Falling For My Accidental CEO Husband
Chapter 185: What To Do?

Chapter 185: What To Do?

The woman arched an eyebrow, a trace of disdain shadowing her features. "Oh? So now that you know it’s her, what do you suggest we do?"

The man shifted uncomfortably, glancing over his shoulder before stepping fully into the room. He moved with a subtle hesitance, as if expecting an invisible trap to spring. He settled into a worn chair and sighed.

"I thought there might still be a way to leverage her connection with Aiden Hawk. Perhaps we could use him to our advantage," he began, his voice low and deliberate. "But it appears she’s moved past him entirely. Even when she was informed of his accident, she barely batted an eye and carried on as if nothing had happened."

The woman let out a sharp, exasperated breath. Her eyes narrowed, cutting into him with an intensity that spoke volumes. "Haven’t I already made that point clear? Aiden Hawk’s interest in Serena’s company is purely self-serving. She dumped him, and men like him—with egos bigger than their fortunes—never forgive such slights. His interest isn’t in her but in proving he’s untouchable and that she had no right to dump him before he could dump her.. We can exploit that. Corrick has been making decent progress there so you don’t worry about Aiden. For all his cowardice and blunders, at least he has the sense to stay committed. But that isn’t enough now. What I need is something—anything—to manage Serena."

The man’s shoulders slumped slightly, and he exhaled as if surrendering a secret he’d rather keep. "I do have an idea, something that could curb her drive for vengeance. It might not only deter her but also weaken her resolve."

The woman’s eyes sharpened, interest piqued. "Well? Out with it."

He paused for a heartbeat, gauging her reaction. Then, with deliberate precision, he said, "The red file."

For a moment, the room went deathly silent. The woman’s expression shifted from curiosity to a hard, cold stillness. Her breath caught, and she leaned closer. "What did you just say?"

"I know you intended to use that file against Edwina before her death. You kept it hidden, thinking it would be your trump card. But circumstances changed, and the old woman died before you could wield it. However, if we were to reveal its contents now..." He let the sentence hang in the air, watching as realization dawned in her eyes.

A glimmer of calculated malice softened her frown. "Serena’s entire campaign against Matthew and the others is rooted in revenge. She believes I’m responsible for her father’s death, and her grandmother’s too. She wants nothing more than to see me dragged into the light and destroyed. But if the red file were to reach her..." Her voice trailed off, an eerie silence pressing down on them.

The man leaned forward, sensing her shift in demeanor. "Exactly. If Serena learns the truth buried within those pages, her rage might shift—directed not at you, but at Edwina. It would confuse her loyalties, fracture her resolve, and in the chaos, shaking her off our trail would be child’s play."

A slow, predatory smile curled her lips as she contemplated the new strategy. The weight of their shared secret hung between them like a coiled viper, ready to strike.

"Very well," she murmured, the edges of her voice tinged with newfound confidence. "Let’s prepare to put the red file to use.But carefully. It has to be delivered in a way that leaves her vulnerable yet blindsided. Any sign that it’s coming from us, and we risk turning her anger into fuel. And make sure you handle things well to save Ava and the others, before you use the red file!"

"Of course, Nvidia! Haven’t I always been careful?"

The man stood as well, "I’ll ensure that the trail is untraceable, and that she receives it through channels she trusts."

As soon as the man left the room, the woman’s eyes shifted to the photograph on her desk. With a slow, deliberate motion, she reached out and picked it up, her expression softening into a wistful smile as she stared at the two faces caught in the embrace of the past. One was her own, younger and carefree, and the other belonged to Edwina—the woman who had once been more than just a friend... the woman who had been her lover. The one who was supposed to be with her against the society. For a moment, she was lost in that fragment of time, the memory of laughter and whispered promises echoing faintly in her mind. But the warmth in her eyes faded quickly, replaced by a cold, steely bitterness. Carefully, she set the picture back on the desk and exhaled a heavy sigh.

"It’s ironic, isn’t it?" she murmured to the empty room, her voice low and sharp. "People keep pictures of their loved ones on their desks as a reminder of joy and affection." A bitter smile curved her lips, a smile with no trace of warmth. "But I keep a picture of the woman I hate most in this world."

Her fingers trembled slightly as they traced the delicate outline of Edwina’s face. The photograph, once a symbol of love, had become a reminder of the betrayal she had suffered at the hands of ’love’.

"You thought your secrets would die with you," she whispered, "But you were wrong. Those secrets are about to destroy the only person left who bears your blood, the last fragment of your legacy." Her voice hardened, each word like a shard of ice.

"And when Serena’s gone," she continued, letting her hand drop from the frame as though it burned, "I will finally step out of the shadows you pushed me into. I will walk back into the sunlight, where I was meant to be, enjoying my life, with my children. The way I supposed to before you walked into my life." With a sigh, she stood up, and with a flick of her finger, pushed the frame, letting it fall on the desk face down, and walked out of the room.