>single </b><b>cent</b>.
“This <b>isn’t </b><b>what </b><b>we </b>agreed on!” <b>I </b>stood abruptly<b>, </b><b>eyes </b>cold and razor<b>–</b><b>sharp</b><b>, </b>scanning him as <b>if </b><b>I </b>could pierce through to the truth behind <b>his </b>words.
<b>“</b><b>Yes</b><b>, </b><b>I </b>said I’d <b>give </b>you <b>cash</b>,” <b>he </b>replied, calm <b>and </b><b>calcted</b><b>, </b>“but I do not intend to drainpany funds to pay for our marriage. Every <b>personal </b>dime I <b>had </b>is tied up in thepany’s operations. It’s a critical period for thepany. Freya… <b>are </b><b>you </b>willing to risk thepany just for money?”
His words were a trap. They painted him <b>as </b>the dedicated <b>Alpha</b>, the selfless pack leader, while framing me as greedy, petty, unreasonable<b>, </b>
Executives<b>‘ </b>eyes flicked to me, judgment glinting like sharpened ws.
Eleanor’s voice shrieked above the murmurs. “My <b>son </b><b>has </b>devoted himself to thispany! And you… you only <b>care </b>about taking money and walking away. You married him to <b>live </b>off his efforts, and now even more, all you think about is cash<b>!</b><b>” </b>
Giselle joined, righteous and venomous “Freya, <b>are </b>you willing to sacrifice <b>the </bpany’s collective hard <b>work </b>for your personal gain? Thispany wasn’t built as your <b>private </b>vault–it was co–founded with my brother and dedicated
colleagues!”
+8 Pearls
Their words painted me as selfish, my integrity shredded beneath the weight of their lies. I could feel the tension of the room like a wolf’s hackles rising. Even though those executives knew, deep down, the work I’d put in for years to build and protect thispany, when personal stakes came into y, their loyalties shifted like fickle winds.
I met Eleanor and Giselle’s usations with a cold, unflinching gaze. Caelum said nothing.
Private vault? Funny… I remembered who had treatedpany profits as their own personal treasure.
Then, a voice cut through the growing storm.
“Haha… this is rich,” Kade ckridge said as he strode into the room. The journalists turned, recognizing the infamous wolf of The Capital. His presence radiated power, raw and untamed, and all eyes snapped to him. “Divorce and suddenly the patent is off–limits? Wanting Freya to walk away empty–handed? This is… bone–sucking evil, sharper than any vampire’s fang.” The room fell silent, all the subtle murmurs halted.
Caelum’s face shifted. He straightened, rigid with authority. “Kade, that’s a harsh usation. That patent was developed during our marriage and, as marital property<i>, </i>belongs to thepany. There’s nothing wrong with the arrangement.”
Kade’s lips curved into <b>a </b>sharp, predatory grin. “Just because it was developed during the marriage doesn’t make it joint property. That software was Freya’s creation–your name on it means nothing.”
<b>Giselle’s </b>voice shrilled, unrestrained. “How do you know it had nothing to do with my brother? He’s an elite graduate… Freya couldn’t have done it alone. She must’ve used his research somehow, right?”
I felt the <b>surge </b>of the pack in me–my fangs itched, my muscles tensed. The room’s false hierarchy, their staged morality. <b>their </b>ws–in–disguise, it all smelled like carrion. Wolves don’t forgive deceit, and I was ready to tear through it all.
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