Chapter 69

Carol’s POV

“That’s very helpful,” I finally say after I let that information settle in my head. “Do you think you can send me proof of all of this via my email?”

“Yes, of course,” Linda says.

I give her my email and I can hear her typing away on her computer.

“Okay, you should receive that any second now. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No, that’s everything. If there’s anything more we need, I’ll make sure to call you again,” I tell her.

Linda proceeds to give me her personal line so I can call her directly. After we say goodbye, I hang up the phone and hand it back to Aiden.

“Do you think it could be Katrina?” I ask him, a nervous bubble forming in the pit of my stomach as I look at his confused expression.

“It’s a good possibility,” he admits as he rubs his hands over his face. “But we won’t know for sure unless we get evidence against her. It could be anybody in the capital. It could be my family…”

I can see that he’s struggling with the idea that his family would possibly do something so extreme like that. I stand to my feet and close the small gap between us, wanting to calm him and his wolf down. I can tell from the fiery look in his eyes that his wolf is on edge. I wrap my arms around him and pull myself as close as possible.

“We are going to figure it out,” I tell him. “Don’t worry.”

He kisses me and nods.

“Oliver’s birthday is coming up in a few days and usually he has a huge party to celebrate,” he tells me. “I wasn’t going to make you come to the capital to attend the party, but I can give him a call and see if he can add us to the guest list. Maybe we can do some investigating while we are there.”

The thought of returning to the capital after my last experience there left me feeling unsettled. But I nod anyway. If this will prove my innocence and get me off the hook, then I’ll do just about anything.

“Okay,” I agree.

He swipes his finger across the screen of his phone until Oliver’s name flashes across the screen. He presses the phone to his cheek and waits until Oliver answers.

“Hello?” I can hear Oliver clearly on the other end of the phone.

“Hey, man. I just wondering about your upcoming birthday party. Does that invitation still stand?”

“For you, of course,” Oliver says but then he pauses. “I thought you didn’t want to come back here though.”

“Something came up and we need an excuse to go there,” Aiden surprises me by admitting.

“Ah, so you’re using my birthday for your own gain?” Oliver teases. “I shouldn’t be surprised Mr. Hockey player.”

“It’s not like that; we were able to trace the IP address that posted the bail on those three guys, and it traces back to the capital,” Aiden explains. “And I have a feeling whoever it is, will be at your birthday.”

“That checks out; I have a feeling it’s Katrina,” Olver admits. “She’s been gloating about how she knew Carol was a criminal this whole time. I keep telling her to shut the fuck up, but you know how she is.”

“Yeah,” Aiden mutters. “So, you don’t mind if we crash your party?”

“Crash it?” Oliver laughs. “You were never uninvited. Consider the invitation officially extended to Carol as well. Oh, but the party is tomorrow night. I can send the plane to pick you up tonight. The party will be at the hotel, so I’ll get a room for you while I’m at it.”

“Thanks, Oliver. I seriously owe you one,” Aiden says.

“I like Carol; if this means we can finally clear her name, consider this worth it, and no debt is needed,” Oliver replies. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

Aiden hangs up and then turns to me.

“Get packed,” he says. “We have a jet to catch.”

We spent the next couple of hours packing our things and getting ready for our flight. Jarrod waited for us to get into the car before taking off and driving to the airfield where the private plane awaited our arrival. I will never get used to flying on a private plane.

I wasn’t a fan of flying but held Aiden with dear life as the plane took off. I didn’t release him again until the plane steadied.

Aiden just laughs and leans over to kiss me.

“So, what’s the plan exactly? We can’t exactly barge into the party and start accusing people of framing me,” I tell him, peeking over at him.

He shrugs.

“Sounds like a great plan to me,” he teases.

I roll my eyes.

“I’m serious, Aiden. What are we going to do?”

“Well, first, we are going to look into Katrina. It’ll be easier to look into her instead of my parents. Hopefully, we won’t have to get to that point.”

“And by looking into her, you mean….?”

“How good are you at hacking into a mobile phone?”

I raise my brows at his question.

“I’m pretty good at using phones, but hacking them… not so much,” I tell him honestly.

He nods thoughtfully and thinks deeply about that.

“Oliver has always been pretty good with tech. He might be able to hack into her phone,” Aiden says. “I can distract her while the two of you get into her phone.”

I fold my arms across my chest and press my lips firmly together.

“Distract her how exactly?”

He smirks as he meets my eyes.

“Don’t worry; I would never do anything to hurt you. But honestly, I think I am the only one who could truly distract her away from her phone. That thing is like her lifeline. As soon as I get her away, you’ll have to work quickly because she won’t leave it for long.”

“I have a bad feeling about this,” I admit, wrapping my arms around my body like I was holding myself together.

Aiden puts a protective arm around my shoulders and pulls me to his side.

“I’ll be right here with you,” he assures me. “By the end of this trip, your innocence will be proved.”

I nod, believing him.

Just like when we were taking off, the ending wasn’t much easier. I held onto Aiden’s arm with dear life as the plane went downward. I didn’t release him again until we were safely on the ground.

I let out a sigh of relief once the plane stopped moving altogether.

Oliver had thought of everything; there was a car already waiting for us to take us to the hotel when we arrived. The driver helped us get things out of the plane and put them in the trunk of his car.

Soon, we were driving to the hotel.

“What’s this party going to be like? I don’t really have any clothes for it,” I admit, biting my lower lip as I peed up at him.

Aiden shrugs.

“We can go into town in the morning and get you some clothes,” he assures me. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you stand out too much. The more you blend in, the better it’ll be. Trust me.”

I nod. I certainly don’t want to stand out by any means.

“Will your parents be there?”

“Most likely,” he answers. “They are close with the Beta family and will want to be there to show Oliver support.”

“Great,” I murmur.

Aiden kisses my temple.

“If they say anything to upset you tomorrow night, I’ll step in the middle of it. It’s not going to be like last time.”

I thought about the last time and how Aiden’s father put me on the spot. I also thought about how Aiden’s mother stood up for me, which was very strange, to say the least. I really hope that nothing like that will happen again. I really didn’t need another scene for the media to eat up. I’m not cut out for this type of life, but for Aiden, It’s all worth it.

Once we get to the hotel, my mouth falls open. I don’t think I’ve ever stayed at a hotel quite this big before. It was so beautiful and right in the heart of the Capital. It doesn’t look like a hotel at all, it’s a resort.

“Holy shit,” I murmur, staring at the gorgeous rustic building that sat before us. “This is a hotel?”

Aiden chuckles as he grabs our things from the trunk.

“Yes,” he answers. “They are known to host the best events here. Oliver’s party will be held here tomorrow night.”

“This place looks incredible,” I whisper as we walk towards the front entrance.

As soon as we walk in, I freeze when I see paparazzi standing around the front lobby. It’s almost as if they have been waiting for us. As soon as they saw us standing there, all cameras were turned in our direction.