Chapter 101
TX
19%
+13
“This is your grandchild,” Monica said. “Aren’t you even…” She cleared her throat. She should have already expected something like this to happen.
“If I am guessing correctly, Calen must have already known thishing exists…” Cecil stared at her stomach for a fraction of a you run around with his infant. So… second. “But he didn’t want to get himself involved. I know he’s smart enough not to le he must have already arranged for you to get rid of this child.”
“You-” How? How did she know this? Had Calen told her all along? Her eyes widened at the realization. Then she got up. “This conversation is over.”
Cecil only smirked at her and watched her leave the café. Then she looked at her assistant, who was standing not too far away. “I need you to get rid of that thing.”
“Yes, Madame,” her assistant said.
“Ah… any news about Izzy?”
“Her flight should have landed just a couple of minutes ago. However-” The assistant hesitated.
“However?”
“However, she is still with the young master of the Horvath Family.”
Cecil snorted. She always knew something was wrong with that Liam. “Were you able to trace the thing I told you?”
“Yes…” The assistant handed Cecil a tablet. Frowning, she quickly scanned its contents. Her expression darkened as she reviewed the information, her grip tightening on the device. She had tasked her assistant with uncovering the identity of the person who had leaked the images of Liam and Monica during that infamous event.
At first, she had suspected Monica herself. The woman was cunning enough to manipulate situations for her benefit, but this… this had been too clean, too precise. It wasn’t Monica’s style. Whoever had done it knew exactly what they were doing –someone professional, skilled, and familiar with how to stay undetected.
“It’s been weeks,” Cecil said, placing the tablet on the table in front of her. “Have you found anything? Anything at all?”
The assistant hesitated briefly before shaking his head. “Unfortunately, no. We’ve hit a dead end. Whoever this person is, they’re skilled. We believe they might be using advanced technology to mask their identity from cameras. It’s as if they’ve erased their presence entirely.”
Cecil’s fingers tapped against the table, her eyes narrowing. Her gut twisted uneasily, a nagging feeling that something was off. The timing of the scandal had been too perfect, too deliberate. It wasn’t a random leak–it felt orchestrated, calculated to cause maximum damage.
“And yet,” she said, her gaze fixed on the tablet. “It doesn’t feel random. Someone is targeting my son. The question is who- and why.”
The assistant straightened slightly, sensing her unease. “We’re exhausting every lead, Madame. If there’s anything to find, we’ll uncover it.”
“Not good enough,” Cecil snapped, her fingers drumming more sharply now. “If they’ve managed to hide their identity, then they’ve had help. Find out where someone could access this kind of technology. Track the chain. Look into Liam Horvath’s network, Izzy’s network, even Monica’s. I don’t care how far you have to dig. Find something.”
11:28 Tue, Jan 28 w
Chapter 101
“Yes, Madame,” the assistant replied, already making notes on his phone.
179% 79%
+13)
Cecil leaned back, her eyes narrowing as she processed the situation. Whoever had done this wasn’t just trying to expose an affair. No, the timing was too perfect, and the scandal was too precisely crafted. This was an attack, a calculated strike against her family.
She stared out the café window. Whoever this person was, they had the means and the intelligence to stay hidden. But no one was untouchable, and no one could stay invisible forever.
“Whoever they are,” she said coldly, “they’re making a mistake if they think I’ll let this go. Do whatever it takes. I want answers. And I want them soon.”
The assistant nodded before stepping away to make the necessary calls. Cecil sat still for a moment as she thought about the effect of the scandal on Izzy and Calen’s relationship. Someone was playing a dangerous game, and she intended to find out who–and crush them.
After what felt like an eternity, Cecil finally left the café and returned to the mansion. As soon as she stepped through the grand entrance,,a maid hurried toward her, announcing that Calen had come back. Yet, instead of going to her son, she headed straight for her husband’s office.
“It’s about time you showed up,” she said, her voice carrying an edge of weariness. Her husband, CEO Weiss, sat behind his massive desk, buried in paperwork. Lately, his life had revolved around the groundbreaking project in Macau–a monumental success that had doubled the company’s stock value and opened a floodgate of opportunities. But this triumph came at a cost: her husband had been practically living in his office, with meetings and deadlines consuming nearly every hour of his day.
CEO Weiss lifted his gaze away from his laptop. “You don’t look so well…” he said.
“I just received news that Izzy and Liam Horvath seem to have been having a good time together both in Macau and here.” She went to his bar and grabbed herself a drink before sitting on the couch just a few feet away from where her husband was sitting.
“If this is about Izzy again-”
“I need you to transfer the project to Calen. Let our son lead the project. He deserves it,” she interrupted. “I know Izzy is capable, but currently, she and Calen-”
“I didn’t choose her to lead the project because of Calen,” CEO Weiss said. “And you knew that.” He leaned back and stared at his wife.
Cecil clenched her jaw, her frustration simmering beneath a composed exterior. She couldn’t deny that Izzy was exceptionally capable. In fact, it was no secret that CEO Weiss had deliberately placed Isabella Rossi in charge of this project as a way to demonstrate the Weiss Family’s appreciation for her contributions to the company. But that didn’t make this any easier to stomach.
“Your son has been trailing after Izzy like a lovesick fool, making a complete spectacle of himself,” Cecil said sharply. “And Izzy? She seems to be relishing the attention, even using that Horvath boy to her advantage.”
Isabella Rossi–a member of the renowned Rossi Family–was undeniably intelligent and accomplished. But Cecil had never imagined that the woman would dare to get involved with another man while Calen openly pursued her. She liked Izzy and what she would bring to her family. However, Calen is still her son. How could she let her hurt her son?
“I understand that Calen made mistakes, but all men do,” she continued, her tone laced with bitterness. Her eyes flicked toward her husband, who remained silent, his expression unreadable. “At the end of the day, Calen is still your son. Or… could it be that after all these years, you still don’t see him as your own? Even after raising him since he was a child?”
