Trust in You

Chapter 69 - Ethan

I take a step closer to Hudson. As long as he is within my reach, I can handle him. I'm mastering some martial arts, it's that or my granddad will put bodyguards on me.

I walk from the side in purpose for Hudson to take a step back far from Madeline. And as expected, he moves a bit to the couch. Now we are in a triangle position.

"Stop, Hall! Don't come closer or I will shoot you." His hands shaky, eyes rimmed red unfocused, I can see the bulge vein on his neck. He is high. Motherfucker! It's easier to talk with sober people than the one under influence.

"What do you want, Hudson?" I ask in a stony voice. I take a glance at Madeline. Her face looks pale.

"I need money, Hall. Your cousin threw me off the bus! That bitch doesn't want me anymore."

"It's your business with Cam. Don't drag us to your drama." I walk a small step towards him. "Listen Hudson, I can give you the money you want and you can go for now. But that means you admit you are the mastermind of the embezzlement."

"It wasn't me! I swear to you, Hall. I'm not the mastermind. Ben is the mastermind. He took me under his wing, because I found his embezzles. That greedy man isn't that smart in hiding the proof. He's just an old green-eyed guy!"

I nod. Jack came with Hudson files. He is a smart guy. I suspected he was the one who did the tricky job to make us harder on finding the embezzlement's proof.

"I'm not the mastermind. He said he would give a lot of money if I helped him. It's big, Hall. I swear to you it's big. And I was with Camilia back then, that was why when you interrogate me I couldn't tell you it was him." Hudson keeps talking about the embezzlement. He doesn't realize I'm a few steps towards him.

"He was planning to pull you down when he found out you were looking closely at the embezzlement. That's why we came with the idea of sexual harassment. I know your former assistant will choose Madeline. She's smart. If it wasn't because of her mom, she would move to LA since last year. The timing was right. Cam was so antsy with my relationship with Madeline, even though I told her it's nothing. Guess she sensed I was planning to leave her once I got the money."

Madeline gasps. "You used her?" My woman is too pure for this world.

"What else, Mads? I was with her for more than half a year. She kept pushing me to break up with you. I didn't want to. My future was you in it. Not her." He looks at Madeline.

"You're so disgusting, Thomas!" She says in disbelief.

This is my chance. Hudson's focus is on Madeline, while his gun is still pointing at me.

I lunge forward. I'm planning to break his fingers from the gun. We are fighting. Thomas pulls the trigger when the gun is facing the roof. Madeline screams. I'm still fighting the gun with him. I'm sure I broke at least one of his finger. Another shot, and I feel there is a hot in my left upper arm. But finally the gun falls down. I kick the gun away and punch Hudson with all my power.

He falls backward to the wall; the blood comes from his nose. I stagger back a bit. I glance at my arm. Damn it! There are blood trickles from my arm. My white shirt becomes red.

Hudson lunges at me and hits my left bloody arm. "I just need money, Hall! You have a lot." He is still talking while his hand presses on my wound. I don't know how long we are wrestling, but somehow during the wrestling, I kick him hard. He falls back and bumps into Madeline, and Madeline falls to the table.

I lose my focus on Thomas when Madeline doesn't wake up from the table immediately. Thomas punches me in the face. He comes to again; I stagger myself, ready to launch the punch on him. But suddenly there is a vase and smack!