Page 119 of Scandalous Contract

He’d raised Hudson to believe that also. So why did Hudson want Stefanie? She was a career-driven woman. She wasn’t his type. Yet, he was determined to have her. I brought up some of his phone records that my PI had gotten his hands on.

Nothing suspicious there, except that I didn’t like the number of times he called Stefanie. He’d even texted India Adams a few times, asking her about her mother and the things her mother liked.

The bastard hadn’t even cared enough to put in a little work and figure that out for himself. I flipped through the information Rashad had sent me about Stefanie’s husband. According to Rashad, her husband had been friends with Hudson.

I clicked through those files, skimming over them, searching for the ones Rashad said he’d flagged for me.Found them. There were some old communications between Hudson and Archie, Stefanie’s ex.

What fucking kind of name was Archibald Adams. It sounded like a douche name. They’d exchanged emails back and forth often. In one email, Hudson asked if Archie was responsible for the bruise on Stefanie’s arm.

Archie confirmed it, saying she’d angered him by not having his clothes ready for work. Hudson wrote back and said that he needed to keep his hands off her because she had to be on the air, and if viewers saw that, Archie would be in trouble.

Archie replied that from now on, he’d make sure the bruises weren’t visible. I closed my eyes against their exchanges, wishing they were both in front of me right now so I could put a bullet in their heads.

I opened my eyes slowly and forced myself to continue reading. I found another part Rashad had flagged. The more I read, the angrier I got. I’d overheard some of this the day I eavesdropped on Stefanie’s conversation at the hospital. But this... this was fucked up.

And Hudson had been a part of it. Hell, he’d been the one to suggest it. And then, when things went south and Stefanie’s husband decided to leave her for his mistress, Hudson had encouraged him to do so, stating that sad pussy was the best and he’d be her rebound guy once Archie was gone.

Archie had bet Hudson a thousand dollars that he wouldn’t be able to get the pussy. Fortunately, the douche died in a car accident a few days later. His mistress had been in the car with him. She later died at the hospital.

And being called to the hospital that night was how Stefanie learned that not only was her husband leaving her, but he was also cheating on her. Had been cheating on her throughout their entire relationship.

I took a deep breath and held it in for a few seconds. I exhaled slowly. I’d never understood the concept of cheating. Why get into a committed relationship if you didn’t want to commit to the relationship?

Why betray the one you claimed to love? If you didn’t want to be with them, leave them. Why hurt them more by giving someone else what was supposed to be theirs? There was so much damning information in these exchanges.

And Hudson hadn’t deleted any of the emails. Some of the emails went back eighteen years. He no longer used the account, but the emails were still there. Was he keeping them for a reason? To use against Stefanie? To blackmail her into submission?

But why wait all these years to do it? I didn’t know what he was up to, but I knew I didn’t like it. This motherfucker needed to join her husband in hell. But not yet. He was up to something, and I needed to know what it was. I needed to know if there were others involved.

Something about this didn’t feel right. If I took him out without knowing the truth, that could hurt Stefanie in the long run. I couldn’t do that. But I damn sure couldn’t let this motherfucker show up at her house again either.

That’s why, when night fell, I found myself at his gym, the one he frequented most nights. It had taken Rashad all day to duplicate a keycard for me to get in. And he hadn’t been a hundred percent sure that it would work since it was rushed.

It worked. I entered the gym and stared around the place. Since it was night, there were only two people working out, and they were on opposite ends of the room. Neither looked up when the door chimed, announcing my entrance.

Had no one ever told them to always keep their eyes on the entrances and exits? I guess not. My gaze moved to the far right, where Hudson’s bitch ass was lying on a bench, pushing weights without a spotter.

I approached slowly, wishing I could beat him to death with one of those weights. As he prepared for another rep, I placed my hand firmly on the bar, preventing him from lifting. His eyes shot up to meet mine, confusion clouding his gaze.

“I don’t need a spotter,” he said dismissively.

"You're Hudson Howard, right?” I asked. “The Hudson who used to work with Stefanie Adams?"

His gaze narrowed, and he tried to push the bar up. I held it down, forcing him to strain. His eyes widened, a look of panic flaring in their depths. I leaned down to deliver the message I’d come to deliver.

"I'll tell you this once, and only once," I said, my voice low and deadly. "Stay away from Stefanie and her daughter. Don’t call them. Don’t text them. Don’t even fucking think about them,” I hissed as his arms trembled.

“If I see you near her home again, or hear that you've been asking about her or threatening her in any way, I’ll make you regret ever hearing the name Stefanie Adams."

I released the bar abruptly. His arms buckled, the weights nearly crashing onto his chest. He struggled to rack them, gasping for breath, his face flushed with exertion and fear. I watched, taking pleasure in his discomfort.

Without another word, I turned and walked out, the gym's fluorescent lights flickering overhead as I exited the building. As I reached the parking lot, a voice called out behind me.

"Hey!"

I stopped and turned slowly. Hudson stood near the front door of the gym.

"You must be the new man she's sleeping with," Hudson sneered. "The one who was at her house last night."