Ch. 41..45: OMG My Crippled Husband is a Hot Powerful CEO Chapter 41-45

Chapter 41: Chapter 41 - Madam has made a huge come back

Joanna arrived at the office an hour and a half late and was surprised to see Mia again at her desk. Not that she couldn’t handle the situation, but it was just tiring.

"You seem to love my job and position. Move away from there," she snarled. Mia stood up from Joanna’s chair with a smug smile.

"Whore. I wonder what your husband would think if he sees the latest news."

She was certain Alex would dump Joanna after this, as the Kings would not want their image tainted by such a scandal.

Joanna exchanged glances with her colleagues, Vida and Juliet, who were equally oblivious to Mia’s claims. But Joanna’s only concern was not seeing Jeremy at his desk.

"Where is Jeremy?" She asked. Vida and Juliet’s expressions were disheartening. Mia taunted,

"Did you forget he was fired yesterday because of you?" She was surprised that Joanna had forgotten, but even with that, there was a bigger problem Joan needed to think about than Jeremy.

"That should not worry you. Why don’t you check the memo circulated to all staff on Discord?"

Joanna couldn’t care less about any memo but was rather concerned about Jeremy.

"He did nothing wrong, and yet you fired him. He’s coming back." She wasn’t supposed to use Alex’s help in anything related to her work, but if she had to battle HR for Jeremy to return, she was ready to do so.

Mia felt like a winner for seeing the rage in Joanna’s expression, though she tried to mask it with calmness.

"You don’t have that authority," Mia reminded her.

Joanna might not, but she knew who did and instantly dialed Jeremy’s number. If this statement was true, she wouldn’t condone it.

"Jerry, come back to work," she said without any formalities but was stunned by what she heard.

"Thanks for caring so much about me, Joan, but I had an offer this morning. I woke up to a call for an interview and was hired with immediate effect."

Joanna was taken aback but also very delighted. This was the fastest recruitment she had ever heard of. She didn’t have it easy being a staff in this company, going through the normal process.

Cole had no idea she had been hired until it was too late. Her level of hard work and professionalism made her an asset. "Wow, congratulations, but how did it happen?"

"I was hired as the director of the marketing department, and trust me, this is what I would term a miracle. I haven’t even informed my wife and kids yet but plan to celebrate with them after work."

Joanna still couldn’t believe her ears. Jeremy was very skilled, a man with good character, but the director position was unexpected.

Perhaps it was a small company, but her wish was for Jeremy to rub shoulders with big corporations.

"I know that your marketing skills are impeccable, but I was looking at something like a manager. Did you apply for that position, or is the company small?"

Jeremy’s excitement from the end of the line was quite infectious as he explained it to her.

"I applied a few months ago for a managerial position in the King’s multinational, never hearing from them. But just this morning, I received a call from them and am currently undergoing orientation."

Joanna was amazed to hear he got employed by the Kings, but wasn’t it strange the way things happened?

Why did she feel like someone was involved? Still, she was very happy because Jeremy would improve himself to suit the big responsibilities on his shoulders. "Wow, congratulations."

"Thanks, Joan. I will find time to buy you, girls, lunch when I get a hang of things here."

When she hung up, she announced to her colleagues. "Jeremy is now the marketing director in the King’s multinational."

"What?" The three women in the office expressed shock, but Mia’s shock had a blend of frustration to it. "Impossible."

She was afraid the Kings might investigate matters as they do to new staff, and if the truth was brought to light about how Jeremy was fired, then Mia and Mr. Troy might just be buying trouble at a very expensive price.

Joanna smiled. "I guess the HR of the King’s group is more competent with hiring the best staff than ours."

"You!" Mia was outraged by the comparison, but Vida and Juliet could still not recover from the shudder.

"Joanna, is it true?" Vida asked. Joan smiled at her. "Call him if you don’t believe me."

Joanna had a strong conviction that Alex was involved. Only the CEO would have the authority to recruit an officer to the position of director.

