Filed to story: The CEO’s Wife Is a Secret Boss Novel (Allison & Jeremy) Free Online
Jameson felt a weight on his chest that nearly crushed him. He began, “Lyse, I shouldn’t have touched your phone, but I didn’t want him interrupting our date. Do you know how much I’ve suffered for today?
“Yes, I am selfish and can never justify my actions. I’m sorry.”
“This is your last chance,” she declared. After the chain of events that night, she didn’t have the mental capacity to fuss over Jameson’s action. She added, “What happens between me and Jeremy is private. I do not want anyone poking their noses into our affairs.
“I did not block his contact when we divorced. Even now, I do not want to pull off such a vile and childish act to cut him off. After all, we might come across each other in business partnerships.
“There might be proof that I haven’t let go of him yet, but what matters is that he is dead to me.”
Jameson, who was heartbroken, suddenly brightened upon hearing her remark. He asked, “Lyse, have you really gotten over him?”
Alyssa nodded slowly in tears.
“That’s great, Lyse.” Jameson was overcome with joy and struggled to place his hands. “Since you’ve gotten over him, could you give me a chance?
“I want to be your man. I want to protect you. I might not be a part of your past, but I want to be in your future.”
Alyssa wheezed in exhaustion, “Jimmy, I told you before that I wasn’t ready for a relationship. I’m beyond tired. I do not want to love again. Sorry.”
“You don’t have to do anything when you’re with me. Just enjoy being loved,” Jameson pleaded with his eyes gleaming with hope. He leaned toward her, his hot breaths tickling her.
He continued, “Lyse, let’s give it a go. Try dating me. Give me a chance to treat you right.”
She pressed her lips speechlessly. “A relationship is not an online purchase. There’s no free return policy within a week of purchase.”
“You don’t have to do anything. I’ll love you and protect you,” Jameson said. He placed his non-injured hand on the car window above her head. His eyes were filled with tenderness that could drown her.
He professed, “I will always be there for you. If you think I’m worth dating, I’ll be there when you’re ready.” “Jimmy, thanks for saving me tonight, but please don’t ever put yourself in danger,” she replied.
Alyssa knitted her brows as she grappled with the mixed emotions. She argued, “I’m not worth risking your life for. You should cut your losses now.”
Cut his losses?
Rage filled Jameson’s eyes as he clenched his fists against the car window. Her words were more humiliating and hurtful than a simple “I do not love you.”
She continued, “Everyone is deserving of love. I don’t want to see you end up like me.”
Jeremy returned to his car well past midnight. Xavier purchased a cup of hot coffee from the 24-hour mart across the park. When he handed the coffee to Jeremy, he noticed that Jeremy’s hands were too frozen to grip the cup properly.
Feeling sorry for Jeremy, Xavier increased the heat in the car and draped Jeremy in his jacket. Then, he placed the coffee in Jeremy’s hands.
He suggested, “Mr. Walsh, there’s a hospital nearby. Let’s see a doctor. Your hands are cracking from the cold.”
“How did he do it?” Jeremy stared at his phone and pondered icily.
Xavier was surprised. “What do you mean?”
“It was a photo on my phone. No one had touched my phone, including myself. So, how did he delete my photo?” Jeremy seethed.
“Could your phone have caught the Trojan virus?” Xavier wondered. His mind raced.
“When you sent me to an IT class, I learned about the virus but never used it. I remember that th hackers could hack into your phone with only your phone number and model. They could dele information that is not stored in password-protected folders.
“That’s why you delete any information after reading them or store them in secure folders-never on your phone. So, did someone hack into your phone?”
Jeremy huffed and puffed as he rubbed his sweaty forehead. How could he forget the hacker knowledge from military school? The hackers might not alter the information in a text message, but they could delete the text itself! 1
Jeremy, looking pale, gritted his teeth and ordered, “Look into it. Examine the surveillance footage of the hotel where Zoe was tonight. Also, investigate the woman who looks like Alyssa.”
“Does she look like Madam? How is that possible?” Xavier gasped, wondering if Jeremy’s mind wasn’t working after the cold. “Madam is the top beauty in the city, and no one can rival her. A carbon copy?
That’s ridiculous.”
“Just do what I ask of you. Quit blabbering,” Jeremy said. The memory of that woman who bore an uncanny resemblance to Alyssa sent a shiver down his spine.
She certainly wasn’t Alyssa, but he worried that she might exploit her likeness to harm Alyssa.
