Filed to story: The CEO’s Wife Is a Secret Boss Novel (Allison & Jeremy) Free Online
Javier frowned in displeasure. “Stop spewing nonsense. It was Cyrus who forced her to dance. How could you blame it on her?
“You should blame yourself instead for dawdling. By not claiming your place by her side from the start, you gave a chance to the other guys.”
“What are you saying? I was the first to approach her!” Feeling anxious and furious, Freddy shook from head to toe. “Your daughter took Cyrus’ hand right before me! You might not have seen it, but I saw it clearly with my own two eyes!”
Freddy attracted the attention of the guests around him after he raised his voice at Javier. Fortunately, the blaring music drowned out his speech.
After being confronted, Javier’s expression crumpled. He fixed a piercing gaze at Freddy, whose heart sank.
At that moment, Freddy finally came to understand how frightening and intimidating the chairman of the Walsh Group could be. Even Jeremy was intimidating enough, not to mention his father.
When Freddy froze on the spot, Orlander hurried over to intervene. “Freddy, Mr. Javier is a VIP and your elder. You shouldn’t have spoken to him with that attitude!”
“Dad, I…” Freddy was about to defend himself when something struck him. After their families agreed on the marriage, Orlander had been privately referring to Javier as his “in-law” to foster a closer bond. However, this time, Orlander had oddly asked him to refer to Javier as his “elder”, which sounded like an attempt to distance himself from the Walsh’s.
“Mayor Hodgson, your son has opened my eyes today.” Javier looked away from the pale Freddy and slowly rose from his seat. “This is the first time I’ve come across a young man who spoke to his future father-in-law in a rude tone. I should perhaps thank Cyrus one day for revealing this side of Freddy.”
“M-Mr. Javier, it was a misunderstanding! Freddy didn’t mean it. Mr. Javier!”
Javier left in the middle of Orlander speaking, showing no respect to the Hodgsons.
“Just wait and see!” Glaring at Freddy, Orlander ran after Javier without thinking. Freddy was left frozen on the spot, his expression contorting in resentment.
After the cocktail party ended, the guests gradually left the Hodgsons’ residence. Similarly, Lauren headed to the Walsh’s’ luxury car with Rory.
Rory gently addressed Lauren, “Ms. Lauren, Mr. Javier had to head home early as something came up. I’m here to pick you up.”
Is Dad angry because… I danced with Cyrus?” Lauren seemed troubled and hesitant.
Rory, who had witnessed the events that evening, merely comforted her, “Absolutely not. Please don’t worry about it.”
“Lauren.” Someone called out to her. Turning around, she found Mandy and Cyrus approaching her. She quickly greeted Mandy, “Hi, Mrs. Taylor!”
“What a fine young lady. I’m growing fonder of you by the minute.” Mandy took Lauren’s hand with a wide smile and caressed it.
The observant Rory realized that Mandy wasn’t being courteous; she was truly fond of Lauren, unlike Minnie’s shallow and fake act.
The contempt in Minnie’s eyes was evident. She accepted Lauren purely out of greed for the Walsh’s’ wealth.
“Thank you for the compliment, Mrs. Taylor.” Lauren shyly blushed.
Cyrus stood in silence behind Mandy. He fixed an intense gaze on Lauren without once looking away.
Meanwhile, Mandy, with a friendly smile, removed the emerald bracelet from her wrist and put it on Lauren’s without warning. She remarked, “I showed up in haste and didn’t have time to prepare a gift for you. I hope you don’t mind this gift.”
Rory gasped in shock at Mandy’s generosity. Did she just casually gift Lauren the emerald bracelet worth tens of millions?
Rory was moved by Mandy’s magnanimity.
“No, Mrs. Taylor. I can’t accept the gift. It’s too expensive.” Lauren proceeded to remove the bracelet, but Mandy stopped her. “Hey, do not decline gifts from your elders.
“Besides, the Taylors never take back what we gifted. I’ll be upset if you refuse to accept my gift.”
“Well… Thank you, then.” Lauren blushed again as she carefully held the bracelet. Mandy was tickled by her adorable action. At that moment, she understood the reason Cyrus fell for Lauren.
Lauren was a simple, genuine, and cute young lady.
Before leaving, Cyrus blurted out in a raspy voice, “Lauren.”
She stared at him quietly with sparkling eyes.
“I didn’t show up tonight to lend you a hand.” Cyrus’ heart raced. Speaking at a fast speed, he confessed to her, “I just wanted to see you.”
Before she could wrap her head around his words, he sneaked into his car and fled the scene.
Normally serious-faced, Rory couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Mr. Rory, what’s wrong?” Lauren looked confused.
Stifling his laugh, he mused, “Cyrus Taylor is an interesting young man.”
On Mandy and Cyrus’ way home, Cyrus remained blushing.
“Son, you have great taste.” Sighing gently, Mandy patted him on the shoulder. “Too bad Landon was a step ahead of you.” “Landon had loved her a long time ago. He made a lot of sacrifices for her. I can never measure up to that,” Cyrus croaked with a frown on his face.
“But they’ve broken up. You aren’t doing anything wrong if you pursue Lauren.” Although Mandy had mixed feelings about the circumstances, she felt sorry for her beloved son. “Cyrus, you’ve always put others before you. Why don’t you be a little selfish this time and pursue the woman you love?”
Cyrus struggled to come up with a reply. Instead, he quietly texted Alyssa, “Lyse, I think I’m not just interested in Lauren.”
Taking a deep breath, he wrote another text, “Would you believe me if I say that I’m in love with Lauren?”