HR would usually want to place such positions on probation. Perhaps, Jack had reported on the events of yesterday, but still, why would Alex give Jeremy such a big position?

Mia recalled what made her excited this morning, deciding to spoil the joyful atmosphere.

"Whatever, Joanna, the case of seducing Mr. Troy has been filed, and I enjoyed sending a memo to all staff through email. Now, you are the hottest topic on the staff Discord group. Won’t you check?"

With Jeremy’s issue out of the way, Joanna checked the staff Discord group, paling at the toxic comments flying around.

’What a low-life bitch? She has the guts to seduce Mr. Troy for promotion.’

’It’s good he turned her down. She’s such a whore.’

’She’s even shameless enough to want to file a case against him.’

’Who knows how she wins all those big clients?’

’Through seduction, of course, if not prostitution.’

Vida and Juliet had equally checked the staff Discord group and were beyond miserable, especially when their authority was limited.

Jack, who was privy to a lot due to the instruction of his boss, had also seen the messages, instantly sending a text message to Alex.

’Sir, Madam is being harassed at the office.’ He received an instant response. ’How?’

Jack quickly sent screenshots of the messages to him. Alex frowned deeply and responded through text. ’I will take care of it.’

It was not long before Jack sent another message. ’Sir, Madam has made a huge comeback.’

 

Chapter 42: Chapter 42 – Dad, why are you smiling?

Joanna burst into laughter at the office, stunning Mia. The sound of her laughter brought Mr. Troy out of his office.

"Laughing at your disgraced self?" Mr. Troy asked in annoyance, but Joanna continued laughing.

"No, I’m laughing at your downfall."

"You are just a crazy person," Mr. Troy yelled, furious at her behavior but not daring to touch her. Everyone knew the man behind the door was her bodyguard, and if not for Joanna, he would have been in the office with them.

Joanna chuckled and stared at Juliet. "Don’t you think it’s about time?"

"On it," Juliet responded with a strange smile, and soon Mia and Mr. Troy were left frowning.

Flashback to after the incident between Joanna and Mr. Troy:

"What a crazy woman. She could have enjoyed it and even gotten a promotion, but she decided to act tough." Mr. Troy’s teeth gritted as he contemplated his next move. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

One of his staff entered with cleaning equipment. "Sir, the janitor is off duty. I will clean up the mess." It was Juliet.

She had an evil smirk on her face as she retrieved a device, hiding it among the cleaning equipment before scurrying out of the office.

"Did you get it?" Joanna asked anxiously when she got out. She had to go see her mother at the hospital but wanted to ensure all the necessary proof was gathered against Mr. Troy.

Mr. Troy had been at this for a long time, so she and her colleagues in her department had planned it quite well.

To avoid being caught, Mr. Troy never allowed any employee to enter his office with a phone or electrical gadget.

Joanna had pinned a secret camera, the size of a peanut, to his desk when she went to ask for permission to go see her mom at the hospital.

It was just as they suspected that their boss would once again take advantage of the situation like he always did to most of the girls. They were not wrong, and everything worked out perfectly.

Juliet walked away from the cleaning equipment and connected the device via Bluetooth to her laptop. "Yes, and everything was well captured."

"Good. I have to run to the hospital. Thank you, guys, but wait for my call before exposing it," Joanna warned, not wanting to miss the show.

"Anytime Joanna, you saved our ass," Vida responded, glad to nail their boss for good this time.

End of Flashback.

"You did this?" Mia asked Mr. Troy after watching the video, her hope was lost. She was hoping to discredit Joanna with Mr. Troy’s testimony, but now she realized something greater was at play.

Now, she lost her only chance of making Joanna look bad before the Kings, and if the wedding happened, Joanna would become the most respected and feared woman, even if Alex was a cripple.

"You set me up. Where did you get this?" Mr. Troy tried to deny the hard evidence against him, but Joanna was relentless in her pursuit of justice.

"Jones Troy, you will pay for all the women you fired because they refused to give in to your advances, and those you took advantage of. They will all testify against you in court."

