Early the next morning, Alex secretly arranged to meet Naomi and Erica at a private restaurant hidden within one of the city's quieter business districts. The moment all three of them settled inside the sealed private room, Alex began explaining the entire plan Hayley had proposed the night before.
As Erica listened, her face gradually paled.
Naomi, however, remained surprisingly calm.
"Alex," Naomi asked steadily after a long silence, "are you confident this can be done?"
"Of course," Alex answered immediately. His gaze darkened slightly afterward. "But both of you will need to help too."
He had no intention of carrying all the risk alone. If things went wrong, he wanted Naomi and Erica tied to the scheme alongside him.
Erica sat stiffly beside her mother, anxiety practically radiating from her body. Her wolf instincts were clearly resisting the idea of harming Francis no matter how bitter she felt toward him.
"Mom…" she whispered uneasily. "Dad—"
