Filed to story: The CEO’s Wife Is a Secret Boss Novel (Allison & Jeremy) Free Online
“Jonah, stop it.” Julien tugged at Jonah’s sleeve and shook his head defeatedly. He said in a barely audible voice, “Just drop it. It’s all in the past. You don’t have to explain on my behalf.”
From the sounds of it, Julien had suffered beatings from the Lovelace family. Feeling cold from head to toe, Mandy stumbled backward. As an ex-Lovelace who left the family, she was privy to their scary and inhumane family rules applied to punish dissenters.
Now that Jonah and Julien’s relationship had been exposed, Mandy genuinely worried that the Lovelaces would beat Julien to death.
Without warning, the doors to the treatment room flung open. Winston was wheeled out by Neil, still looking feeble from the severe relapse. Still, he sat upright, refusing to reveal his vulnerability in front of his children.
“Dad!” Winston’s children appeared worried and scared. Judging from the timing of Winston’s appearance, he must have learned about Jonah and Julien.
They feared that Winston would release his wrath and disappointment on Jonah. Besides, they worried that the devastating news would deal another blow to his fragile health.
“Dad.” Feeling nervous, Jonah instinctively grabbed Julien by the arm and pulled him to the back, a move that shocked Alyssa.
Jonah’s behavior was no different than Jeremy’s protective stance. He loved Julien the same way Jeremy loved her.
There was nothing wrong with being gay. It did not affect anyone’s life in any way.
So what if the relationship subjected the Taylor family to mockery and condemnation? All that mattered was the family remained a safe haven for Jonah and Julien when the world turned against the couple.
Julien stood frozen behind Jonah, too afraid to look straight at Winston. He looked oddly diminished and small despite being tall, good-looking, and accomplished. Overwhelmed with shame, he wanted to dig a hole and hide in it.
With a meaningful look, Winston shifted his gaze from Jonah to Julien.
Moments later, he rasped, “Jonah, let’s have a private chat.”
Winston and Jonah were alone in the room. Winston stared out the window with his back to Jonah without saying a word.
Jonah had expected a barrage of questioning and scolding, but they did not come. The silence, however, proved more agonizing than direct confrontation.
“Dad, everything you’ve read and seen is true. I’m sorry,” Jonah broke the silence and apologized profusely to Winston. “I’m deeply sorry for all the time and energy you invested in me, only to end up being a disappointment. This is entirely my fault. I only ask one thing¡ªplease don’t make things difficult for Julien.”
Winston remained silent. Seeing that, Jonah slowly straightened up and suggested, “I know my scandal has landed KS Group in a crisis. I will turn in my resignation tomorrow and kickstart the handover transition. I will also step down from the board of directors.”
Hearing that, Winston finally reacted. He shot up from the wheelchair and had to grab the window sill to steady himself from the sudden movement.
“Dad, watch out!” Jonah wanted to offer help when Winston spun around to glare at him.
Winston questioned, “Are you throwing the towel in over a mere scandal?”
Jonah looked taken aback.
“Many CEOs of major corporations abroad have come out of the closet, and they’re doing just fine. The society here might be slightly conservative, but ultimately, this scandal is a personal matter that does not concern or hurt the public.” Winston slammed his hand on the wall, looking aggrieved.
He added, “The tabloids made many headlines out of my decision to take four wives, and they were harsh to me. But look at me. That didn’t stop my decades-long tenure as the company chairman for a few decades. In the end, those who gossiped about me had to show me respect and take my orders.”
Jonah was dumbfounded. Gaping at Winston, he stammered, “Dad, I¡ª”
“How could my son be so spineless? You’re not resilient enough. You’re not even half as strong-willed as Lyse!” Winston shook his head furiously and started musing, “That’s very odd. Who did you take after? Certainly not after me or your mom.”
“Dad, I’m different from you.” Jonah felt touched as he didn’t expect Winston’s support, but Winston’s response only added to his guilt.
“How are we different? Explain!” Furious, Winston marched up to Jonah despite his sickly body. “Are you inferior to me or anyone else? No. In fact, you’re on par with Jeremy Walsh.
“Love isn’t a crime, nor is having a different sexual orientation. Those who ridicule and curse you are narrow-minded fools. Pay no heed to them, and remember just one thing¡ª” Winston’s voice choked with emotions. He rested a hand on Jonah’s shoulder as he remarked, “No matter what happens, you are… my finest son.”
Jonah’s eyes widened. Each word from Winston filled him with warmth, reigniting his spirit.
Winston, who had never displayed vulnerability, not even during Jennifer’s passing, unexpectedly teared up in Jonah’s presence.
“Don’t lose sleep over it. Mandy, Lyse, Silas, Jeremy, and I will take care of any trouble that comes our way. Isn’t Jeremy eager to marry Lyse? Consider this a test for him. I’ll make sure he understands that being my son-in-law isn’t a walk in the park,” Winston scoffed, devising yet another plan.
