Filed to story: The CEO’s Wife Is a Secret Boss Novel (Allison & Jeremy) Free Online
“Your girlfriend can be the princess of a country. She can be a goddess or a homeless woman. I don’t care!”
Winston took a deep breath. His eyes were reddened. With a tremble in his voice, he declared vehemently, “But… she cannot be Kontina’s royalty. I will never approve of her!”
“Dad! But, why?” Liam’s voice was clear. He was extremely puzzled.
Even Alyssa, who was eavesdropping from the other side of the door, was also full of questions.
She could still understand Winston if he had gotten upset because Yuliana was Kontinian and reminded him of Jennifer. However, he was now so adamant about Liam and Yuliana’s relationship. That made him seem ridiculously merciless.
His reaction was as if Liam was going to marry his enemy’s daughter.
This, though, piqued Alyssa’s innate curiosity even further.
“No reason.”
Winston shivered. He shut his eyes tight and put his palm on his burning forehead. “Kontina’s royal family is infamous for being wicked and scandalous. They are a pile of filth!
“I do not want my son to get his hands dirty. I don’t want any of you to be corrupted by that filthy environment. Plus, you have set your mind on joining the military since you were young. You’ve finally achieved your current position after all that hard work. Are you going to give up on everything you achieved just because of a woman?”
Liam was sharp-witted. With a deep gaze, he looked at Winston and remarked, “You’re not being truthful with me, Dad.”
Winston’s chest tightened. Instinctively, he avoided Liam’s analytical gaze.
“Ever since we were young, you have never requested much from us. You would never interfere with the choices we made or the paths we chose.”
Anxiety made Liam’s breathing quicken. In a hoarse voice, he continued, “Even when Jonah got together with Dr. Lovelace, you shielded them. You supported them fully. Why can’t you do the same regarding Yules and me?
“Please tell me. Is it because you have some sort of grudge or dispute with the Kontinian royal family?”
On the other side of the door, Alyssa pursed her lips together tightly. She was so nervous that even the veins on the back of her hands started to pop as she pressed her hands against the door.
“It has nothing to do with the younger generation. You don’t have to probe further.” Winston dismissed him and refused to share further.
Liam, however, pressed on. “Mom was Kontinian. After that, with your help, she became a citizen of our country, You are so repelled by the royal family. I can even say that you’re against them. Is it because Mom is somehow connected to the Kontinian royal family?”
Alyssa’s heart pounded.
She recalled the time when she talked to Mandy about Jennifer’s background. Jeremy had also theorized that Jennifer had come from the coastal waters around Kontina. Everything was pointing toward one possibility…
Jennifer was connected with the Kontinian royal family!
That said, information about
Kontina’s royal family members was searchable on the internet. Their king and queen had a son and a daughter. Their son was frail and sickly, so he was often hospitalized for treatment. The king’s younger brother only had two princesses. He did not have any sons.
In Kontina, the throne was passed down only to male members of the family. Thus, regardless of how useless a prince was, he could be the only one to inherit the throne in the future.
The issue was that there was no place for Jennifer among the royal family members at all!
If Jennifer was indeed connected to the Kontinian royal family, what role did she have in the family?
And how did she end up fleeing to Belbanks?
“No, no…”
Winston’s sharp eyes had now gone dull. He slumped on the couch, suddenly feeling like all the energy had been drained from him. “It has nothing to do with you. Your mother has nothing to do with the royal family either. Stop asking me about it!”
Alyssa clenched her teeth together tightly.
Winston’s repeated denial was an affirmation.
Although Liam had a softer personality, he was more stubborn than anyone else once he set his mind on something. “Dad, if that’s true, then there’s all the more no reason for me to cut ties with Yules!
“She is a member of the royal family, and the only way for me to come in contact with the Kontinian royal family. Only by getting close to her and being with her will I get a chance to understand Mom’s background. Only then will be able te find out what happened to Mom back then!”
