Chapter 594

Hannah noted that the bullet's design was unlike anything used by Brixton's men or even Vincent's bodyguards. It was smaller, sleeker-almost as though it belonged to a class of its own. A thought struck her like a thunderclap.

At once, Hannah forced herself to recall every fragment from the chaos of the night before...

Once the bullet was securely wrapped, Hannah thanked the doctor and turned on her heel to leave. Her destination was Hudson's office.

A while later, Hudson looked mildly startled when Hannah appeared uninvited. He laid the document in his hand on the desk, leaning back in his chair with casual grace. "Ms. Scott, I expected you would be glued to Mr. Jones's bedside. A bullet wound is hardly child's play-and he suffered it while saving you."

Hannah stood before his desk, gaze unwavering, skipping over courtesy like a stone over water. "Some matters are best discussed face-to-face."

Hudson arched an eyebrow, his lips curving with a flicker of amusement. "Oh? Now you've stirred my curiosity. Ms. Scott, you arrived in such haste-what do you intend to say?"

Her eyes locked on his, and she asked, steady and sharp, "You agreed with Vincent to stage your quarrel with Brixton at the banquet, pretending to be dissatisfied with the profit split, all to provoke Brixton. But that performance had little to do with your daughter Aanya, did it?"

Hudson's smile froze for the briefest heartbeat and then returned as polished as before. His voice carried a hint of displeasure. "Ms. Scott, what are you implying? Aanya is my beloved daughter. She was abducted,tormented-wasn't my fury justified? Her safety remains my first and only concern!"

"Is that so?" Hannah countered with an icy laugh. "If you truly cared for her, why didn't you even show an ounce of concern for her injuries when you retrieved her last night? You never asked if she was in pain, or if she was frightened. Your eyes held nothing but impatience and scorn. And facing you, she was like a frightened doe staring down a hunter, her eyes wide with terror. Is that the bond of a father who genuinely cherishes his child?"

Hudson's expression clouded, his tone hard as iron. "That is simply the unique way I interact with my daughter. I owe no explanations to you. Besides, instead of keeping watch at your beloved's bedside while he clings to life, you come barging into my affairs. Is that not pointless? I have pressing matters to attend to.Please leave me."

"Why drive me to leave already? I've yet to finish." Hannah took a step forward. "It was precisely your cold indifference toward your daughter that aroused my suspicion-and from suspicion came clarity. I see now what you're truly after."

Hudson's jaw tightened, though he quickly smoothed it over, slipping back into the unflappable air of a statesman. He folded his hands on the desk, watching her leisurely. "My true intentions? Ms. Scott, you certainly have a vivid imagination. Pray tell-what could I, the dignified Minister of Economy of Agosphia,possibly be after? Besides, I merely offered assistance. Without my cooperation, could Mr. Jones have rescued you so cleanly and dismantled Brixton's fortress so thoroughly? Ms. Scott, one should have a conscience. Ingratitude is a poison to the soul." His gaze sharpened, fixed like a hawk upon her.

Hannah did not flinch. "You speak of conscience? Yours was swallowed whole by greed long ago.Your quarrel was never about Brixton's forty-sixty split. Your ambition stretches much farther than mere numbers."

She stepped forward, her voice firm as judgment. "Your true target is the Odin cruise ship itself! That is why you struck your bargain with Vincent-pretending it was for Aanya's sake, when in truth, you meant to use his strength to sweep Brixton aside. Once the path was cleared, you could lay claim to that floating empire of fortune. That was your real intention."