Filed to story: The CEO’s Wife Is a Secret Boss Novel (Allison & Jeremy) Free Online
Knowing Landon, he could be quite heartless when he was in a rage.
“It’s fine. Your involvement will only land me in more trouble and further anger Mr. Landon,” Angelina replied and pursed her pale lips.
Then, she reminded Cyrus, “Mr. Cyrus, I am grateful to you for saving Madam Lauren, but I need to remind you that Lauren Walsh is Landon Harper’s woman and his future wife. They love each other, and no one is to come between them. I will not let that happen.”
Squinting, Cyrus licked the roof of his mouth.
“You’re a policeman who delivers justice. I trust that you won’t commit a despicable act as to come between them.” Angelina’s words were harsh. She did not plan to play nice in the face of Cyrus, Landon’s covert love rival.
“If Landon wants to marry Lauren, and she’s willing to do so, I shall give them my blessings. Before that, he needs to make sure he can take good care of Lauren and make her happy.” Cyrus flashed a terrifying smirk at Angelina.
He added, “Otherwise, I can’t guarantee that I won’t interfere.”
Angelina cracked her knuckles in anger. She snapped, “Mr. Landon is Mr. Walsh’s best friend, and Mr. Walsh is Ms. Alyssa’s… Anyway, do you think it’s right to steal Mr. Landon’s girlfriend? Aren’t you scared of putting Mr. Walsh in a tough spot and upsetting Ms. Alyssa?”
“When did I say that I would steal his girlfriend? You and Mr. Landon have been paranoid all along.” Cyrus lowered his eyes, casting a gentle glance at Lauren’s lovely face. “If you keep thinking that way, you might actually make me consider giving it a shot to make up for your paranoia.
“I remember something Winston once said¡ªdoes one not shoot one’s shot just because there’s a goalkeeper?”
“Mr. Cyrus, please remember that you’re a police chief!” Angelina shot up furiously, momentarily forgetting that she was in the car. Her head promptly hit the ceiling, causing her to frown in pain. She pressed against her head and returned to her seat.
“Ms. Brands, you shouldn’t guilt-trip me with my profession.” He flashed a chilling smile. “By the way, what I hate the most is being threatened.”
Angelina’s chest tightened. The more she was in contact with Cyrus, the more panicked she became. Her sixth sense informed her that Cyrus would be a formidable and enigmatic love rival to Landon if he fell for Lauren one day.
While Lauren was sent to the treatment room, Landon rushed to the hospital with his subordinates following behind. The sudden influx of people crowded the wide corridor.
Landon’s arrival appeared more like showing up to a gangster fight than visiting his wife. One might think that he’d continue Cornelius’ gangster legacy.
He had been wearing an icy and hostile expression ever since he arrived at the hospital. Earlier, he had boarded a private jet with Cornelius, heading to the neighboring city for a business meeting.
On the way, he saw the incident at Solana City Arts Academy on the news. Feeling oddly disturbed, perhaps because of some telepathic connection, he called Angelina, but she didn’t pick up.
In the end, he ignored Cornelius’ protests and ordered the jet to head back to Solana City, even when he wasn’t sure if Lauren was in danger. He could even skip Harmony Nations meetings for her.
Because of that, Cornelius had an outburst and had to put on an oxygen mask to avoid fainting in the air.
“Mr. L-Landon,” Angelina greeted Landon with trepidation as he marched up to her.
He hissed through gritted teeth, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It was an emergency. I worried that you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” This time, his furious snarl echoed in the corridor. Even his subordinates cowered in silence.
Biting her pale lips, she hung her head lower as guilt crushed her.
“Angie, you’re fired.” Landon shot a cold glance at him, feeling both angered and pained. The disappointment was evident in his voice. “From now on, you can head home to reflect on your actions. I will increase the security around Lauren. I don’t need you anymore.”
Upon hearing the last sentence, a drop of sweat rolled off Angelina’s forehead, mixing into her tears. She was heartbroken to learn about her impending separation from Lauren. However, she could not deny that she was at fault. She had been careless and neglected her duties.
“That wasn’t Ms. Angelina’s fault. She was advised by the police’s advice not to contact you,” explained Cyrus, who emerged from a turning of the staircase.
Looking calm, he spoke up for Angelina, “It was an urgent situation. The criminal was holding Lauren hostage. Any changes might provoke the criminal and put her in greater danger.
“Ms. Brands wanted to contact you right away, but the police did not wish to complicate the situation. We were the professionals in that situation. So, Mr. Landon, please do not blame her.”
“Was that the police’s advice or your personal opinion?” Landon cracked his knuckles. His tone carried a hint of intimidation.
On the way to the hospital, Landon watched a livestream showing Cyrus emerging from the academic building carrying a female in his arms. Although the woman was well covered, Landon could recognize Lauren in Cyrus’ arms just by her form.
Landon had always suspected Cyrus of having feelings for Lauren. He perceived it as a blatant act of stealing the love of his life, Lauren. She was his everything. Any man who so much as laid a finger on her would be crossing a line.
“I am in the police force too. What’s the difference?” Hearing Landon’s accusations, Cyrus calmly smirked at him.
Surprisingly, Cyrus did not fluster in the face of Landon and Harper Group’s men.
