The Alpha’s Curvy Cinderella - Chapter 56: Chapter 56

Grant POV
“I looked into her financials but at the moment nothing suspicious stands out or seems to be out of the ordinary” my hacker Johnathon mused, staring at his computer screen bewildered. “But something does seem a little off about her financial records, I just can’t quite put my finger on it yet, it’s almost like they’ve been doctored or changed in some aspect. But nobody knows you’re looking into her financials, do they?” he asked me, swiveling in his chair and regarding me sternly.
I fought the urge to roll my eyes at him.
I shook my head. I wasn’t stupid enough to divulge that information. Johnathon was one of my friends from high school who had graduated two years earlier due to being a genius and a technological whiz. The first person I’d gone to when I needed to hack into surveillance or past a firewall. He was my most trusted ally and brilliant at what he did, so if he had an inkling there was something strange about Sarah’s financial records, the odds were that he was one hundred percent correct. It would just take him a little time to crack what was wrong, that was all. I had complete faith in him that he would do it.
“Keep looking,” I said frowning “I know she did something. She had to have used her card to purchase it online. She rarely carries cash on her and it’s not like she could just get it off the streets, not without anyone noticing.”
“You’re assuming that it was illegal and that she didn’t use cash,” he said scoffing at me “What if it was neither of those?” he asked genuinely curious.
I scowled at him. “Hades believes she drugged us, and I trust in my wolf. He wouldn’t say anything if he didn’t have a reason to believe it. Besides, he was affected as well, and his memory is just as hazy as mine. You know as well as I do, that alcohol doesn’t affect wolves in that way.”
He nodded thoughtfully “No alcohol doesn’t have that effect. However certain sedatives, drugs, aphrodisiacs do” he muttered, still clicking away on his mouse, the screen continually flickering into new ones and new data as his fingers frantically typed away. I could see the light in his eyes as he pondered all the different possibilities and rationalized which ones would be the most probable.
I stood up, and stretched, putting my hands over my head and scowled, thinking about what Sarah had done to Jordan. I knew she had spent the night in the dungeon and nothing had given me far greater pleasure. I hoped she rotted in there. At the very least the smell and the darkness would have served as a punishment for her cruelty. I had been more than willing to torture her, but my parents had been soft-hearted, particularly as Maxwell had insisted on having a meeting with them to talk it out. I had been planning to be there for the meeting, but Johnathon had taken a little longer than we thought to go through all the data.
“Wait a minute” Johnathon whistled, leaning forward to peer intently at the screen, his eyes narrowing in triumph.
I looked at him eagerly. Had he found something? Had my suspicions proved, correct? I sat back down next to him and stared wide-eyed at the computer, with no idea of what I was looking at as Johnathon began to point at something on the screen.
“What exactly am I looking at?” I asked confused.
“Look at this. These bank transactions have been hacked by another hacker that left their footprint behind” he whistled sounding impressed “I almost missed it man Whoever this was, they were one great hacker. They almost outsmarted me” he claimed, shaking his head in awe.
I frowned. “If that’s the case, then that would mean. . .” I trailed off.
“Yeah, dude. Someone’s on to you. They know you’re looking into Sarah’s financial records for some reason and they’re trying to prevent you from accessing the information you are after.”
“s**t. Any chance you could tell me who the hacker was?” I asked bracing myself.
“Nope. No can do Jose” he said regretfully “But I can erase what he changed and refill in the details” his fingers flew across the keyboard as I watched intently, wondering who had gotten ahead of me in this deadly game of intrigue. Had I let something slip without meaning to?
Could Sarah be doing this? I wouldn’t put it past her, but I’d given no indication that I was digging through her personal information. It had to be somebody else, but then who would go this far to help Sarah on her behalf? My nails dug into the palms of my hand. Blood trickled down my hands and steadily dripped onto the floor. I hardly noticed, I was seething with anger. There was only one person who would go to these lengths to help Sarah. Maxwell, her father. He had to be having me followed. It was the only explanation as to how he knew what I was up to. I swore under my breath.
“Johnathon I need those records,” I said urgently “Time is of the essence man. The other hacker probably knows you got into the system.”
“Actually, I managed to circumnavigate his sensors. He has no clue” Johnathon assured me as I relaxed slightly. Hopefully, it would stay that way.
He hit a button and the sound of the printer began to whir. I waited impatiently as it printed several sheets of paper. Once it was finished, I snatched the paper up and began to peruse it frantically.
