“Is my guess right? All of this is my father’s doing?” Max asked, still staring at the secretary’s back.
After a moment of silence, Sebastian finally turned to look at the CEO. “Why are you accusing your own father? Have you lost your mind?” he asked stiffly.
Unexpectedly, Max’s lips began to curl. After exhaling quickly, he grimaced while shaking his head. “I didn’t think it was really my father. What should I do to fight him? I don’t want to be a rebellious son,” he muttered with a dreamy look.
Knowing that Max had found the truth, Sebastian’s throat felt dry. He was assigned to increase the pressure in the CEO’s head, but instead he was pressed and at a loss for words.
“I really don’t understand, what I do wrong that you secretly stab me. Why am I given the trust if it ends up being dropped like this? Did my father tell you his motives?”
Sebastian’s lips trembled silently. His brain never finished processing a safe answer to say.
Just as the secretary gave a desperate chuckle, the door suddenly opened and someone entered at a rapid pace. Max and Sebastian reflexively checked who had come. A second later, their eyes in unison opened wide.
“Uncle?” The secretary’s sigh could not cover the astonishment.
The old man suddenly lifted the corners of his lips to say hello. “I don’t know you’re here, Sebastian. Am I interrupting your conversation?”
After shaking his eyeballs for a moment, the nephew shook his head. “No, Uncle.”
Meanwhile, Max was still staring at his father. He did not expect that the suspect would appear. Why did his father come to see him? Is it to provide a new threat? Or admit the crime?
After regaining consciousness, the CEO stood up and put on a fierce look.
“What do you need, Dad? Isn’t my deadline tomorrow?” Max said without saying hello.
As if he didn’t mind his son’s cold demeanor, Herbert sat down on the sofa. “The council just talked about it. The information provided by Sebastian is enough to prove that what Julian and Amber said was not true.”
Listening to that explanation, Max and the secretary in unison stared wide-eyed.
“Information from Sebastian?” the CEO muttered while blinking for a bright spot.
“Yes. Don’t you know that all this time, he’s been secretly helping you? Thank him for saving your post.”
An incredulous sigh escaped Max’s mouth. What he had just heard was absurd. Wasn’t his cousin the executor, and his father the mastermind? Then, why did those people suddenly side with him?
“Why are you in such a daze? Shouldn’t you be happy that you don’t have to worry about how to secure a job?” Herbert asked with an innocent look.
Subconsciously, Max shook his head in denial of the information. “What exactly are you planning?”
The old man’s lips automatically pursed. After one breath, he straightened his back and put on a more serious look.
“We planned the best for Quebracha. Therefore, on behalf of the council, I would like to apologize for drawing conclusions too quickly. Upon further investigation, it turns out that Julian and Amber’s source of information is unreliable.”
A small sigh suddenly escaped the CEO’s groan. “Do you finally admit that Gabriella was slandered?”
“Yes,” Herbert nodded without hesitation.
A second later, Max’s eyes narrowed to digest all the information. “Why only now? Why not in the first place, before you hurt Gabriella’s feelings?” he asked, testing.
“Who wouldn’t be surprised to hear such news? Isn’t the human tendency to think negative things? What’s more, the woman admitted that her father did work at Concretree,” Herbert said with a shrug.
After a while, Max clutched his heavy head. Gritting his teeth, he studied the expressions on his father’s and Sebastian’s. “If not them, then who did it?” the man thought as he was still suspicious.
“Why are you secretly helping me?” Max’s investigation succeeded in raising the secretary’s eyebrows. “Why don’t you just state your intentions openly? Instead, you allow my suspicions to continue with reasons that have no solid basis.”
“I already denied it, but you keep pushing,” Sebastian replied with a flat expression. He didn’t know why Herbert had suddenly changed the plan. However, the secretary realized that he had to improvise.
“What do you think, Mr. CEO? Aren’t you happy that your position is secure?” the old man asked, suddenly stealing all the attention.
Actually, Max’s suspicions was still big. However, after noticing his father’s innocent expression, he finally sighed. “It looks like I’ll have to do the analysis from scratch,” the man thought before releasing the tension.
“Thank you, Bass,” he said flatly.
The CEO wasn’t sure if the secretary really deserved it. However, at that time, going with the flow was the safest way.