On the office discord group, things changed after Juliet uploaded the video.

’What? So, Mr. Troy was the shameless one after all.’

’Yes, all his allegations were baseless, but we took him at his word because of his position.’

’Who knows if those girls he fired before were equally harassed and blackmailed by him. Can Joan forgive us? We didn’t know.’

’Let’s wait until lunchtime to apologize to her.’

’I really hope she forgives us. She got rid of a great menace in the office. This happened to me when I needed a salary advance. I wasn’t as smart as Joanna, so I went ahead with it.’

’Poor you. He should be arrested. I hope you’ll testify against him in court.’

’The same thing happened to me when I couldn’t meet my target last month. I would also testify.’

There were more and more allegations against Mr. Troy on the office discord group, and he realized his downfall was imminent.

"This is a set-up. You won’t get away with it," Mr. Troy accused Joanna, a frustrated frown on his face. What would his wife and children think of him?

Joanna smirked. "A set-up? Well, I planted a camera at your desk the moment I walked into your office because many of the female staff complained about you."

"And I retrieved it by posing as the cleaning lady," Juliet added, shocking Mia. "So, you all knew?"

She felt like the laughing stock she was as Juliet asked with feigned respect, stunning Mia. "Isn’t it obvious, boss?"

Mr. Troy rushed to his office and returned with his belongings. Joanna had warned him to get his lawyers ready. Seems he fell into her trap, so he had to run before the police caught up to him.

No one tried to stop him, but as soon as he opened the door, he was met by two men in uniform.

"Mr. Jones Troy, you are under arrest for sexual harassment. You have the right to remain silent, as anything you say or do shall be used against you in the court of law."

Jack had called the cops after sending a text message to Alex and gaining his approval. He was glad that his Madam took care of things without the boss’s help.

"How?" Confusion registered on Mr. Troy’s face as he looked around, but when his gaze landed on Jack, he knew he had the answer.

"Let me call my lawyer."

"You can do that at the station," one of the officers said before cuffing his wrists and whisking him away.

Feeling like a loser, Mia stormed away and went to her father. "Dad, Troy has been guilty all along. We are finished. We can’t use his words against Joan anymore..." she was saying when she saw her father smile on the bed.

"Dad, why are you smiling?" He seemed to have something up his sleeve.

 

Chapter 43: Chapter 43 - I need backup

Cole had still not recovered from the beatings Alex gave him, but the only people he could blame were Monica and Joanna.

The days he spent in bed gave him time to think things through enough to plot out his revenge.

Joan was not yet known to the King’s extended family, and yet, Alex did this to Cole because of her mother. What if Joanna got accepted by the extended family? Alex might just destroy all the Bakers.

"Joanna has to meet the elders of the King’s family tonight, but what if she doesn’t attend?"

Cole left the rest for Mia to figure out, which she did, smiling profoundly. "Dad, let me take care of it."

Her father could not immediately trust her to handle it, knowing she wasn’t so smart, and asked, "What is the plan?"

Mia knew that her father didn’t trust her, smiling bitterly. "Dad, Joanna was smart enough to record everything that happened between her and Jones without him knowing. I’m not foolish enough to cause her harm."

She knew that even if she outsmarted Joanna, she would not be able to get away with it, knowing her bodyguard was around.

Then again, Alex would easily find her, so for the first time, her brains were working quite well.

Cole was relieved to know that Mia had begun thinking smart. If Joanna failed to show up with the King’s extended family, that would be enough for them to reject her, so Mia’s only intention was to make sure of that.

"Alright. I will count on you this time," Cole obliged.

Mia returned to the office and apologized to Joanna. "Sis, I’m so sorry I believed the jerk over you."

Joanna was sending an email to a client and did not speak immediately. When she did, Mia was distressed.

"Stop calling me Sis. It won’t work."

One thing Mia knew about Joanna was the fact that she was kind-hearted, so it was strange that she was proving difficult so suddenly.

But what she failed to understand was the fact that Joanna understood the rule of dealing with friends and enemies.

