Filed to story: The CEO’s Wife Is a Secret Boss Novel (Allison & Jeremy) Free Online
After the funeral ended, the attendees slowly filed out of the cemetery.
“Julien, may I ask you for a favor?” whispered Alyssa, who had run after Jonah and Julien.
“We’re family. Let’s not count favors. Lyse, tell me if you need anything,” replied Julien with a warm and gentle look.
He discreetly toyed with Jonah’s fingers while the latter looked ahead as if nothing was happening and quietly accepted Julien’s mischief.
Alyssa put on a straight face. “When you’re back home, please run some tests on the drugs that Justin provided. I want to know if they’re safe. I can’t trust the drugs given by strangers.”
“Not a problem. Count on me,” Julien agreed, patting his chest.
At that moment, Silas approached them while holding hands with Rose. “Lyse, did you see Axel? He was there initially but gone in the blink of an eye.”
“He won’t lose his way,” Jonah replied coolly, interlocking his fingers with Julien’s.
“Right. I guess he might be taking a nap on one of the many trees there,” Alyssa casually remarked.
Rose blinked in surprise. “Sleeping in a cemetery? Isn’t Mr. Axel scared of ghosts?” Dumbfounded and entertained, Silas pulled her into a hug. “You should be asking whether or not the ghosts are scared of Axel.”
Landon carried Lauren into the car. He was about to join her in the car when he heard a series of heavy footsteps behind him. He turned around and found Cyrus standing behind him.
“Landon, I…”
“I don’t blame you,” Landon cut him off gently without needing him to elaborate further. “Besides, I haven’t thanked you yet. You have given Lauren what I failed to provide. You taught me the definition of love and how to love.”
Cyrus stared at him blankly while tears brimmed in his eyes. Crushed by guilt and shame, he felt his heart gradually calming down after he freed himself from the self-flagellation.
Though he could not forgive himself, Landon¡ªthe man who should have hated him¡ªhad offered him forgiveness, helping him to come to terms with himself.
“Just let me know if you or Lauren needs help,” Cyrus croaked.
Cyrus, not one for sweet-talking, always spoke from the bottom of his heart.
“Can we really ask for your help on anything?” Grinning, Landon said earnestly.
Smiling, Cyrus promised, “I’ll buy you a huge gift for your wedding. But I’m worried I might not be invited.”
“Cyrus, you’re important to Lauren. We will surely invite you to the wedding.”
Landon lowered his head with a bashful look. He confessed, “I’m the one who’s worried that you might not want to attend.”
Choking on emotions, Cyrus went up and offered him a hearty hug.
When Landon entered the car, he saw Lauren leaning her head against the car window and wrapped in the blanket while getting some shut-eye. In her feeble condition, she had pushed her limits by embarking on this outing even with the help of a wheelchair.
“The window is chilly. Come rest your head here.” He opened his arms and pulled her into an embrace. Then, he rubbed his chin on top of her head.
The car cruised toward the hospital.
Leaning against Landon’s chest, Lauren suddenly cast a puzzled look at him upon feeling something solid in his suit.
“Does it bother you?” After some hesitation, he retrieved Angelina’s diary from within his jacket.
Lauren’s eyes, red from crying, widened in surprise. She recognized the notebook as Angelina’s diary. One night, she couldn’t fall asleep as Landon was on a business trip, and she wandered to Angelina’s room, only to accidentally run into Angelina writing in the pink notebook. Upon seeing Lauren, Angelina hurriedly put the notebook away with a blush.
“Lauren, this is Angelina’s diary.” He held his breath and handed her the notebook solemnly. “I do not want to hide her feelings for me from you.”
Lauren lowered her gaze but did not accept the notebook. After some wiggling underneath her blanket, she reached for her phone and typed in the notes app. “I know. Angie has always loved you.”
His pupils wavered in shock. Feeling his throat clamming up, he demanded. “Lauren, how did you know? Did she tell you?”
Shaking her head softly, she typed, “I had the chance to know her better after spending time with her every day. She took care of me. Landon, you were with her every day. Couldn’t you tell? You can’t conceal feelings of love. I knew about her feelings long ago.”
Gaping speechlessly, Landon agreed that feelings of love were hard to be concealed. He wondered if he had ever been attentive to Angelina because he had failed to pick up her feelings.
Lauren quickly wiped away a teardrop that fell on her phone screen. “Angie had been confessing her love to you all the years simply through staying by your side.”
A silent companionship spoke volumes.