“You’re welcome,” Sebastian said with a stiff curve of lips. After a moment of silence, the man checked his watch. “Unfortunately, another agenda awaits me. We will continue this discussion later.”
After raising an eyebrow at the CEO and staring at Herbert with a firm blink, the man left the room.
“You’re so lucky to have such a loyal cousin, Max,” Herbert said in as he rose to his feet. “As you know, my time is also limited. Therefore, this weekend, invite your wife to have dinner with me. We can talk longer and relax there.”
Receiving such a rare invitation, Max’s astonishment rose again. However, he hesitated to argue about it. “Okay. Thank you, Dad,” he said in a low voice.
Seeing his father leave with a lopsided smile, Max’s gaze immediately fell. The puzzles he faced were increasingly difficult to solve. All the information seemed to clash.
“What really happened?” he muttered as he sat back down. “Is my guess wrong? If it isn’t Sebastian who has been on the move all this time, then who is able to do all that without a trace? And who is the real mastermind?”
After a moment of contemplation, Max closed his eyes and sighed. His mind was too full of unanswered questions. He was getting tired of bearing all the burdens.
“Tsk, I have to look for additional information,” he said before returning his gaze.
A second later, the man’s gaze fell on the unfinished mockup. In just an instant, the frown on the man’s forehead unraveled.
“Can this news be used as a complementary gift for Gaby? She’d be very happy to know that I don’t get ousted,” Max thought with a small arch of lips. His suspicions had dropped drastically.
After imagining the beautiful face of Gabriella, the man nodded spontaneously and returned his enthusiasm.
“Right. Gaby will be very happy tonight. I can’t wait to get home quickly.”
Wasting no time, Max pushed the chair against the table. With a happy face, he continued his work. The man had absolutely no idea that in a car, the two people he suspected were discussing something.
“Why do you suddenly drop the charges against Max? This is not our plan,” Sebastian said with a faint frown. However, as soon as he saw the old man’s crooked smile, his confusion was immediately unraveled.
“Has she made up her mind?” the secretary guessed with wide eyes.
Herbert suddenly took a deep breath and then sighed. “Yes, she’s gone, and it’s obvious that Max doesn’t know yet.”
Hearing the unexpected news, Sebastian immediately nodded happily. However, after a while, his laughter died down. “But, why hasn’t Uncle launched an attack yet? Shouldn’t we be telling Max the lie about Gabriella’s betrayal?”
“Because we also have to adjust. The woman has made up her own scenario. She ran away without my money or the documents we asked for.”
A second later, the secretary’s mouth opened wide, just as his eyes forgot to blink. “She didn’t choose any scenario?”
Herbert nodded. “Therefore, we must be careful. For the time being, let Max down naturally. When the time is right, I’ll give the surprise. He won’t be able to get up again.”
Hearing the plan that would make the CEO suffer even more, the corners of Sebastian’s lips lifted very lightly. He couldn’t wait to see the tears of the man he hated the most on earth.
***
Arriving at the house, Max rushed in with a small box at his right hand. Gabriella’s sweet smile was already in his mind, making his heart feel so light. The man was too happy to detect the oddity that there was no one to greet him.
As soon as Max stepped into the living room, the curve of his lips suddenly flattened. The decorations that he designed, had not been installed.
“What is this?” he muttered with shrunken brows.
With his heartbeat starting to spike, Max placed the gift on the table and stomped into the kitchen.
Instead of being greeted by dishes, the man just stared at the messy cooking utensil. The birthday cake was even still in the oven, half-baked. A bad feeling suddenly rumbled in his chest.
“Gabby?” he sighed in a thin, trembling voice. Without having time to catch his breath, Max ran towards the room.
As soon as he found a bed without Smiley or Snowy, his chest immediately tightened. With eyes starting to get wet, he rushed to open the wardrobe. Some of his wife’s clothes were no longer there.
“Impossible,” the man said quietly, denying what was in his mind.
However, when his eyes fell on the piano without a book or music paper, fear suddenly flared up uncontrollably.
Without wasting a second, Max ran through the entire room. Unfortunately, he found no one, including his wife. Even, the suitcase he confiscated before, had disappeared without a trace.