She was not the type to keep her friends close and her enemies closer. She’d rather keep her friends closer and her enemies at bay.

"Look, I’m sorry for everything. Why don’t we have lunch together?" Mia asked with a smile Joanna never got from her before, but Joanna was not easily fooled.

Over her dead body would she wine or dine with a person who never wanted her good. "With you? I’d rather die."

Disappointment contoured Mia’s face. "Come on, Joan, I’m trying to make it up to you, so don’t be mean."

For the fact that Mia was their boss, Vida and Juliet ensured to keep out of the conversation regarding the half-siblings.

Then again, Joanna was capable of handling herself from the likes of Mia. "Get out of my face," Joanna sniggered. Mia left for Jones’s office, which she had now assumed to be hers.

It was better for her, as the person she wanted to be close to was Joanna, being her only threat. If she could put Joanna under control, the others would be nothing.

It was past lunchtime, and Joanna had not stepped out. Mia took the initiative to have lunch delivered to everybody, but Joan did not partake, ordering pizza.

"Joan, how do I make it up to you?" Mia was saddened.

Not only were her plans not working but also for how she realized that the gap between her and Joanna was so wide that nothing or no one could merge it.

"Simple. Stay away from me. We are not friends," Joanna stated, confirming Mia’s suspicion. Mia promised her dad and was certain that if she disappointed him again, then he would never entrust her with anything else.

"But we are sisters."

Joanna dropped everything she was doing, giving her full attention to Mia. "The fact that we have the same last name and that you live in my father’s house does not mean we are sisters."

"We are half-sisters," Mia pointed out. Joanna sighed and made her point clear.

"Listen, Mia. No matter how you try to pretend, it will always be written on your forehead that all you want is my downfall, which would never happen."

Mia forced a smile, having gotten the message, and left the office. She already heard Joan’s order and went to meet the delivery guy at the parking lot.

"I can change your life with one request," Mia made her proposal as soon as her gaze landed on the delivery guy who had just gotten out of a delivery van.

"How?" He asked with a smile, about to bypass her, but his path was blocked by her slim figure.

"I want to make the eaters of this food sleep."

The delivery guy halted. "Just sleep? Why?"

"Only that, because I’m arranging a surprise for them, but there’s no way I can pull it off with them awake."

With her saying them, she meant Joanna and her bodyguard. Jack had also refused Mia’s benevolent offer since his boss refused it as well.

The only person whose offer he’ll ever receive was that of his boss. "What makes you think I’d do it?" He asked, Mia was lost for words but was glad her father took her advice and did not allow any cameras at the VIP parking lot, using the excuse that they needed privacy.

The normal parking lots were usually congested with staff and clients’ cars, so vans mostly used the VIP section for fast deliveries. "Hundred thousand dollars, and you must leave this state as soon as you deliver it."

The pizza guy wondered why he had to leave the state by just lacing food with sleeping tablets. "Are you sure it will only make her sleep?" He asked suspiciously. Mia smiled at him.

"If you don’t believe me," she brought a small bottle out of her purse and showed it to him, then she poured a content of the powdery substance into her palm and licked it. "I will taste it first."

The delivery guy was satisfied with her action, knowing it wasn’t a poisonous substance. Taking the bottle, he sprinkled a little content over both of the pizzas.

"Add a little more," Mia said, but he refused.

"This is the best I can do. Overdose sleeping medications could have complicating health conditions."

Mia forced a smile. This delivery guy seemed learned. "Your cash."

Joanna had only taken a bite of her pizza after tipping off the delivery guy and giving one medium-sized pizza to her bodyguard, Jack when Mia returned.

"Joan, can I have a slice of your pizza?" Joanna shrugged. "You can take it, but don’t try to play smart."

Mia smiled, took a slice of pizza, and began eating. Outside the office, Jack was eating his pizza when he suddenly felt strange.

Having always been energetic and alert, it was odd that he felt like sleeping. At times like this, his madam’s welfare was his only concern, so he sent a text message to his boss.