“Nonsense!” Winston’s pupils quivered. He slammed his hands on the couch’s armrest in anger. “How could you find out about the royal family just as you wish? Moreover, if your feelings for that young woman are true, you shouldn’t get close to her with an ulterior motive!
“In order to see you, she stepped out of her palace and came all the way to another part of the world. You are clearly very important to her. She’s fallen in love with you!
“If you intend to use her, how is this fair for her? Do you think that the royal family will forgive you for playing with their princess’s heart? Did you think that the special agents under the Kontinian royal family are just for show?”
Liam’s heart was pained. He was standing with his hands by his side. His hands started trembling uncontrollably. He curled his fingers into tight fists.
Of course, he understood Winston’s point. He wasn’t a heartless person.
However, without clarity on Jennifer’s past, Winston’s anxieties would fester, poisoning any chance of a happy future with Yuliana. Only by laying those ghosts to rest could he proudly stand beside Yuliana and dare to dream of a future with her.
“You and that princess… have to break it off immediately. You cannot be together.”
“Dad, since I was young, you have always praised me. You said that I was your most obedient son.’
Liam couldn’t hold back the waves of despair within him. His eyes were swollen as he blinked hard. He choked, “I have never rebelled against you. But this time, I want to ask that you give Yuliana and me a chance to be together. Can you?”
“No!”
Winston blew his top. His entire body started shaking involuntarily, and his speech became unclear. “It’s either her… or me… You choose!”
Immediately after, Winston’s world went black. His limb stiffened, indicating somatization!
“Dad!”
The shock drained the color from Liam’s face instantly. He stepped forward to check on Winston.
“Dad!”
Alyssa, who was eavesdropping outside, barged into the room too. She got in touch with Julien while she performed first aid on Winston in a composed manner.
“Dad… I didn’t mean to make you mad… I’m sorry!” Liam, a grown man, knelt helplessly by Winston’s side. His eyes filled with tears.
Alyssa and Jonah did not inform the other Taylor family members about Winston’s episode. They only enlisted the help of Jeremy and Julien.
After all, Landon and Lauren’s wedding ceremony would take place the next day. No one wanted to cause trouble for the couple during such a happy occasion.
After taking his medication and receiving basic treatment from Julien, Winston’s condition stabilized. He lay in bed and dozed off.
“He was still okay before this. What happened?” Julien questioned in a worried tone as he stood right next to Jonah.
“It was my fault… It was all my fault! It was all because of me. I disobeyed him, so Dad…”
Liam hung his head low in self-reproach. The strong feeling of guilt was like a thorny vine that encircled his beating heart.
Jeremy wrapped his arm around Alyssa’s waist. Noticing how downcast she looked, his sixth sense told him that something upsetting must have happened.
“If it were someone else who said that, I’d believe him. But I will never believe that you would do something like that, Liam.” Jonah shook his head. He looked utterly confused.
“Jonah, Jul, and Jeremy.” Alyssa took a deep breath. In a soft voice, she said, “Could the three of you go out for a bit? I’d like to have a chat with Liam privately.”
The trio looked surprised. Even so, they picked up on Alyssa’s cue and left the room.
“Lyse, are you… okay?” Jeremy lowered his eyes to look at her. He looked extremely concerned.
“I’m alright. Wait for me outside.” Alyssa gave him a squeeze on his hand. She shot him a gentle smile to reassure him.
Soon enough, only Liam and Alyssa were left standing by Winston’s bed.
“Lyse, I…”
“Liam, I want to talk to you about Mom.”
Initially, Alyssa had prepared herself mentally to talk about Jennifer. Even so, she still welled up with tears instantly.
“Based on Dad’s reaction tonight and my investigations and speculations from before, there is no doubt that Mom is a Kontinian who ended up in Belbanks after O encountering some adversity.
“Also, there’s another thing that I can be almost certain about.
“Mom is closely connected with the Kontinian royal family. Not only that, this is a connection that Mom and Dad never ever wanted to revisit. It’s also a secret that they don’t want us to find out.”
