Filed to story: The CEO’s Wife Is a Secret Boss Novel (Allison & Jeremy) Free Online
She wiped away her tears and stood at the side.
Teary-eyed, Penelope repeatedly apologized to Preston and Sylvia. She said to Cornelius, “Dad, I really have no idea what Landon was up to out there. Preston, Sylvia, I’m really, really sorry. I’ll take care of Preston’s medical expenses¡ª”
“What good is an apology?” Preston held his empty sleeve with a contorted expression. “An arm for an arm, or I will not let this slide!”
“Dad, Landon has crippled Preston and even usurped all his company stocks! Why haven’t you taken action against Landon? Do you not see Preston as your son?” Sylvia, in pain, confronted Cornelius.
To her dismay, Cornelius seethed, “Well, serves him right! I warned him not to go overboard with Lauren Walsh, but he never heeded my advice. He went ahead to insult Landon. Preston only had himself to blame. What do you want me to do? It’s not like I could kill Landon or make Preston’s arm grow back.”
Preston quivered in anger. His face turned white.
“Dad, how could you say so? Preston is your son too! I don’t know how he’ll live out the rest of his life after what Landon did to him!
“You didn’t offer him words of comfort or even hold Landon responsible. Instead, you’re pinning the blame on him. Do you want him dead?” Sylvia widened her eyes in disbelief and raged.
“How am I supposed to hold Landon responsible? He’s the second largest stockholder of Harper Group and the company president. All the directors on the board pledged their loyalty to him. Laying a finger on him would mean hurting the company.
“As the family patriarch, shouldn’t I look at the big picture?”
Preston clutched his bedsheet tightly. Anger festered in him. What Cornelius did wasn’t “looking at the big picture”, but sacrificing his second son.
Cornelius knitted his brows and sank into a short silence. Then, he said resolutely, “Preston, I bought the flight tickets for you. Take a few days’ rest before you emigrate abroad with Sylvia to recuperate.”
“Emigrate? What do you mean?” Preston was thrown a curve.
“You had a fallout with Landon. After you transferred your stocks to him and were removed from your duties in the company, you have no business staying in Solana City. You’ll only make the Harpers a laughingstock.” Cornelius marched out of the room without hesitation, seemingly worried that he might be attacked by Preston at any time.
He added, “You have nothing left to fight with Landon. If you keep living in denial, you might lose more than an arm the next time you go up against him.”
Penelope and Zoe took the opportunity to leave with Cornelius. After the three of them departed, silence returned to Preston’s room.
Sylvia, knowing that the tide had turned against them, brazenly pointed a finger at Preston and laughed at him. “Hahaha! Seems like your dad has completely given up on you. You are of no use to him anymore. This is the Harper family¡ªa den of heartless wolves!
“Well, that’s not technically true. Your brother, Bill, was the only good egg in this family. He’s kind and passionate. He always took good care of you. Too bad he died an untimely death, no thanks to a certain somebody.” “Shut the fuck up!” Preston grew belligerent when she touched his sore spot. Sylvia, who had been by his side for years, was privy to a lot of his secrets.
Scoffing, she retrieved the papers she had prepared from her luxury bag and tossed them onto his bed. “Sign the divorce papers as soon as you can. You need to fulfill all the conditions I listed in the document, or your secret of ten years might get out.”
With that, Sylvia left the room with a look of disgust.
Preston, alone in his empty room, went hysteric after Cornelius abandoned him and Sylvia demanding a divorce. Growling, he smashed everything in sight before he dialed Zoe’s number with shaking fingers.
After Zoe declined Preston’s call, she received a sarcastic text from him.
Knowing she couldn’t avoid him, she made up an excuse to leave the car and return to the hospital.
With a stiff smile, she asked, “Uncle Preston, w-why are you looking for me?”
“Zoe, you’re really mentally tough. How could you still smile at the sight of my terrible state?”
Preston stared at her with a fake smile and a spiteful stare. “I’m now disabled thanks to your genius idea! It’s pretty unfair that I’m struggling while you get away with it.”
“Uncle Preston, what else can you do now?” Zoe immediately distanced herself from the situation. “You were the one who released Lauren’s mental health diagnosis on the board of directors’ meeting. You arranged for Lauren to be put away. I wasn’t part of it at all.
“No one would believe in empty accusations anyway. Do you have evidence to prove that I gave you the diagnosis? I’m afraid you can’t drag me down with you.”
“Is that so?” Preston let out a loud cackle, which gave her the goosebumps. “Dear Zoe, do you really think that your actions were secret? Do you remember ganging up and bullying Lauren when you were in school?”
Her heart felt like a jackhammer in her chest. Turning pale, she stammered, “W-What are you talking about? No one bullied her!”
