Chapter 151: A Stain
George’s POV:
Once the two younger ones had gone upstairs, I finally picked up the phone and dialed an international number. “Josh, both kids are home now.”
“Good, good. I was worried about them before, but now that they’re safe, I can relax. By the way, your grandson’s not bad—he’s a good match for Hayz.”
Hearing Josh praise and approve of the Alpha I groomed for the Midnight Pack filled me with pride. I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I told you before, only Benjamin is worthy of being Hayley’s mate. And having Hayley as the Luna of the Midnight Pack is just a matter of time.”
“You’re as cunning as ever,” Josh quipped, though his tone was serious when he added, “But let me put this on the table—if he dares to mistreat Hayz, I’ll be the first to hold him accountable.”
Hearing this, I quickly reassured him, “You won’t need to. If Benjamin ever wrongs Hayz, he’ll answer to me first.”
Satisfied, Josh replied, “You’d better keep your word.”
However, as the conversation continued, I voiced my concerns. “But, Josh, let’s be honest—we’ve put so much effort into this, yet there’s no progress between them.”
Even if they’re not destined mates, there should still be enough mutual attraction between them.
“You were the ultimate charmer back in the day, unmatched in the game of love. Don’t you have any tricks up your sleeve? Help me think of something to bring them closer.”
Josh laughed heartily at my plea. “So, you finally need my advice, huh?”
“I wouldn’t call it needing advice,” I denied quickly. “I’m just asking you to share a few tips to help.”
Josh snorted. “Fine. But good things often face challenges before they succeed. Let them work it out themselves. We shouldn’t meddle too much.”
“Still, you should give Benjamin a heads-up. Hayley is an exceptional girl. If he lets her slip away, he’ll regret it.”
With that, Josh hung up abruptly. The dial tone in my car left me no choice but to steel my resolve. If Benjamin and Hayley continue to make no progress, I have to step up my game. An idea formed in my mind, and I called for the butler. Leaning in close, I whispered my instructions.
Irving’s POV:
As soon as I entered, I overheard George’s entire phone conversation. So it turns out George has been planning to pair up Benjamin and Hayley all along. I foolishly thought I could make Hayley part of my plans, but now I see how wrong I was. There’s no reason for me to stay in this house any longer. To them, I will always be just a bastard child—a stain on the shining legacy of the Midnight Pack. Gripping my fists tightly, I felt my heart grow hard and cold.
Hayley’s POV:
I spent the whole night trying to figure out whether I should mark Benjamin or let him go, but I couldn’t come to a decision. In the end, I gave up thinking about it altogether.
The next day at school, I handed the concert tickets Christopher had given me to Christine. “Here—tickets to Christopher’s new song release event.”
Christine’s eyes lit up. “Wow, Hayley, I love you so much! I spent hours on the official site yesterday and still couldn’t get tickets. I was this close to buying overpriced ones from scalpers, but I can’t believe you had tickets!”
I didn’t hide anything. “Christopher gave them to me.”
Christine practically bounced with excitement. “Really? Hubby gave them to you? He’s the best! He knew I didn’t have tickets, so he gave them to you for me.” She hugged the tickets and even planted a kiss on them. I shook my head helplessly and went back to working on my assignments.
With Trista busy on a film set and Lilian absent from school, my days of focusing solely on my studies had been pretty peaceful.
When the day of Christopher’s song release event finally arrived, Christine wouldn’t take no for an answer, so I ended up going with her to the venue. The event was scheduled for 2 PM, but by a little past noon, the venue was already packed inside and out with fans from all over the world.
Christine dragged me along, tickets in hand, as we entered through the gate. The seats Christopher gave us were near the front, in the second row. Christine was over the moon. “We’re so close to Hubby! I’ll be able to see him up close soon!”
I, on the other hand, had completely lost interest. I pulled out my phone from my pocket, intending to scroll mindlessly, but then a news notification popped up. At first, I didn’t care much, but when I saw the headline mention the Southwell Group, I couldn’t ignore it and clicked on the article.
The title blared: “Crisis in the Midnight Pack’s Southwell Group! Internal Division as Key Technical Staff Resign En Masse?” A bad feeling surged through me as I read. My fingers swiped down the screen quickly, and the further I read, the darker my expression grew.