Chapter 71

Carol’s POV

Katrina marches toward us furiously just as I hear my phone dinging with the proof Oliver sent to me. She is red in the face with her hands on her hips when she stops in front of me, a snarl on her lips.

Aiden is right behind her and when he meets my eyes, I give him a slight nod indicating that we’ve found what we need; he relaxes, running his fingers through his hair.

“Why do you have my phone, Oliver?” She hisses, her eyes never leaving mine.

“I think you are the one who needs to answer some questions, Katrina,” Oliver says, holding up her phone so she can see that he is logged into her banking app.

Her eyes go from me to her phone; I watch as her face pales at the realization that she has just been caught in a major lie and that it’s going to unfold right now. Those around us start to take notice of the small scene and are watching with curious gazes. Aiden is quick to stand by my side, and I immediately feel more confident with him there.

I stand a little taller and stare Katrina directly in the eyes.

“This was a setup?” She seethes, glaring at me.

“If you had just told the truth, then we wouldn’t have to go through any of this,” I say as I pull my phone out of my purse and look at the screenshots Oliver sent me. “You were the one who stole that money, Katrina, and I have all the proof I need now.”

“You had no right to go through my things!” Katrina hisses. “That’s an invasion of privacy and a crime!!”

“You had no right to take that money,” I counter. “Why would you want those criminals to be released? Were they working for you?”

Katrina folds her arms across her busty chest, sticking her nose up in the air in defiance.

“No, they aren’t working for me. But I’m not going to tell you who they are working for. I was sworn to secrecy, and I keep my promises.”

“Then, you’re going to have to answer to the police department,” Aiden says in a growly tone that makes my insides warm. “What you did was wrong, Katrina and you crossed a major line.”

Before she can open her mouth to say anything, the paparazzi take notice of the scene and rush toward us. Their cameras flash as pictures are taken and they are soon asking a ton of questions concerning the information we had found on Katrina’s phone.

I look up at Aiden, silently asking permission to speak to the news outlet. I just want this whole thing to be over and done with. I don’t want to have to stick around here any longer, even if it is Oliver’s birthday party. I’m emotionally and physically exhausted from everything that had happened these last few days and I just want to curl up in bed with Aiden.

He gives me a quick nod before releasing his hold on me.

I turned to the cameras that were facing me and held up the phone for the world to see.

“As you can see, the money was taken out using this account. This is the phone of Katrina Sanchez—”

“You are a liar!” Katrina squeals. “You are lying! You are the one who stole that money! It wasn’t me!!”

“Katrina, we found the proof on your phone,” Oliver says, narrowing his eyes at her. “For you to blame Carol is out of line and you should be ashamed of yourself.”

She opens her mouth to say something, but one of the paparazzi speaks first.

“Are you saying you’ve been falsely accused of stealing money from the Statford Freeze private funding?”

“Yes,” I said immediately. “The team has become like a second family to me, and I love working with them. I would never do something like that, and I hope they will reinstate me immediately with this newfound proof. I didn’t want to snoop on her phone but as soon as she made a statement to the news about me, I knew something wasn’t right. I’m not sure why she would want to get those men who stalked me and my family free from jail but what’s important right now is that the real criminal is caught and she’s not me.”

More questions surface from my statement, but Aiden steps in front of me, shielding me from the paparazzi.

“There will be no more questions,” Aiden says, holding his hand up to them before turning back to Katrina.

“What is going on here?” A loud voice booms across the crowd.

Everyone turns to see Alpha Johnathan, Aiden’s father, approaching with his mother on his trail.

“Father,” Aiden greeted, his eyes never leaving Katrina’s. “We found the proof we needed that Katrina was the one who stole that money. What exactly are you going to do about that?”

Aiden’s father corked an eyebrow at his son before his eyes fixed on Katrina’s paling features.

“Is this true, Katrina?”

“I…” she starts to say, but words fail her.

“There’s no use in denying it,” I say with a shrug. “We already have the proof. It’s all over your phone.”

I stare at Katrina, willing her to tell the truth for once in her life. As soon as the thought surfaces in my mind, a familiar green glow envelops Katrina. It was the same green glow that surrounded Aiden’s mother that time she stood up for me.

Katrina sighs and peeks up at the Alpha.

“It was me… I just wanted to get Carol out of the picture. It isn’t fair that a nobody human won the heart of the future Alpha. I’m supposed to be the future Luna. Aiden was supposed to be mine,” she says, fisting her hands to her sides. “I wanted her out of the picture so I thought if I could frame her for stealing money from the Statford Freeze, then she would be arrested. Why wasn’t she arrested? It’s not fair…”

“Because there wasn’t enough proof and the team wasn’t going to sue her until they found evidence against her,” Aiden tells her.

“You were supposed to be mine!” Katrina growls, her lip curling in hatred as she stares up at my mate.

“Who are you working for?” I ask. “Who wanted those men out of jail so badly that they’d recruit you to do it for them?”

“I don’t know her name… she called me on a restricted number and asked for a favor. I’m not sure who those men are, and I didn’t really care. I knew it was a good opportunity to frame you,” she said through her teeth.

I nearly stumble backward from her words. There is someone out there who wanted those men back out on the streets; someone who is after me and my family. Aiden wraps a protective arm around my shoulders and pulls me to his side as if he were thinking the same exact thing.

Soon, police were forcing their way into the crowd, surprising me. Oliver steps beside me, folding his arms across his chest.

“I’ve called the cops to take her away from here,” Oliver announces. “I don’t want this to ruin my party and the real criminal needs to be punished.”

The green glow that was once around Katrina starts to fade until there is nothing left. Katrina is standing in the center of the room with everyone staring at her. A confused look falls upon her features and her eyes widen.

“You can’t arrest me!” She seethes as the cops close in around her. “Do you have any idea who I am?!”

The cops didn’t seem to care though; they were already bounding her arms behind her back as she fought tooth and nail for them to release her.

Honestly, it is quite pathetic to watch, and I would have laughed if I wasn’t so overwhelmed by everything happening. The entire party had gone completely quiet as everyone watches the scene unfold before their eyes.

“Carol and I are going to take off,” Aiden says as he turns to Oliver. “I’m sorry we can’t stick around further, but I think it’s better if we stay out of the limelight.”

Oliver nods.

“I understand. No worries,” Oliver says.

My eyes stay on Katrina as she’s dragged out of the party, the paparazzi are hot on her trail, and I can’t be more thankful for the fact that they are no longer watching me.

I met Aiden’s mother’s eyes and as soon as our eyes found one another, she quickly looks away.

I can’t help but wonder what that is all about. His father on the other hand is glaring at Aiden as if he is the one who has just ruined the party. I know he isn’t happy with this discovery. It puts a damper on his perfect facade.

Aiden didn’t bother giving him a second look though. He tightens his hold around my shoulders and starts to guide me through the crowd of people.

I thank Oliver for the help before I’m led away.

As we make our way to the doorway, my attention is drawn to the far side of the room where I find Morgan Laveau staring at me… her face completely expressionless.