“Well, I’m 30 years your senior. I’m more shrewd and experienced than you could imagine.” Chuckling thuggishly, he stated, “I have witnesses and video evidence to prove the horrific bullying on Lauren. I think you might have played a role in shaping her condition today. Don’t you think?”
Zoe’s heart drummed wildly. Sweat formed on her forehead.
Back in school, Zoe was part of a gang of six bullies, including Freddy. There were two girls and four guys in total. One of them might have secretly filmed her bullying Lauren and kept the footage. Perhaps the bully had submitted the footage after being pressured by Preston, which he blackmailed Zoe with.
“If I passed this footage to Landon… Zoe, what surprise will be in store for you if he learns about it?” Looking threatening, he hissed, “Will he cut off your left or right hand? Tsk tsk. Too bad my poor niece will have to say goodbye to piano playing soon.”
“Enough! What do you want?” Zoe growled in anger and spite.
“I want you to avenge me.” With a crazed look in his eyes, Preston snarled, “I want Landon to suffer!”
Zoe emerged from the hospital with a pale face. The nail on her thumb nearly came off from all her nervous biting.
She could not forget the sight of Preston’s empty sleeve. She feared that Landon might learn about her participation in school bullying and tear her to pieces.
Suddenly, an idea struck her. She immediately called up another person as mad as Preston¡ªBetty Walsh.
“Hey, where are you? Let’s meet!” Zoe said with an arched brow and a sly expression. Things would be easier if she took advantage of Betty’s help.
With help from a woman named “Ms. Gardner”, Betty returned to Solana City successfully. After that, she hid in a single-story house in a small village on the outskirts of town, just like a wanted criminal.
She only dared to roam around nearby and only left the house to purchase necessities. Other than that, she didn’t dare to journey too far.
She had no guts to stay at any hotel or inn. She feared that she would be captured by Jeremy’s men the moment she showed her face in the city.
Her living condition was akin to a rat living in the sewers. This ignited the fire of hatred within her even more. She couldn’t wait to get her revenge so that she could get out of her current situation.
At nightfall, Betty and Zoe agreed to meet at a quiet cafe in the suburbs.
When her coffee was served, Zoe caught a whiff of it and pushed it away in disgust.
“What’s this? Horse shit? Is this even drinkable?”
Betty, on the other hand, drank her coffee calmly. “It’s coffee from civet poop.”
“Poop my ass. Just one sniff was enough for me to tell that it was animal poop. This is just like shit!”
Despite that comment, Zoe still didn’t forget to tease Betty. “It seems like you’ve really turned over a new leaf, Betty. You’re even able to stomach such a disgusting drink. You’re quite adaptable, aren’t you?”
“It’s quite meaningful to be able to experience country life,” Betty commented. She then took another sip of the coffee expressionlessly.
At that moment, Zoe’s phone rang. She got up and went outside to answer the call.
Betty’s eyes went dim instantly. She bit down hard on her finger until it bled. Then, she dripped a few drops of her HIV-infected blood into Zoe’s coffee.
She smiled slyly as she stirred the coffee with the spoon.
By the time she was done, Zoe had returned to her seat.
“We’re close friends, Zoe. I know that you deserve more than this drink.”
Betty put on a pitiful look on her face. She pleaded, “I know that you’re reluctant, but could you just have a sip? Could you just accept my good intentions?”
Betty was as humble as a lamb even though she used to be from a wealthy family. Zoe was pleased to see Betty’s current demeanor in front of her.
She was feeling thirsty anyway. Unsuspectingly, she picked up the cup and took a big gulp of coffee.
Betty suppressed her urge to smile. Deep down, though, she was roaring with laughter.
Zoe put down her cup gracefully. She went straight to the point. “Let’s keep things short. I am in agreement with the partnership that you mentioned last time.
“But what plans do you have? After what happened last time, they would surely enforce tighter protection over that idiot. Will you have a chance to take any action?”
“I heard that Cyrus Taylor is pursuing Lauren.”
Zoe jeered. “With Alyssa to matchmake them, I’m afraid your grandfather will be all for this marriage. Even if Javier were to step in, he might not be able to stop them at all.
“Since Cyrus is pursuing her, I’m sure that they will have to go on dates. They’ll definitely be out on their own, right? We don’t have to worry about not having any opportunities to strike.”
“I think you’re being too simple-minded. The Taylors are talented people. None of Alyssa’s brothers are easy to deal with.”
Right now, Betty was sharper and more conniving than before. “Cyrus Taylor is a cop from the Criminal Investigation Division! You will be kidnapping someone from an officer’s side. Aren’t you being too unrealistic?”
“You don’t have to concern yourself about that. I have an expert who can help me.” Zoe raised her eyebrows proudly.
Betty frowned. “An expert? Who is it?”
