No matter how hard Max tried to find a solution, his efforts failed. Heart and logic did not go hand in hand. He couldn’t sacrifice Gabriella, but also didn’t want to lose Quebracha.
Unfortunately, before his brain come up with an idea, the woman had run. Shock automatically jolted the CEO’s consciousness.
“Gaby,” the man tried to catch his wife’s wrist.
However, Gabriella moved as fast as the wind. Max’s hand only managed to reach the air.
Seeing his wife’s back away, the man’s heart suddenly felt empty. After a sigh of resignation, he also left the room.
“Gaby,” Max called as he almost caught up.
Instead of answering, the woman continued to move towards the road. She didn’t care if the man ran faster behind her back. She just wanted to go away.
“Gabriella!” Max finally managed to get his wife’s elbow. But a second later, the woman jerked her arm and escaped.
With no other choice, Max ended up moving at full speed. Without hesitation, he hugged his wife from behind so that the woman could no longer run away.
“Let go!” Gabriella urged as she pushed her husband’s hand away from her stomach.
“No!”
The woman’s rebellion grew stronger. However, the husband’s strength was much greater. She remained locked in the man’s arms.
“Why do you hold me? Shouldn’t you be defending your position?”
“But not by letting you go,” Max answered in a booming voice.
“Why? Are you going to drag me inside so I can confess? To keep your name clean and stick with the title of CEO?”
The man’s chest suddenly became hot. His wife’s words felt like a ball of fire in his heart.
“Didn’t I tell you that you are the only woman for me?” Max asked with pain on his face.
“You’re crazy! There’s no sane person who is more concerned with lust than reputation.”
With no patience left, the man turned his wife’s body. “Look at me!”
After a few seconds, the woman was still busy rebelling. Max was forced to grip her arm tightly, then gave a strong jolt.
“Look at me!” he screamed, successfully get the attention of his wife.
Through her vision blurred by tears, Gabriella returned the man’s gaze. Her lips trembled against the turmoil in the chest, while her shoulders rose and fell to match the sound of the breath. A stifling combination for Max Evans.
“We can talk about this calmly. Understand?” the man said in a much softer tone. However, his wife still shook her head doubtfully.
“There’s nothing to talk about? It’s obvious that you’ll fall if you stay with me.”
“No. I don’t want us to admit defeat like this. The mastermind shouldn’t laugh happily.”
Gabriella was silent for a moment. Her eyes fluttered at the thought of Max’s sensible words. However, after one quick breath, she shook her head again.
“But, there is no other way.”
“There is …. There must be,” Max nodded confidently. “We just need to think about it carefully.”
A second later, the man’s thumb moved to wipe away his wife’s tears. “Now, let’s go home. We need rest so we can think optimally.”
“Do you hate me?” Gabriella asked unexpectedly. The man in front of her raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
“You must hate me. I have become a big burden in your life. You shouldn’t marry me. If you had thrown me out on the street, it would be so much easier for you now.”
“And I’ll still be the lonely Max. No. I never regret marrying you,” the man said without the slightest hesitation. “And I wouldn’t forgive myself if I let you stranded.”
Gabriella wanted to believe those sweet words, but she was too afraid of getting hurt. As a result, she bent down to hide hope. While contemplating what response to give, something warm wrapped her trembling hand.
“We’re going home now,” the man coaxed while leveling his eyes with his wife.
After gulping, the woman answered simply, “Yes.”
There was nothing else on her mind but chaos. She really needed to rest her mind, as well as her heart.
In silence, the couple rushed towards the car.
***
“Go to the bedroom and rest first. You’re too tired,” Max said when they got home.
After a blink, Gabriella looked at her husband with curious eyes. “What do you want to do?”
“Small investigation. You don’t have to look.”
After sighing in doubt, the woman finally nodded.
Just as Gabriella was out of sight, Max’s face turned serious.
“Protocol nine,” he said, successfully raising the eyebrows of the butler who was waiting in the corner of the room.
“Protocol nine, Sir?” Minnie asked for sure.
“Yes. There is a little mouse in this house. It looks like, we’ve been negligent in the selection.”
Realizing the seriousness of the CEO, Minnie rushed to carry out order. In just a few minutes, all the servant had lined up before Max.
“Does anyone want to confess before I say it first?” The man was no longer friendly. The corners of his lips had been weighed down with annoyance.
“No one? Okay.” Max walked over to the sofa and sat down, narrowing his eyes.
“Who was in charge of preparing my dinner on the first day Mrs. Evans came here?”
Two servants suddenly shrank. Even though they were bowed down, their feet still stepped forward.