Amber had been silently waiting at the cemetery since early morning. She watched the funeral and participated in the entire procession from afar.
Finally, she laid a bouquet of white daisies by the tree. When she rose, her cheeks were stained with tears.
Amber shared Angelina’s fate, but Angelina was luckier, having served a man worthy of sacrifice.
Meanwhile, Amber realized she had been resigned to a tragic fate the moment she decided to follow Jameson. She had no way of getting away from him.
Just as she was about to leave, she sensed her cold hand engulfed in warmth. The next moment, someone pulled hard, causing her to stumble backward. Her back collided with a solid chest.
Panicking, she struggled in vain to break free, like a captive butterfly fluttering its wings.
“Trying to get away?” Axel whispered hoarsely into her reddened ears.
“Of course…” Their bodies pressed together, and she felt his warmth against her waist. “I wasn’t supposed to be here in the first place.”
Her words amused him. He callously arched a brow, as if toying with his captive butterfly. “It took me a while to catch you. I won’t let you go until we’ve had some fun.”
Toying? Amber felt her racing heart skip a beat. Surrounded by Axel’s scent, she quickly lost her passion. From Jameson to the tycoons she was forced to entertain, all men treated her like a plaything, and Axel was no different.
She was delusional to think he’d be special, but he disappointed her.
Suppressing the heartache, she flashed a bitter smile with tears in her eyes. “Mr. Axel, you seem to be in high spirits today. What do you wish to engage in? SM? 69?”
Her voice was reeking with sexual appeal, and so was her body. However, the look in Axel’s eyes hardened. Holding her shoulders, he pressed her back against the tree bark.
He fixed his deep gaze on her face before staring at her chest, as though he was looking for a way to her heart. “You look pretty lovely in the windbreaker.”
Although his tone still had a playful edge, she blushed in embarrassment while attempting to remove the windbreaker. Pressing against her hand, he stopped her and put the windbreaker back on. “Keep it. It’s chilly today. You don’t want to catch a cold.”
The warmth from his dry, calloused hand gave her a sense of security, causing a lump to form in her throat. A teardrop escaped the corner of her eye.
Just as she was about to wipe the teardrop away, he suddenly grabbed her chin and lowered his head to kiss the lone teardrop away.
A jolt of electricity surged across her body. Misty-eyed, she nearly lost her balance from the electrifying sensation. Her back started sliding down the tree bark, only for him to scoop her up and steady her body.
His warm breath tickled her as he stroked her waist. “Tell me. What are you crying for?”
Panting gently. Then, she replied in a soft, monotonous voice, “That’s none of your business.”
“Are you crying because I touched your heart with my kindness?” Tilting his head, he stared at her while his breathing grew heavier.
From afar, their figures overlapped with each other as though they were one. It was a rather suggestive scene. They did not cross a line, yet it felt like they had hit a home run.
“You’re not kind at all. You’re a jerk!” Without warning, she shoved him away and fled into the deep of the forest without looking back. She sprinted like she was escaping.
She did not hear the sounds of footsteps behind her. It appeared that he did not run after her, and she would much prefer that.
The delight and fear gripped her when he kissed away her tears. She thought, “Axel Taylor, please don’t be too nice to me. You’ll regret it, I promise!”
Axel froze on the spot. Moments later, he slowly turned around and stared in another direction with a chilling gaze. Alone in the silent woods, he thought, “When will you surrender your heart to me?” Lifting a finger to rub his lips, he sensed the lingering warmth of her tears. “I can’t wait to close my net. Not only do I want to capture Jameson Schmidt, I’d like to capture you too.”
Carl brought Amber to Jameson when she returned to the Millennium in the evening.
“Mr. Schmidt, are you looking for me?” she inquired.
On the balcony, Jameson was toying with a colorful parrot trapped in a golden cage. Amber dared not say another word in his silence.
He began, “On the day of Lauren Walsh’s abduction…”
His words set off an alarm in her mind. “… Angelina Brands, the woman who worked for Landon Harper, tracked down Lauren in no time.
“Were you the one who leaked the intel?”
Though she kept her composure, she felt like she was plummeting into an endless abyss.
“On that day, you and Remy ambushed Cyrus and Angelina and got into a fight.” Squinting, Jameson plucked a crimson feather off the parrot, eliciting an agonizing squawk and fluttering of wings from the distressed bird. “I trust Remy¡ªhe’s my trusted confidant. So, I have no choice but to suspect you.”