“Dad, thank you.” Jonah had no more words except to thank his father.
Winston’s heart ached when he recalled the cruel and vulgar insults directed at Jonah online. He opened his arms and hugged Jonah. “There’s no need to thank me. We’re father and son.”
Winston knew that the public reveled in gossip and making a joke out of the Taylors. They might think Jonah Taylor was a blemish on the family and company legacy, but they couldn’t be more mistaken.
As affluent and respected as Winston was, he was, above all, a father.
Setting aside Winston’s titles, he was first and foremost a father. He had promised Jennifer to protect their children as long as he was alive.
Following the expose, Jonah and Julien’s relationship created a huge stir online. One could only imagine the level of insults hurled at them by the public and KS Group’s business rivals, who wished for the company’s downfall.
Someone wrote, “What the fuck? That’s revolting. Don’t homosexuals lead a promiscuous life and are prone to getting AIDS?”
“How obscene! That’s against the law of nature.”
“The homosexual circle sounds pretty messed up. They could sleep with anyone. True love doesn’t exist for them.”
“Jonah Taylor’s image is irreparably ruined. He was once the perfect president of KS Group, but he’s done for now!”
“I’m more shocked by his lover. It’s Julien Lovelace of the Lovelace Group! OMG! The rich certainly chase after thrills.”
“What a waste of two hotties!”
The Taylor family was in disarray after the scandal. Lyla, Colene, Tatiana, and Cyrus joined Mandy in the adjacent room to offer comfort. Mandy was understandably upset because the scandal involved the Lovelace family as well.
Besides, she was one of the first few to learn about the relationship and keep it under wraps. Drowning in remorse, she wanted to punch herself in the chest. Julien was her nephew, and Jonah was like a son to her. Both were family, and she shared their pain.
Standing alone at the end of the corridor, Jeremy answered a call from Xavier.
Xavier reported, “Mr. Walsh, we’ve tracked down the user who spread the photos of Mr. Jonah and Dr. Lovelace. He’s in our hands now. That man is an infamous tabloid reporter who’d do anything for money.
“He claimed that he’d received the photo and tip-off from an anonymous sender and received the transfer via bank account. He had not once met with the culprit, claiming that he was just taking orders.”
“Get rid of this reporter. Teach him a really good lesson,” Jeremy hissed, his eyes looking frosty.
“Roger that! You have nothing to worry about. I’ll make sure to make it hellish for him.” Xavier seemed equally enraged.
“Obtain any piece of information about the culprit from the reporter, no matter how small. I’ll personally look into it.” Jeremy, a graduate of a military school, had taken lessons on cybersecurity and knew a thing or two about hacking. It was time to refresh his knowledge.
Xavier blurted out without thinking, “You? Forgive me for my bluntness, but wouldn’t it be faster for Madam to perform the hacking?”
“Are you looking down on me now?” Jeremy clenched his jaw.
Inhaling sharply, Xavier replied, “I’m on it!!”
Jeremy immediately received another call from an unknown number right after talking to Xavier, causing him to frown in suspicion. He never answered calls from strangers, not to mention it was weird for strangers to learn about his personal number, which only a few knew, unlike his work phone number.
Still, he picked up. “Who is this?”
“Is this a hotline? Do I have to spam it to get through?” Axel’s unserious voice rang on the other end.
Jeremy’s eyes lit up with joy. “Axel?”
“How’s Jonah?” Axel’s voice turned serious and filled with concern.
“He is having a chat with Winston now. I believe he’s pretty affected by the scandal.” Never good at words of comfort, Jeremy only offered a frank response.
After a short pause, Axel questioned, “How’s Winston doing? He didn’t faint or anything, did he?”
Speechless, Jeremy assured him, “No, he didn’t, but we worried that the bad news might take a toll on his health.”
“He should be fine. He’s pretty tough. He didn’t even collapse after learning about your three-year secret marriage with Lyse, where she suffered a miscarriage. There’s no reason he’d succumb to this scandal.”
Jeremy pressed against his chest and let out a dull cough as though he was shot. Jeremy feared he might collapse before Winston even did from Axel’s caustic remarks.
“I’ve looked into Winston’s video that got leaked online,” Axel muttered with a hint of menace.
Jeremy lifted a brow in amusement as he pressed his lips unyieldingly.
He had wanted to quietly resolve the issue for Winston and Jonah without Alyssa knowing, but it seemed like Axel had beaten him to it.
Axel had tirelessly fought him for first place in class during military school. They often engaged in battles as students, but Jeremy never anticipated that the competition would persist long after graduation. It appeared that Axel refused to give him a chance to prove himself.
Thankfully, Axel wasn’t a female, or they might end up in an enemy-to-lover trope.