Broken Bond: Claimed by My Ex-Husband's Alpha Billionaire Uncle-Chapter 84: The Victim of The Bastard

Damon had stayed by Charlotte’s side the entire day after that. He never strayed far from his mate, as if afraid that if she disappeared from his sight, she would vanish completely.

Charlotte had been making great progress in her therapy sessions lately, and Julian’s sudden appearance had surely ruined everything she had worked for.

That fucking bastard.

Damon clenched his jaw, and the only thing on his mind was figuring out how to wrap his hands around Julian’s neck and punch him over and over again.

He never expected Julian to dare set foot in Northbridge instead of running straight to his parents’ house. If he was truly desperate for money, why didn’t he just throw himself into his mother’s arms?

Damon let out a heavy sigh as he realized that Julian’s visit to Charlotte wasn’t about money, but it was about making her suffer.

He wanted revenge because he must have known that the person responsible for his company’s bankruptcy was Damon.

"Mr. Sullivan." Isolde didn’t call him Alpha since they were around humans. "I’ve got news from one of our wolves." She leaned in and whispered into Damon’s ear, "Young Miss Haven suffered from food poisoning after lunch at the kindergarten."

Damon’s eyes widened, his fists clenching so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He took a deep breath, trying to keep himself calm. "How is she? Is she okay?"

Isolde replied, "Mr. Louis has taken Young Miss Haven to the supernatural hospital. It seems the poison isn’t an ordinary one."

Damon froze. He had assigned people to protect his niece, but he never expected someone would dare poison her meal.

That poison.

Damon’s voice was low and controlled. "Is it the one that can interfere with her healing ability?"

Isolde nodded grimly. "Yes, it is. But from what I’ve heard, the amount of poison in her body isn’t too high, so she won’t end up like..."

She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

If the poison had been in a larger dose, Haven might have suffered the same fate as the rogue werewolves they had captured before.

Damon’s blood boiled. His expression darkened.

"I see," he said coldly. "Tell Theodore to bring my sister, Priscilla, to the manor now. I need to talk to her."

They hadn’t been able to track down Julian, but maybe his mother knew something about his whereabouts.

The last time Priscilla had caused a scene at the manor, Carmen had finally stepped in to meet her daughter.

She hadn’t come to comfort her, but she had come to warn her. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

Carmen had made it clear that if Priscilla continued stirring up trouble and defending her son despite knowing the terrible things he had done, she would erase Priscilla’s name from the will of inheritance.

Priscilla’s husband was wealthy, but his fortune was nothing compared to what Carmen possessed.

Carmen had been the first wife of the previous Alpha. Like it or not, she had far more wealth than the second wife.

It wasn’t because she had monopolized their husband’s fortune, but because she had received a massive compensation when Samuel decided to marry another woman.

When Samuel refused her demands, she took the case to the Nocturnal Order’s court, publicly humiliating him in the supernatural world for trying to take a second mate.

In the end, Carmen won the case and secured 70% more wealth than the second wife.

Mona wasn’t the type of person who was greedy for money, so she never made a fuss about it. Besides, she also knew that Carmen had more right to their husband’s wealth.

Because of that, Damon decided to build his own company, so he and his mother wouldn’t have to rely on his bastard father’s fortune.

The fortune left behind by his father was so vast that Priscilla didn’t dare to go against Carmen’s wishes. She immediately distanced herself from whatever her son was involved in.

But Damon knew there was a chance she was only pretending to obey Carmen while secretly helping her son behind the scenes.

After all, no mother would truly abandon their child, not even Priscilla.

"I understand," Isolde said. "But shouldn’t you and Ms. Dawson return to the manor soon? Miss Diana also mentioned that she needs to discuss something with you."

Damon’s gaze shifted to Charlotte, who was in the middle of shooting a scene where Lena and her daughter were decorating a Christmas tree with discarded ornaments they had salvaged from the apartment’s trash.

"No," Damon said firmly. "If I rush things, Charlotte will spiral immediately."

Isolde hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Understood. I’ll make sure everything is prepared for your return."

Damon barely acknowledged her words, his attention fixed on Charlotte.

