Filed to story: The CEO’s Wife Is a Secret Boss Novel (Allison & Jeremy) Free Online
“Who’d marry such a despicable woman?”
“Don’t get me started on Javier Walsh. From the sounds of it, he was thinking of getting his son to marry Zoe. Is the Walsh family a trashcan? Why would he bring in such a vile woman? Perhaps he’s interested in Zoe himself?”
The taunts and jeers weighed heavily on Javier, who belatedly realized that forcing Jeremy to marry Zoe and ditch Alyssa was the wrong move all along.
“Grandpa, my ear hurts! Am I going deaf? I don’t want to lose my hearing! Get me to the hospital,” Zoe wailed and pleaded in a panic.
“Let’s go! Get Zoe to the hospital!” Cornelius instructed.
However, Jonah suddenly bellowed sternly, “No one is leaving!”
The Harpers were taken aback by Jonah’s declaration.
Zoe, feeling ashamed, wanted to hide away.
Jonah strode to Alyssa and freed her hand from Winston’s tight grip. He began, “Dad, what’s the point of getting angry at Lyse? You’re only stepping into the trap of your opponent.
“What you’re doing now is hurting Lyse as well. She’s not just your precious daughter; she’s my beloved sister too. She’s already in great pain. Please do not add to her suffering.”
Winston quivered upon hearing Jonah’s remark. It was then he realized that he had gripped Alyssa’s hand so tightly that it had turned a frightening shade of red.
“I’m sorry, Jonah …” Alyssa murmured, nestled in Jonah’s embrace.
Jonah, overwhelmed by guilt, shook his head and pulled her into a deep hug. “Nonsense, my princess.
You’ve done nothing wrong. No need for apologies. It’s my fault for not giving you enough attention. I should be sorry to you.”
She gave him a wry smile. Finally, she realized her naivete. She had thought she could shoulder the pain on her own to protect her love and her family from guilt and worry.
Still, all her efforts went down the drain when the truth came out.
Jonah held her close, stealing a glance at Jeremy’s pale face before turning away. “I’ve stationed our bodyguards around the castle. No one from the Harper family can leave until this matter has been resolved.”
Jeremy’s last glimmer of hope was shattered under Jonah’s gaze. Feeling like a sinner, he thought he had poured all his love into Alyssa, only to discover he had deeply wounded her. He did not deserve to be with her. He did not even deserve to hold any hope.
The onlookers, however, were interested in staying and watching the drama. Cornelius lost his calm at that moment. Pointing a finger at Jonah, he growled, “Jonah Taylor, you’re unlawfully detaining us! I can sue you for that.”
“Go ahead and sue me. Zoe Harper violated Alyssa’s privacy, illicitly obtaining and publicizing her private information. We Taylors could sue you for the damages caused by your malicious actions!”
Sean had now changed into a suit and dashed into the hall, looking energized as if he was never injured. Worried he might cause a stir, he had covered his left eye injury with a gauze. Despite his injury, he hurried over upon hearing about Alyssa’s plight.
Although he knew Jonah would protect Alyssa, he still wished to do something for her, a decision fully supported by Tatiana.
“Sean .” Alyssa’s eyes shimmered, and she choked back tears.
“Tsk tsk. I can’t believe that Ms. Zoe is ignorant of the law,” another voice rang in the hall.
Julien strolled up to Sean and snickered at Zoe. “Actually, you’re not ignorant, just a reckless fool who thought she had everything under control. You went about it with the stupidest method¡ªexposing other’s privacy. You’ve shown your fucking character for the world to see and drag yourself down with it.
I’ve never seen something as idiotic as that.”
Jonah frowned gently, a faint smile playing on his lips. Julien hadn’t been in Solana City long. Yet, he appeared to have picked up the essence of cursing in the local language.
“In my opinion, we can skip the court session. I bet the scene was captured on surveillance footage and the phones of some of our guests here. Once the video gets online, Ms. Zoe’s reputation will be irreparable. She’d do better hiding in shame than facing the immense embarrassment.”
Winston was taken aback by Mandy’s nephew, Julien. Not only that, he was surprised that Julien sided with the Taylors. He couldn’t help but marvel at Julien’s sharp tongue.
“D-Do you take us Harpers as a doormat? We’re not!” Cornelius, aflame with rage, tapped his walking stick. He commanded, “Summon the Harper bodyguards! We’ll fight our way out of this castle if we must!”
“Gosh, Grandpa, are you senile or too angry to think straight?” Landon yawned lazily. “I’m in charge of the family bodyguards. They can’t make a move without my orders.”