’Sir, I just had pizza my Madam gave me and feeling strange. I need backup.’

Chapter 44: Chapter 44 - I can’t leave without her

Alex was working on some approvals when his mobile phone rang. Edmund answered it before giving it to him.

"Sir, your grandpa insists on talking to you."

The only thing that would make his grandpa call him at this hour was the dinner with the extended family.

"Don’t worry, Grandpa, I will attend the dinner with my wife," Alex said as soon as he answered the call. The old man was relieved and asked,

"Good, do you want me around?"

Alex sighed, wondering why the old man lost trust in his ability to stand up to those old foxes. "I’m not a kid. Have you spoken to Logan?"

What Alex would hate would be for Logan to unite with some of the extended family members to make things difficult for him.

With the CEO position between them, Logan would surely want to make things difficult, but Grandpa was slightly guilty. "I’ve been busy."

In other words, he had forgotten, but Alex was not pleased with the response, sending a subtle warning.

"Don’t blame me for what I will do if he double-crosses me again."

The old man shivered slightly, regretting not speaking to Logan sooner. "I will talk to him, but did you find out about Joanna? Did she have a memory loss?"

He had seen the birthmark but still wanted to be sure that she was Adelaide. Alex’s answer was able to put him at ease.

"Yes, and that is why she can’t remember her sister, Nancy."

Grandpa Aristotle was relieved. "So, it’s true, she has a sister?" He wondered if Cole was the father of Nancy too.

"Yes, but there is a problem. Her father used to work for me as Salvadore and was accidentally killed."

Alex was honest, but the old man seemed displeased, asking from the end of the line, "Have you told Joanna or her mother yet?"

"No."

Another sigh of relief escaped him. All he wanted before his passing was to fulfill his late son, Mathias’s last wish of marrying Adelaide to Alex.

After that, he wished to have an heir from them pretty soon. "Good, keep it that way. What happened to her sister?"

"She’s been adopted by Dario, and her disappearance had dire consequences in the lives of Joan and her mother. They think Salvadore’s men killed her."

Grandpa was not happy with the turn of events. Joanna would be upset and might even divorce Alex if she found out he was Salvadore, the same man whose men caused their family’s catastrophes.

"Alex, you must never let them know you are Salvadore. If you lose Adelaide, I will kill you myself."

Alex could not answer his grandpa when there were just five months and a few weeks between his and Joanna’s divorce.

His grandpa might know about his secret identity, but there were other things he had no idea about. Until Alex got certain things figured out, he was not going to let those secrets out.

"Don’t worry, Grandpa, I’m not a Superman, but I will do my best."

A beep could be heard in the background, so he added apologetically. "Grandpa, I have to hang up now."

The text message was from Jack, for which reason it was deemed urgent, which indeed was.

’Sir, I just had pizza Madam gave me and feeling strange. I need backup.’

What Jack did not know was the fact that when Alex mentioned backup in relation to Joanna, that backup was only himself.

There was no way he would have any of Salvadore’s men around her, only among his trusted bodyguards at the King’s multinational, who were all very busy.

Alex dialed Jack’s number instantly, but there was no answer. For the second time, the phone rang, but still, no one answered it.

Alex was disturbed, dialing Joanna’s number, and it was the same. No one was answering it. Joanna could ignore his calls, but it was not the same with Jack.

He dialed Jack’s number again, but still, no one answered, so he sent a text message. ’Where are you?’

There was no response, so he figured there was a problem. "Eddy, get Ike. I have to be at Joanna’s office now."

He reached the car before recalling the small camera Jack pitched to the entrance of Joanna’s office, playing back to the time of the messaging.

Jack had drowsily walked into Joanna’s office but fell unconscious on the floor. Alex played back five minutes before then, surprised to see Mia picking up a slice of pizza from Joanna, but a few minutes later, they both fell unconscious.

Their colleagues had left the office before then, but Alex was slightly relieved that they were safe but wondered why Joan would share her food with Mia and why they all fell unconscious afterward.