She was focused on her scene, her expression a mix of quiet determination and nostalgia. But Damon knew better. He could see the tension in her posture, the way her fingers trembled slightly as she adjusted an ornament on the tree.

She was trying so hard to keep herself together.

And the last thing she needed right now was for him to leave suddenly and make her feel like the ground beneath her was crumbling.

Damon sighed slowly, pushing down the anger simmering in his chest. Julian had already done enough damage today, Damon wouldn’t make it worse by acting impulsively.

He also chose to discuss Haven’s situation only after she finished shooting, so she wouldn’t panic now.

"Keep me updated," he finally said to Isolde, his voice low. "If there’s any change with Haven’s condition, I want to know immediately."

"Yes, Mr. Sullivan." Isolde dipped her head before stepping away, leaving Damon alone to watch over Charlotte.

• • •

Charlotte rolled her shoulders, trying to ease the stiffness after a long day of shooting. She let out a sigh of relief as she stepped out of the filming location and made her way toward Damon’s car.

He hadn’t talked much today, too occupied with phone calls, probably about work or updates on Julian’s whereabouts.

As soon as Charlotte settled into the passenger seat, Damon started the car, but he didn’t drive off immediately. Instead, he exhaled deeply, gripping the steering wheel tightly before turning to look at her.

"There’s something I need to tell you," he said, his voice calmer than he felt.

Charlotte, who had been massaging her sore shoulders, paused. The serious look in his eyes made her straighten up. "What is it?"

Damon hesitated for a moment. He didn’t want to stress her out, but she had to know.

"It’s Haven," he finally said. "She was poisoned today."

Charlotte’s breath hitched. "What?!"

Damon reached out, taking her trembling hand in his. "She’s okay for now. She was taken to the supernatural hospital in time, and they’re treating her. But the poison they used, it wasn’t an ordinary one. It was designed to suppress her healing ability."

Charlotte’s eyes darted wildly as the mention of poison triggered a memory, the same kind of poison found in the rogue werewolves’ bodies. But before her mind could spiral into worst-case scenarios, Damon spoke again.

"Don’t worry. The amount of poison in her system wasn’t too much, and Louis said the doctors have successfully neutralized all of it."

"So ... she’s okay," Charlotte said, her voice trembling.

Damon nodded. "She’s fine."

Charlotte lowered her head, biting her lower lip. "This is because of me," she whispered. "I think Julian found out that I reported his threat to you, so he ... Oh, Haven."

Guilt weighed heavily in her chest, squeezing the air from her lungs.

Damon’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. He hated seeing Charlotte blame herself for something that wasn’t her fault.

"This is not because of you," he said firmly. "This is because Julian is a sick bastard who doesn’t care who he hurts."

Charlotte shook her head. "But if I hadn’t—"

Damon reached over, gently tilting her chin up so she would look at him. His gray eyes burned with intensity. "Listen to me. Julian made his own choices. He’s been like this long before you ever stood up to him. You did the right thing by telling me about his threats."

Charlotte swallowed hard, searching his gaze for reassurance. "But he went after Haven ..."

"And that just proves what kind of a coward he is," Damon growled. "Targeting a child? He’s desperate. But I promise you, Charlotte, I will find him. And when I do, he’ll wish he never crawled out of whatever hole he’s been hiding in."

Charlotte took a shaky breath, her fingers clutching the hem of her coat. "I want to see her."

"Okay." Damon pulled her into his embrace for a moment. "We’ll go see Haven now."

Deep down, Charlotte was afraid to face Louis and Vera. What if they blamed her for what happened to their daughter?

The thought gnawed at her as Damon drove toward the supernatural hospital. She clasped her hands together, trying to keep them from shaking.

What if they looked at her with disappointment? What if they resented her for bringing Julian’s wrath upon their little girl?

Damon must have sensed her distress because he reached over, squeezing her hand gently. "Louis and Vera won’t blame you," he said without taking his eyes off the road. "They know this isn’t your fault."

Charlotte let out a shaky breath. "But Haven got hurt because of me."

"No," Damon said firmly. "Haven got hurt because of Julian. Don’t forget that."