Falling For My Accidental CEO Husband
Chapter 184: What is This?

Chapter 184: What is This?

An older woman sat rigidly in the high-backed chair of the office, her eyes boring into the room full of people who dared not lift their heads to meet her glare. The silence was suffocating, broken only by the rhythmic ticking of a distant clock. Her fingers, adorned with rings that glinted coldly in the pale light, drummed impatiently on the armrest. She scanned their bowed heads, her gaze sharp enough to cut stone.

"What were you all doing while this disaster was unfolding?" she demanded, her voice low but crackling with restrained fury. "Were you asleep at your posts? Is this what I’ve been paying you for—to watch everything I’ve built come crashing down?" She paused, letting the weight of her words sink in as her eyes narrowed further.

"I gave clear instructions," she continued, each word pronounced with biting precision. "I told you all to keep watch over them, to ensure their safety and protect our name. And now look at the state we’re in!"

A ripple of unease passed through the room. One man shifted slightly, as if about to speak, but her withering glare silenced him before he could muster a word.

"My granddaughter," she spat, her voice rising, "has been taken into custody, dragged off for questioning like a common criminal! My son, my own blood, has become a laughingstock in the eyes of the public, all because of his wife’s reckless behavior. And my only grandson—" her voice wavered just slightly, the only hint of vulnerability beneath her hardened exterior—"is stranded in a foreign land, stripped of everything and left with little hope!"

She clenched her jaw, breathing hard as the room trembled under the force of her presence. The advisors and aides shifted uncomfortably, exchanging furtive glances but staying silent, their faces pale under the harsh scrutiny. The old woman’s gaze swept across them once more, daring anyone to speak.

"Tell me," she said finally, her voice dropping to a chilling whisper, "what exactly do you propose we do to fix this mess that has been the result of all this?"

Finally, one of the men found the courage to lift his head and speak, breaking the tense silence that had settled over the room. His voice trembled slightly, but he pressed on, knowing that hesitation would only worsen their predicament.

"Ma’am, we don’t even know how she managed to gather all this information. Her network is more extensive and elusive than anything we’ve dealt with before. And her assistant—" he paused, a shiver running down his spine as he recalled the rumors—"is fearsome. Trying to track her movements or predict her next move is nearly impossible. We’ve already tried and failed multiple times."

He glanced nervously around the room, hoping for some support from his colleagues, but most kept their gazes fixed on the floor or the walls, too intimidated to contribute.

"The truth is," he continued, swallowing hard, "we couldn’t have prevented this outcome, ma’am. Many of the photos and actions attributed to Miss Ava or Mrs Dawn were taken long before we were even brought on board. We’re working with shadows, trying to piece together fragmented trails. It’s like fighting a phantom who’s always one step ahead."

Another man shifted uneasily and cleared his throat, finally adding, "Miss Serena has been orchestrating this for longer than any of us realized. Her foresight and strategic moves make it nearly impossible to react in time. We’re always playing catch-up." The room fell into an almost suffocating silence, the weight of the words pressing heavily on everyone present. The woman who had spoken stood at the head of the table, her expression hardening as she swept her gaze across the room. She sneered, a sharp smile devoid of any warmth.

"Very good," she spat, her voice dripping with venom. "Should I commend you all for the fine work you’ve done and the praise you’ve garnered for Serena? Tell me, how could she have accomplished so much while she lay in a hospital bed for an entire year?" Her eyes gleamed with fury. "She was as clueless as her dear father when it came to Edwina Dawn!"

The men opened their mouths, each fumbling for an excuse, an explanation, anything that might soften the blow. But before any sound could escape, the woman raised a hand and silenced them with a glare that could cut steel. Their voices died in their throats, and an uneasy tension settled back over the room.

Her breathing grew ragged as her rage intensified, eyes narrowed to slits. Just as she took a step forward, intent on continuing her tirade, a man near the door dared to interrupt.

"Madam, please," he said cautiously, his voice low and edged with concern. "You need to calm yourself, or you’ll hurt yourself."

Her eyes snapped to him, flaring with anger. For a moment, it seemed she might strike him for his audacity. But then, a cold smile crept across her face—a smile that promised consequences.

"Leave," she ordered, her voice barely more than a whisper but powerful enough to send shivers down their spines.

The men exchanged quick glances, relief mingled with fear in their eyes, as they hurried out of the room.

The door closed behind them with a resounding thud, leaving only the woman and the man who had spoken. His posture was tense, shoulders squared as if bracing for a blow.

"You," she said, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You’re just as useless as the rest of them. How could you fail to get any meaningful information on Serena? Especially when you had so much time!"

He sighed, a sound heavy with frustration and resignation. "I admit, I underestimated her," he said. "But I know better now. As a matter of fact, she has somehow changed since her return. If not for the DNA test that we did, I would have thought that she was some doppelganger of Serena!"

Her eyebrow arched. "Oh? So now that you know it is her? What do you suggest we should do now?"