“Then, who was in charge of providing supplements for me on that day?”
The younger servant raised her hand doubtfully.
“Did you add anything in there?”
The girl shook her head quickly. “No, Sir. I just followed the procedure. Red label for morning and blue label for evening. I prepared it according to the label.”
Instead of being angry, the man nodded with pursed lips.
“Then, who brought cell phone to my wedding?”
The servants glanced at each other. After a while, two of them in the back row stepped forward.
“Did you take any pictures?”
“No, Sir,” they answered in unison.
Suddenly, Max grimaced a little. Something had bothered his mind and stuck in his chest.
“Last question, you better answer honestly. Who ever mentioned my marriage to anyone else?”
All of the servants spontaneously shook their heads. However, two seconds later, the CEO’s index finger pointed to a young, round-eyed servant in the back row. The fingers that were originally squeezing each other immediately froze.
“Who gave you orders?”
“Me? I didn’t do anything, Sir.”
Suddenly, one of Max’s hands was open as if waiting for something. “Your cell phone.”
The girl’s brows furrowed. After grimacing for a moment, she finally sighed and knelt down.
“I beg you, forgive me. I was forced to do it. If I didn’t comply, the man would show my mother a video of our disgrace. Her heart disease could recur.”
An incredulous sigh escaped Max’s mouth. “Apparently, the mastermind is a perverted man? Does that mean it’s not Julian?” he thought for a moment.
After gritting his teeth, the CEO turned the gaze back to the kneeling woman. “Tell me, who is that person?”
“Forgive me, Sir. I can’t tell,” the servant said, shaking her head even faster. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to my mother.”
“So, you’re siding with that man more than the person who paid for your mother’s surgery?”
“I have no other choice. Please forgive me, Sir,” the girl pleaded.
Realizing that the servant didn’t want to confess, Max gave a resigned snort. “Then you have to get out of here, and I can no longer pay for your mother’s treatment.”
With a heavy heart, the young woman nodded. “Yes, Sir. I’m sorry for disappointing you.”
“Now, hand over your phone to me!”
The servant’s lips trembled in doubt. “You won’t find anything on my phone, Sir. The guy always uses a different contact, and I delete all the information as soon as it’s sent.”
Max’s jaw suddenly hardened. Holding the rumbling in his lungs, he asked the question that crossed his mind, “Has that man been here recently?”
The servant’s expression automatically froze. “That … sorry, Sir. I can’t give an answer.”
“It turns out that the mastermind had come here,” the CEO concluded, nodding and getting up from the sofa.
“Protocol nine ends. Please return to your rooms. And Auntie, please take care of the dismissal of the woman who has violated the rules.”
“Yes, Sir!”
Without responding, the man stepped up the stairs. He had received an important clue.
“Is it possible that Sebastian is the mastermind behind all this?” he muttered with furrowed brows.
“But it doesn’t seem possible. Tsk, I have to check the guest list. Maybe, there are other visitors besides Sebastian and Julian,” the man thought as he entered the room.
Just as Max opened the door, Gabriella gasped and immediately turned around with hands on her back. Her round eyes were clearly hiding something.
“Why haven’t you slept yet?” the man asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I just finished cleaning my face,” the woman replied stiffly.
Hearing the robot-like answer, Max’s eyes suddenly narrowed. “What’s wrong?”
Gabriella shook her head at a limited angle. “Nothing.”
“What are you hiding from me?”
“How was your investigation? Did you find anything?” Gabriella asked, changing the subject.
With slow steps, the man approached his wife. “Yes, one important clue.”
“What?” Gabriella said as she stepped back.
Max tilted his head in defiance. “Show me what you’re hiding first.”
Averting her gaze, the woman let out a resigned sigh. A second later, she showed the phone in her hand.
“The mastermind contacted me again,” Gabriella replied in a low voice. The CEO’s eyes spontaneously rounded.
“What did he say?”
The woman’s eyes flickered with tension. After a moment, she shook her head. “Sorry, I can’t say.”
Without thinking, the man grabbed Gabriella’s arm and fixed his gaze.
“Did he threaten you to leave me?”
Gabriella swallowed hard. “Max, may I ask for the money from the sale of my house?”
The man’s heart instantly stung with worry. “What do you need money? Haven’t I met all your needs?”
“I’m tired of being dragged into this. Can I go far from this house? From this town?”
The rumbling in Max’s chest could no longer be contained. His throat was too dry to speak. With the last remaining hope, he pulled Gabriella into his arms.
Closing his eyes, the man whispered, “Whatever the mastermind said, don’t mind it. Please … stay by my side. I wouldn’t be able to spend a day without you.”