“Of course I do,” she texted back without hesitation. “Back when I was hopelessly pursuing Jeremy, I fell in love with him a bit more than the day before. Cyrus, Lauren has her freedom of choice, and so do you. Live your life without regrets.”
Late at night, Orlander summoned Freddy to the study, where Minnie was present as well.
“What? Calling off the engagement?” Minnie exclaimed in dismay. “Orlander Hodgson, are you joking? The engagement news is made public now. The wives of the local officials have been buttering me up and showering me with gifts when they learned about the engagement!
“We’re so close to the marriage, and now you’re telling me the engagement is canceled? How could | show my face in front of my friends?”
“Dad, what happened? Why are we calling off the engagement?” The memory of the humiliating night made Freddy seethe. “Lauren humiliated me enough by taking Cyrus’ hand to my face and dancing with him. Now, they’re calling off the engagement? It’s a disgrace!”
Didn’t Zoe claim that Lauren was a fool? Lauren was anything but that¡ªshe had flirted with another man under her fiance’s watch.
Freddy thought, “| should have married that slut and tortured her daily for cheating on me!” “Your feelings are not as important as my career,” Orlander suddenly blurted out an outrageous remark with a look of impatience. Shocked, Minnie and Freddy gasped, “What the heck did you just say?”
“Couldn’t you tell from tonight that Cyrus was crushing on that idiot?” Orlander sipped his tea slowly. He was giddy with pride for making the strategic decision. “Mrs. Taylor had a private talk with me. She requested that | give up on the engagement.
“She pledged her support to my electoral campaign next year if | ceded Lauren. Mr. Winston is aware of this matter as well. If | declined, the KS Group would support my political rival instead. If you were me, you’d agree to her conditions too.”
Freddy clenched his jaw indignantly while Minnie was at a loss for words.
“Minnie, Freddy, this is the best arrangement for us!” Orlander slumped on the couch and dangled his legs leisurely. It didn’t take the elected official long to turn into a thug. “For one, my son doesn’t need to settle for a dimwit.
“| can get what | want without being subjected to Javier Walsh’s whims since I’m not asking any favor from him. Secondly, | have secured my campaign funding by agreeing to the deal. Am | not killing two birds with one stone?”
Freddy worriedly warned, “Dad, aren’t you oversimplifying things? The Taylors are uber-rich. In my opinion, Winston Taylor is more difficult than Javier Walsh!” “Everyone knows that Winston Taylor is sick. He’s living abroad for his medical treatment. | bet he won’t last more than two years. | have nothing to fear,” Orlander said in an unbothered tone.
“But his daughter, Alyssa Taylor, is the president of KS Group! That woman is bad news¡ªworse than her dad!” Freddy, under Zoe’s influence, saw red whenever Alyssa was mentioned. “You might be able to handle Javier Walsh, but what about Alyssa Taylor, the de facto leader of the KS Group? Also, don’t forget she has the support of Jeremy Walsh.”
Enraged, Orlander jumped up from the couch and pointed a finger at Freddy. “Do you really think your marriage is a done deal, even if Mrs. Taylor did not meet me today?
“Just look at your impatient behavior tonight. Did you forget what | taught you? You have to fake it till you make it. But you lost your temper in front of Javier. Your dad isn’t powerful enough to go up against Javier Walsh, you know?”
“|…” Freddy struggled to articulate his thoughts. At first, he had agreed {9 marry Lauren justto(pledst Zoe Having feelings for Lauren, he merely wanted to manipulate and take advantage of her.
Oddly, he felt terribly upset at the sight of Lauren dancing with Cyrus, like a husband who was publicly humiliated by his wife’s infidelity.
“Guess what? You’ve ruined Javier’s impression of you. Knowing how petty he is, he won’ gree to the\
rrlageaven iC n’t bring up the topic.” Orlander shook his head in disappointment. “Freddy, you’re not fated to marry into wealth. Just give up on that idea.”
Javier, on his way home from an event the next day, asked Rory for updates from last night.
“Mr. Javier, Mrs. Taylor is pretty generous toward Ms. Lauren. She gifted Ms. Lauren a bracelet worth tens of millions on eiryfirgt om ating Ro ao e up for the Taylors. “What a jarring contrast between the Taylors and the Hodgsons. Ms. Lauren is about to get engaged to Freddy Hodgson, yet his family has not offered her any gifts. They can’t be compared with the Taylors.”
Frowning, Javier argued, “Did the Taylors win you over with just a bracelet? It is worth nothing to them. | bet Winston Taylor has a cart of those jewelry.”
“That’s true. But Cyrus Taylor is way better than Freddy Hodgson.” Rory scoffed. “How dare Freddy Hodgson complain to you in your face? I wonder if he’s lost his mind.”
The scowl on Javier’s face deepened when Rory breached the topic.
Rory added, “Mr. Javier, I think Cyrus is serious about Ms. Lauren. Why don’t you call off the engagement to Freddy Hodgson? Marrying Ms. Lauren off to the Taylors is more advantageous for you. I’m sure Mr. Newton would be glad¡ª”
“Firstly, my son wanted to marry Alyssa; now, my daughter wants to marry Cyrus. Are there no other suitors for my children other than the Taylors?” Javier furiously slammed his hand on the armrest. Rory quickly shut up.
Javier looked out of the window indignantly. Objectively speaking, Mandy’s son was much better than Freddy or even Landon. Javier was aware of Freddy’s lack of affection for Lauren¡ªthe young man merely went along with his family’s arrangements.
