Penance - Uncovering the truth, Secrets and confessions, and Twisted pasts

Chapter 63

Looking through the small glass window on William's door, Grayson saw him lying in bed, connected to several tubes. William looked much thinner, and his chest was wrapped in bandages with red spots, likely bloodstains. Just as Grayson noticed a nurse approaching, he quickly averted his gaze from William and proceeded to open Hudson's room door.

Inside, Hudson was resting in bed, recovering from his injuries. His face lit up with surprise and a smile when he saw Grayson. "Grayson! What can I do for you?" Hudson asked, sounding both confused and excited.

In a professional manner,  Grayson stood by the door and asked about Hudson's recovery. Hudson smiled and said he felt much better, finding the hospital beds surprisingly comfortable.

Hudson's eyes wandered to Grayson's side, and he noticed Alison's absence. He gave Grayson a sad smile and asked, "She's with him, isn't she?" referring to Mason. Grayson nodded in confirmation. Hudson scratched his head thoughtfully and said, "Well, Alison doesn't deserve you anyway. You'll find someone better."

Grayson felt a hint of frustration rise, but he chose to let it go for now. Instead, he gently steered the conversation to the main reason for his visit. "You're lucky to have survived the crash."

Hudson sat up in bed, leaning against the pillows. The playful tone had vanished from his voice, and his brown eyes met Grayson's silver ones with serious intensity. "Luck isn't the right word, it's faith," Hudson corrected him before continuing, "It's as if someone was watching over us, guiding us through that chaos."

Grayson's mind clicked, confirming Mason's responsibility for the accident, but now the question was why? "You think someone deliberately caused the crash?"

Hudson could read between the lines and understood what Grayson was really asking. He took a deep breath and carefully chose his words. "We found some interesting connections," he replied cautiously. "There were financial transactions that didn't add up, and communications that seemed to be coded."

For a few moments, Grayson locked eyes with Hudson, his silver gaze demanding further information. And, as always, Grayson's persistence prevailed.

"We discovered the existence of a social contract," Hudson continued, but he hesitated to share more. Still, Grayson's unyielding stare pushed him to continue.

"As you know, all legal files of Alison have disappeared, but that doesn't mean they don't exist," he continued, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Will and I hired someone to access Mason's files, but we only managed to obtain Alison's missing records. It was enough evidence to confirm our suspicions, but the social contract was what intrigued us the most, as accessing that could set Alison free."

"After reading Mason's books, or rather, Alison's books, it became clear that Mason wielded immense power," Hudson said. "He could steal legal file records, publish books under his name that became bestsellers without raising suspicions, and orchestrate killings without getting his hands dirty. But it was only possible with Alison; she was bound to the social contract. Without access to her files or records, she technically doesn't exist, and so, everything is attributed to Mason."

Hudson and William had successfully accessed Alison's missing files, which meant they had the potential to bring Mason's empire down by taking it to court, but the question remained whether they would do so. Taking a deep breath to control his frustration, Grayson asked, "Why did Mason spare your lives?"

"We're better of dead aren't we?" Hudson chuckled, wincing slightly from the pain. "But we're alive, or as Alison would like to think of it, we were like loose bolts that needed to be put back on the machine to keep it going again."