“Where is it” I murmured frantically “Where the hell is it?” as my eyes scanned the page.
Johnathon chuckled. He grabbed the papers, flipped through them, grabbed a highlighter, and highlighted a certain portion, handing them back to me with a grin.
“Catuaba Herb” I read, looking at Johnathon with an arched brow.
He exhaled and sighed. “I take it you never paid any attention in science class or did your own research,” he said admonishing me.
I looked at him sheepishly. He groaned. “The Catuaba herb is a powerful aphrodisiac, especially in regards to shifters. It causes extreme s****| frustration, hazy memory, pain, and horniness. Basically after ingesting it, you’re willing to sleep with whoever is the nearest person to you. It increases the s****I pleasure and endorphins you feel during s*x too.”
That explained all of the symptoms I had experienced. “Would the herb make you easier to manipulate, say such as getting you to mark someone against your will?”
He looked off into the distance, chewing on a pencil, and considered it. “It would probably make you more susceptible to suggestions,” he said shrugging “especially in such a heightened state and unable to focus properly.”
“b***h” I hissed, my hands clenching into fists “she coerced me into marking her.”
I have my proof now. I was closing in on her and she was fast becoming my prey.
Johnathon looked at me sympathetically. “Yeah, your situation sucks dude,” he said exhaling and yawning “What are you going to do?”
I folded the papers in half and hid them under my shirt and underneath my pants, tucking them in securely. “As much as I want to confront her right now,” I said between gritted teeth “I have another problem to deal with first. I have a nuisance that is following me and I don’t want to show my upper hand, at least not yet.”
“The card details are there. If you can get hold of her card and match the numbers it will be undeniable proof that she used it to purchase the illegal herb.”
“That’s what I plan on doing. But what if it’s her father’s card?”
“I already checked. It’s under her name. She can try to deny it but legally, the card is her responsibility no matter how much she tries to deny it. I wish that she had purchased it in a public space, but she wasn’t that stupid or naïve. There’s no security in her bedroom unfortunately and that’s where the purchase or rather the laptop she used was located.”
I clapped him on the back and then gave him a handshake. “It goes without saying that this stays strictly between us” I confirmed.
He laughed. “Bro, you know I got your back. Besides you pay me enough to keep me more than happy in this line of work. All you have to do is say the word and I’m at your disposal once again” he said with a bow of his head.
“Yeah, well keep your head down and make sure you keep an eye out. The last thing I want is for something to happen to you” I told him grimly.
“I have 24-hour surveillance hooked up and enough boobie traps that the home-alone kid would be envious” Johnathon teased.
He did too. Anybody who even dared to try and break in would soon find themselves dodging all sorts of dangerous and unique contraptions designed to inflict maximum damage towards shifters and other supernatural creatures. Johnathon might be young, but in other aspects, he was old and wise.
“I’ll leave you to it then,” I said, shrugging on my jacket. I headed out the door, the papers firmly in my possession, and headed towards my car, sliding into it and starting the engine. I peeled out of the driveway and out of the security gates, keeping a firm eye on the traffic behind me. A discreet black SUV kept pace behind me. I rolled my eyes and took some back roads, swerving and making a point to backtrack until I lost them, but I had no doubts this was all Maxwell’s doing. Slimy bastard. I was going to have to keep a close eye on him. If he was willing to put his future Alpha under surveillance then what else was he prepared to do in regards to keeping his daughter safe? What lengths was he willing to go to?
I parked back at the pack house, just in time to see Maxwell throw his hands up in exasperation, following a shouting match at an exasperated and teary-looking Sarah, storming off as she stared at the back of him wide-eyed. Conscious of the papers I needed to put into my personal safe, I made an effort to look aloof “Another family drama” I sneered as she hiccupped and turned watery eyes on me.
“You could at least show some compassion” she whined.
“You brought this on yourself,” I said coldly “I gather mother and father decided to show you forgiveness. What a shame” I added, giving her a sidelong glare.
“You’re a bastard” she whispered.
I winked at her, turning on my heel and glancing coldly over my shoulder “Well it takes one to know one, doesn’t it Sarah?”
She threw a pebble at my back. I stopped and turned to look at her. She bit her lip, looking hesitant.
“You know,” I said genuinely perplexed “I will never know how someone like Jordan who is kind, loving, and a natural beauty, shares DNA with a cold-hearted, frigid b***h like you.” With that parting shot, I disappeared into the pack house, slamming the door behind me.