Cornelius suddenly recalled that Landon had been in charge of the Harpers’ bodyguards for years. At first, Cornelius decided to let Landon take charge of the security just to give Landon something to do and train his skills, as security wasn’t a core part of the Harper Group anyway.
To his dismay, his careless decision to give out authority had come back to bite him.
“I’ve worked with Jonah to surround the castle with security.” Landon squinted dangerously. “Grandpa,
I’m not trying to give you a tough time. As long as Zoe pays for her action and repents for her behavior, you can totally walk out of here safely.”
“Landon Harper, you brat!” Cornelius’ veins bulged in anger.
“Who’s the brat here?” Suddenly, Jeremy glowered at Cornelius, looking like an awakened beast, ready to kill. One could smell danger from him.
He added, “Who’s the one who sided with evil? Who repeatedly tries to hurt my woman, thinking they had backing? It’s you and your fucking granddaughter.”
The guests were rattled by Jeremy’s air of authority. Meanwhile, Alyssa looked at him through tears.
She found herself still in love with him, and she loved it when he proclaimed that she was his woman.
Jeremy sensed a metallic taste in his throat from all the rage he suppressed. His face crumpled. His chest tensed underneath the suit, and his fists tightened. Fury and pain had charged through him, making him feel he could destroy anything at that moment.
“Whoever defends Zoe will make themselves my enemy. For that, I will torture them forever, making their lives a living hell. Try me.”
Cornelius was a veteran in the underworld who had undergone his share of gruesome gang fights for turfs. Despite his experience, he cowered in front of Jeremy.
“Grandpa, bring me with you! Grandpa!” Zoe tugged and pleaded at Cornelius, who had stiffened.
Gripped by fear, she found herself unable to cry. She wondered if Cornelius had faltered in front of
Jeremy.
Had Cornelius become a useless old fart who was easily intimidated?
“Zoe Harper …” Alyssa struggled to keep her heartache in check and maintained her composure. She left Jonah’s arms and took a step closer to Zoe.
At that moment, Zoe was surrounded by threats. She might have hated Alyssa and wanted her dead, but she had no fight left in her. All she wanted was to escape.
“I have just one question for you.” Alyssa shut her eyes and reopened them, casting a hostile look at
Zoe. “Where did you get my infertility diagnosis from?”
Once again, Zoe became the center of scrutiny. Alyssa had asked the most important question.
“Right? I’m curious about the same question as well.”
Julien spoke and walked up to Jonah’s side. He joined the others in examining Zoe. “As a doctor, I am very well aware of patient confidentiality. Any self-respecting doctor would not leak their patient’s information to a third party.
“So, I surmised that Ms. Zoe had paid off Alyssa’s physician. Did you, Ms. Zoe? If that’s the case, let’s get the doctor under arrest to secure our witness.”
Jonah nodded in agreement, acknowledging Julien’s approach with a slight frown. Julien, in turn, looked pleased to receive Jonah’s approval.
“Who’s that handsome guy?” a voice inquired.
“Is he one of Alyssa’s suitors?” another speculated.
Julien silently fumed upon hearing that. He was not Alyssa’s suitor. He was just a man capitalizing on
Alyssa’s case to win favors with Jonah.
“No! This has nothing to do with the doctor!” Zoe blurted out, flustered from all the talk of witness.
“What does that mean? Are you suggesting that the information didn’t come from a doctor? Who provided it to you, then?” Landon interrogated her.
“I … I …” She clenched her fists as her eyes darted around. She stammered but offered no answer.
“Pfft. Zoe, had Dad learned about your actions and your refusal to admit to your wrongs, he would have taught you a lesson from the heavens.” Landon angrily undid his tie and tossed it onto the floor, signifying that his patience had worn thin. “Very well. You refuse to tell.”
He directed the bodyguards, “Hey, get her arrested and take her to the police. If she won’t confess to us, we’ll let the police handle it.”
The bodyguards promptly followed his instructions. Zoe crumbled into Cornelius’ arms, frightened and tear-stained. “Grandpa, how could Landon do this to me? He wants his sister dead!”
“Landon, enough is enough. Zoe is your sister. Why would you destroy her reputation in the public? Do you want her to live her life in shame?” Cornelius knew he could not force anything on Landon, so he changed his strategy to appeal to his grandson.
He advised, “Even if Zoe is wrong, she is still young. There could be some mastermind pulling strings behind her. Anyway, I do not believe my granddaughter is capable of doing this. She couldn’t have thought of getting the diagnosis from the doctor. Someone must have set her up and take advantage of her!
“I’m afraid that mastermind could be someone near Ms. Alyssa. This wouldn’t have happened if the suspect did not have enough knowledge of her.”