Landon clenched his jaw as he approached Cyrus. “Lauren is my lover. How dare you stop me, her partner, from coming to her rescue in that dangerous and urgent situation? Do you really think I don’t know what you’re plotting? Want me to lay it out for you and embarrass you?”
“Landon Harper, are you dumb or naive? You might not have experienced a hostage situation, but I bet you’ve watched police movies.” Cyrus slipped both hands into the pockets of his jacket. He squinted and scoffed. “What good would it do to have you there? Could you even help?
“Would you make your men beat that criminal up, or would you threaten him not to hurt Lauren, or you’d bankrupt him the next day?”
Landon felt the anger rising in him. “Cyrus Taylor!” The Taylors seemed to share the same trait of being sharp-tongued, or in other words, mean.
“Landon Harper, my decision not to contact you had nothing to do with trust. All I wanted was to eliminate any potential risk to rescue the hostage. I kept the information from you because Lauren was your girlfriend, and I’d do the same for other hostages, too.
“I handled many shocking cases throughout my career and battled savage criminals who were not afraid of death because they were at the end of their rope. The criminal who held Lauren hostage was no different. Rescuing her from the situation was challenging.”
Landon refused to accept any explanation as he was still furious. He taunted, “So, are you saying I should thank you instead?”
“There’s no need to thank me. I’m at the service of the people.” Cyrus coolly waved his hand. “I don’t want to argue with you over this matter. I bet you’re exhausted after the journey. Save your energy for taking care of Lauren.
“By the way, Ms. Brands has faithfully served you through thick and thin. Blame me if you want. Don’t make things difficult for her.”
Angelina stood at the side with her shoulders hunched. She couldn’t help but choke up when she heard Cyrus’ thoughtful remark. For ten years, she had gone through many sufferings with Landon. Many times, she nearly forgot that she was a lady, too.
For the first time, she felt wronged. However, she quickly killed off that thought. She shouldn’t have felt aggrieved when she had willingly decided to serve Landon.
After Cyrus was done addressing Landon, he walked away.
“Mr. Cyrus, I’ll call you a man if you fight for Lauren openly. Don’t you think you’re despicable for making your way to Lauren using your job as a cover?” Landon’s eyes gleamed with the savageness of a beast. He would have punched Cyrus in the face if Cyrus weren’t Alyssa’s brother.
Landon had been saddled with guilt and self-blame for not showing up at Lauren’s side when she was hurt. Cyrus’ remark rubbed salt into his wound.
“Hah. I once thought you were nice and generous for befriending Jeremy Walsh.” Cyrus paused in his tracks. He added nonchalantly, “Now, looking back, it was the other way around.”
With that, Cyrus whistled a tune and left. Landon’s men stood in silence, intimidated by Cyrus’ airs.
Meanwhile, a storm raged in Landon’s eyes.
At that moment, the door to the treatment room creaked open dully. Landon turned around and was shocked to find Lauren standing there. She looked so fragile. It was as if she might be gone with the wind at any time.
Frowning, she glared at Landon. The resentment in her eyes pained him.
She questioned, “Landon, how could you talk to Cyrus with that attitude? He saved my life.”
“Lauren!” Landon’s eyes lit up in excitement. He eagerly rushed toward Lauren and gave her a tight hug. His voice trembled fearfully. “I’m sorry for showing up late. It was my fault that you suffered injuries. I am fucking useless! Hit me if you like. Hit me as hard as possible!”
Landon’s men were taken aback by his behavior. No longer behaving like a devil, Landon was just a hopeless man in love. They marveled at Lauren, who had charmed Landon into his subservient ways.
“Landon, why would you speak to Cyrus in that way? Why?” Lauren, being autistic, had a tendency to fixate on things. Her stubbornness might be distressing for some.
She insisted, “Why would you say that about Cyrus? I would’ve died if not for him! He saved me. So, how could you be so mean to him?”
Her endless whys and hows would have triggered anyone. However, Landon only hugged her tight and whispered tearfully into her ear, “Lauren, you must have been so scared and shocked. I was a loser for not protecting you…”
“It’s not Cyrus’ fault. He saved me. Please don’t say that about him ever. Alright?” Lauren refused to move on without receiving a firm response to the previous matter.
Watching the scene, Angelina felt sorry for Landon. The effort they poured into Lauren’s recovery had gone down the drain due to the hostage incident.
Landon dared not provoke the adamant Lauren any further. Swallowing the pain, he begged her in a hoarse voice, “Darling, promise me you won’t look at any other man. You should only have eyes for me.
“Lauren, I’m your one and only man.”
Cyrus hurried to the police station after leaving the hospital. He wrapped up the paperwork for the hostage case. After that, he sent a subordinate to retrieve records of the police reports made by
Denver and Joanna, the background information of the five campus bullies, and all records of the relevant witness statements.
There wasn’t a lot of information available, but Cyrus felt ruffled for a long time after reading through the contents.
At that time, he received a call from Alyssa. Calming down, he answered, “Lyse.”
“Cyrus, how are you doing? You’re fine, right?” Alyssa questioned worriedly. “We saw the news about the hostage situation at Solana City Arts Academy. We saw that you were dispatched to the scene. Mandy saw it, too. You didn’t pick up her calls, so she sent Jeremy and me to check on you because we were in town.”
The murderer was arrested at the scene. I’m doing just fine,” Cyrus assured her.