Page 114 of The Alpha's Crimson Vow

Alex doesn’t react right away. He just absorbs the words, his gaze darkening slightly as he processes them. And then, slowly, he nods. “Good,” he says, his voice firm. “They deserve worse.”

I let out a slow breath. “It doesn’t bring my parents back,” I murmur, more to myself than him. “But it brings me something. Knowing they’ll spend the rest of their lives answering for what they did.”

Alex watches me, his expression unreadable. Then, after a beat, he asks, “And Frank?”

I inhale sharply. My stomach tightens. “He’s been arrested too. My investigator uncovered proof. He was the master mind behind the plan to kill my parents. And…” I pause, my throat tightening. “He was working with Valerian.”

Alex’s expression turns cold. I can see the change in him immediately—the way his shoulders stiffen, the way his fingers curl slightly against his cup.

“He was part of the plot that got me kidnapped.”

The words leave my lips, quiet but unshaken, heavy enough to shift the air around us.

“He did it himself. He delivered me to Valerian.”

I inhale deeply. The next part—this part—is personal to him. I take a moment, then continue.

“From the evidence my private investigator gathered… and from Frank’s confession… Valerian had approached my father, trying to secure the asset transfers he needed to sway your council members—the ones who took bribes. My dad must have sensed something was off, so he refused. That’s when Valerian went to Frank. Frank and three other board members helped him pull the deals off in secret. And when my father caught on to it—” mythroat tightens, but I force the words out—“that’s when they had him killed.”

I swallow hard before continuing.

“Frank was hoping to become CEO after that. When that didn’t happen, he planned to kill me, too. And when you took back your kingdom, Valerian offered him one last chance—to return to the company and finally take the position he always wanted.”

I let the final words settle, the weight of them pressing into the space between us.

Alex exhales, slow and measured, but his eyes… they burn.His hands curl into fists on the table, knuckles whitening. He doesn’t speak right away, doesn’t so much as breathe for a long, tense moment. He just stares down at his tea.

Finally, he exhales. “If it was up to me,” he mutters, his voice dark with something lethal, “he’d rot in a dungeon in the kingdom.”

A shiver runs down my spine. Not from fear, but from the sheer weight of his fury.

Alex shakes his head, and when his gaze lifts to meet mine, there’s something searching in it. He doesn’t need me to say it. He already knows, I wouldn’t want that.

Frank will spend the rest of his life behind bars. He’ll never see the light of day as a free man again. And for me, that’s enough.

Alex studies me for a moment longer before his expression changes, softens just enough. He leans back slightly, his eyes still locked on mine.

“Are you okay?” he asks, his voice quieter now, careful. “I mean… he’s still your family. It must be…” He exhales again, as if searching for the right word. “Hard.”

I hold his gaze, letting the question settle in the space between us. And then, slowly, I nod.

“Yeah,” I admit. “It is. But it’s what he deserves. He killed my parents. He was ready to have me killed. The only thing that weighs on me is that my own cousin could do this. But Frank… after everything he’s done? He can rot.”

Alex watches me for a beat longer, then reaches out, brushing his fingers lightly over mine. The gesture is brief, but it lingers in the space between us.

He leans back slightly. “And what about Lawrence?” he asks, his tone careful. “Wasn’t he culpable too?”

I shake my head. “No. Turns out, he’s just an old man clinging to outdated family values. He was just as shocked as anyone when the truth about the board members and Frank came out.” I sigh. “He’s a pain, but he’s not a murderer.”

Alex studies me, then gives a slow nod. “Then that’s everyone,” he says. “All the enemies locked away.”

Relief flickers through me at the words. A finality I hadn’t let myself feel until now. I nod. “Yeah. Finally.”

A silence settles between us, not uncomfortable, just… full. We sip our tea in quiet understanding, letting everything sink in.

And then, Alex breaks the silence. His voice is quieter now, more careful. “Katherine.”

I glance up. His expression is earnest, something raw.

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