Finding that woman was more for Alyssa’s safety rather than for exposing Jameson’s tricks. He added, “
I’ll investigate my deleted texts on my own.”
The online buzz surrounding Zoe and Jeremy’s “rendezvous” continued to escalate. Both the Walsh
Group and the Harper Group PR teams worked tirelessly to mitigate the controversy. Still, the widespread dissemination of videos and photos made it difficult to quell the public discussion.
Even if they managed to take relevant hashtags off the trending topics, they couldn’t stop people from discussing it.
Penelope dropped her phone in shock and slipped down the stairs when she saw the trending topics. Thankfully, she was near the landing and merely stumbled a few steps down. Still, she suffered from a sprained ankle and hurt her head.
Landon was badly shocked by his mom’s injuries and sent her to the hospital overnight.
Penelope, while on an IV drip, held Landon’s hands tightly and sobbed. “Landon, what do we do? Zoe is only 22. How is she going to live her life with this stain? What can I say to your grandpa and your dad?”
Then, she cried hysterically. Landon swallowed hard and sat by her side with a troubled look. He promised, “Mom, I will take care of this.”
“And how will you do that? There are photos and videos on the internet! Zoe is still unmarried. Now that she’s involved in the scandal, no self-respecting family would want her as a daughter-in-law!”
“Zoe is my sister, and I won’t tolerate anyone gossiping about her,” Landon declared, his eyes burning with anger.
“The weight of gossip will crush her! Do you think it was 20 years ago when our family was above the law? We are under the rule of law. You can’t do anything about it!” Penelope wailed and punched her bed.
Landon furrowed his brows as he recalled his family’s origins. The Harpers started off as gangsters. Landon’s grandpa, Cornelius Harper, had been involved in fights and killings to build his family’s fortune.
When the times changed, Cornelius retired from the scene and slowly legalized Harper Group’s operations to prevent his offspring from going down the same path.
When Landon’s dad was appointed the president, the group’s operations had been legalized. Still, the family couldn’t shake off the influence of the group’s origin and worked with both the authorities and the criminals. Landon’s dad got into many arguments with Cornelius and Preston Harper over the issue.
Landon always perceived his dad as soft and egotistical. If he were the one running Harper Group, he would have been the patriarch by now, and Preston would have been reined in.
“This happened because of your friend, and he has not made a statement until now! Is he going to ignore
“Stop speaking ill of Jeremy, Mom! He’s not what you think!” Landon defended his friend.
“But the reporters have photos of them together! He can’t deny that!” Penelope retorted.
“There must be a reason for those photos. Jeremy isn’t interested in Zoe. He has feelings for someone else. He would never sleep with Zoe,” Landon argued anxiously.
“Zoe is your sister! How can you defend an outsider when she’s the victim?” Penelope snapped.
“Mom, I-“
“There’s only one solution now. Jeremy must take responsibility for Zoe!”
Landon looked alarmed. “What does that mean?”
“I’ll get discharged as soon as possible, and I’ll meet with the Walsh’s to discuss marriage,” Penelope declared determinedly.
“Cut the drama! Jeremy will never marry Zoe, even if you point a gun at his head!” Landon bellowed and jumped in rage.
“He doesn’t have a say,” Penelope insisted fiercely, her usual vulnerability replaced by determination. “A man should take responsibility for his actions. If he refuses to marry Zoe, he’ll offend the Harper family.
“Even if I don’t intervene, your grandpa won’t stay silent. He won’t allow his granddaughter to be mistreated. Jeremy is wrong to assume the Harpers won’t act just because he’s Javier Walsh’s son.”
Cornelius lived separately from his sons, just like Newton. He lived in a massive manor slightly smaller than the Seaview Manor, but it was still considered one of the top ten manors in the nation.
The scandal had spread across the family. Even the domestic staff would gossip about Zoe in their pastime.
Furthermore, the silence from Jeremy and the Walsh Group created an impression that Zoe was nothing more than a discarded plaything after a night of fun and passion. Her reputation as a Harper lay in ruins.
“Hey, is Ms. Zoe around?” The maids huddled together to gossip.
“She’s in Mr. Cornelius’ study, crying as if someone died.”
“What’s the point of crying? She should have behaved better as a Harper-protecting her reputation is a priority. She’s now involved with Mr. Walsh and wasn’t even fully dressed in the photos. Any distinguished family would care about their reputation. No one would want a woman like her.”
“Perhaps Mr. Walsh would want to marry her. They must have had relations after sharing a room for the night. Now that the cat is out of the bag, he will have to take responsibility.”