Alpha's Abandoned Daughter is the Secret Heiress novel Chapter 263

Chapter 263: The Price of Freedom

Chapter 263: The Price of Freedom

(Amelia’s POV)

I cut him off without hesitation.

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“I gave you a chance before,” I said coldly. “When I wanted to terminate the contract with you back then, you refused. So forget it.”

I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms.

“You want to leave now? Fine. Wait until the contract expires.”

Back when I trusted Ethan implicitly, Caleb had signed a ten–year contract with Starlight.

It was practically a slave contract.

Only two years had passed. There were still eight full years left.

For an artist in his prime, being shelved for eight years meant one thing.

Career suicide.

In the depths of my consciousness, Ava let out a low, pleased purr.

She was delighted to see the person who had once hurt us now falling into such despair.

Caleb lowered his posture, his voice thick with pleading.

“Please, Amelia. Just let me go. I swear I will never pester you for forgiveness again.”

I just smiled contemptuously.

“I offered you a free termination to cut ties completely, and you refused,” I mocked. “Now that you realize Celine is a fraud, you start to regret it?”

“It’s too late.”

I leaned forward, clasping my hands on the desk.

“If you want to forcibly terminate the contract, according to the terms, you must pay a penalty of ten million.”

I paused, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

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< Chapter 263 The Price of Freedom

“And as far as I know, your current financial situation can’t cover that.”

Caleb’s face instantly turned pale.

Bitterness filled his eyes.

He really couldn’t bring out that kind of money.

After two years since his debut, he only had three million left in savings.

The other nearly ten million had been spent satisfying Celine’s vanity.

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And that woman had secretly used that money to support her greedy biological father, Chuck

Haden.

The Stone brothers had been fleeced like fools.

Watching his pathetic state, I decided to twist the knife.

“Since Gale Entertainment wants to poach you, why not ask Arthur York to pay this money for

you?”

Caleb looked up in shock.

He couldn’t believe I knew about his plan to jump ship to our competitor.

“You are just as hypocritical as Ethan,” I sneered. “You say you want to make amends, but for profit, you betray me without hesitation.”

“I had no choice!” Caleb argued weakly, his face draining of color.

“I have to become strong. Only if I make a name for myself will I be worthy of your forgiveness.”

He gritted his teeth.

“I will find a way to get the ten million.”

With that, he turned and fled the office in a sorry state.

After Caleb left, I took out my phone.

I posted on social media that the recording was finished.

Fans flooded the comments section instantly.

They praised my talent and expressed high expectations for the soundtrack of *The Healer’s Journal*.

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However, Caleb’s stans were lurking like sharks circling in the water.

They began calculating maliciously in the comments.

“She’s deliberately shelving Caleb to steal his work!”

“Free Caleb!”

I looked at these comments and scoffed.

I didn’t hold back.

I directly pinned the nastiest comments and clapped back with sharp, biting replies.

I pulled no punches against these trolls.

Just then, Director Liam called.

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“Amelia, I have news. Gale Entertainment is looking for a male lead for their new show. They are deciding between the rising star Jasper and the scandal–free Movie King, Yves.”

My eyes narrowed.

I knew Yves. In the future, he would be exposed for a horrific scandal.

“Guide them,” I said calmly. “Make sure they sign Yves.”

I needed to save Jasper from that sinking ship.

Hanging up, I looked at the dossier from my private investigator.

I dialed Jade York’s number.

“Miss York,” I said the moment the call connected. “Your father, Alpha Arthur York, has an illegitimate son.”

“He is about to enter Gale Entertainment to take over the company.”

There was silence on the other end.

This was a massive threat to Jade, the eldest daughter.

“If you don’t want to lose your inheritance,” I threatened coldly, “you will do exactly as I say.”

(Author’s POV)

Caleb walked out of the Starlight Entertainment building in a daze.

He didn’t contact Gale Entertainment immediately about the penalty money.

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The shame of having Amelia see through him so completely paralyzed him.

He sat in his car, gripping the steering wheel.

Compelled by some instinct, he dialed his eldest brother, Ethan.

The phone rang for a long time before connecting.

“Hello?”

Ethan’s voice was hoarse and low.

He sounded completely drunk and decadent.

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“I did it again, Caleb,” Ethan mumbled, laughing self–deprecatingly. “I stabbed Amelia in the back again. I’m a hopeless case.”

Caleb’s heart tightened.

He sensed that Ethan was on the verge of an emotional collapse.

“Stay there, I’m coming,” Caleb said.

He hung up and immediately drove toward the cheap apartment Ethan had rented after being kicked out of the family home.

It was in a rundown community on the edge of the city.

The environment was noisy and chaotic.

Caleb rushed

up the stairs and banged heavily on the door.

“Ethan! Open up!”

The noise was so loud that the female neighbor next door opened her door to complain.

“Keep it down!” she yelled.

She looked at Caleb, finding him familiar, like someone she had seen on TV, but she didn’t recognize him.

Inside Caleb, his wolf Noah was pacing anxiously.

Just as he was about to break down the flimsy wooden door, the lock clicked.

The door opened from the inside.

Caleb froze at the sight before him.

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* Chapter 263 The Price of Freedom

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Ethan, once the high–and–mighty Alpha who always wore bespoke suits, looked like a wreck.

His hair was a mess, like a rat’s nest.

Dark circles under his eyes were so deep it looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

A pungent smell of cheap alcohol mixed with the scent of decay wafted out from the room.

It assaulted Caleb’s nose.

Caleb looked past Ethan’s gaunt shoulders.

The small coffee table inside was piled high with empty beer and liquor bottles.

Takeout boxes were scattered all over the floor.

A wave of indescribable sadness washed over Caleb.

Was this really his brother?

Caleb didn’t say a word.

He walked straight inside and slammed the door shut behind him, blocking the prying eyes from the hallway.

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