No matter what, he could not trust Mia, hoping that Joanna had not been fooled into believing her half-sister.

He already called their family doctor to meet him at Joanna’s office, and by the time he reached the car park, the family doctor also stepped out of his car.

At the office, Ike was amazed to see the way Alex rushed to Joanna’s side, ignoring everyone else in the same condition.

"Joan, wake up." He cupped her cheek into the palm of his hand, after carrying her in his arms. She was sitting on his thighs, making it look as if he was taking care of a baby.

Joanna was unresponsive, but warmth emanated from her, making him guess that her condition was not serious.

"What is wrong with her?" He asked the family doctor who was checking on Jack. He quickly moved over to Joan’s side.

"It’s the same as him," the doctor pointed at Jack. "They are sleeping." He turned and saw the leftover pizza. "I will take this for testing to confirm my suspicion."

Alex hated to be crossed. If there was someone behind this, then that was the correct spelling of trouble. "What is your suspicion?" His expression was suddenly cold, and the temperature in the room dropped.

"That the food was laced with sedatives," the doctor revealed, Alex’s fingers around Joanna tightened.

He would have suspected Mia, except that she was also currently a victim, so his only choice was to investigate the pizza delivery to know who was behind this.

"No. We have to be at a family dinner tonight," Alex revealed. He did not want to give those extended family members anything to leverage on, but the chances were slim per the doctor’s words.

"They will sleep for at least six hours depending on the amount of sedative in their system."

Alex only had two hours and was already running out of time. "Can’t something be done? I can’t leave without her, and we can’t miss the dinner too."

He was greatly disturbed, desperately seeking a way out of this mess when an idea popped into his mind.

Chapter 45: Chapter 45 – I don’t care for her

"I’m sorry, Alex, but six hours would be the earliest she would be able to wake up," the doctor stated. Alex frustratedly stared at Mia’s unconscious form.

He didn’t know the full story but could not believe that Mia was just a victim.

The fact that she was aware Joan was supposed to meet the King’s extended family members tonight was already suspicious.

"I want to know how this happened," he said, addressing Ike.

"Sir, we would have to question the pizza delivery guy. Mia seems innocent this time. If not, she would not have also been a victim," Ike replied, but Alex had his reservations.

He was still holding Joanna in his arms, at the same time wheeling himself out.

"Check the surveillance cameras in the car park or send someone to the pizza company. I need answers now."

"On it," Ike said. The doctor asked, "What about them?" referring to Jack and Mia. Alex replied,

"Bring Jack with me but leave Mia here. I don’t care for her."

The doctor was conflicted but obeyed. Hours later, Mia woke up alone at the office.

It was close to midnight, and she wondered what had happened.

Quickly, she dialed Logan’s number. When he didn’t answer, she knew the dinner was already ongoing and sent a text.

’Do you see Joan at the party?’

A prompt response soon followed. ’No, Alex is here alone.’

A sigh of relief escaped Mia, glad that her plans worked this time. ’That is good, right?’ she texted back. Logan replied again.

’Yes, he claims Joanna is caught up with work at the office. Is that true?’

Mia had a smug smile on her face, glad to have woken up on time. No matter what, the Kings would have to hate Joanna for disrespecting them by not making it to the family dinner.

’No. I laced her food with sleeping pills.’

’Thanks for informing me. I know what to do.’

Before the family dinner, the doctor had no choice but to keep Jack with him until he woke up. Ike drove Alex while giving the information he gathered.

"Sir, there are no surveillance cameras at the car park, and I’ve been informed that the person who delivered the pizza has resigned."

Alex smirked, convinced that someone was behind it and determined not to let the person escape.

"Did you get his or her name?"

"It’s a he, and I already sent some of our men after him," Ike relayed. Alex was glad. It better not be Mia, or the Bakers would see the worst side of him.

"Good. Keep me updated."

"Yes, sir, but where are we headed now?" Ike asked, uncertain about the dinner but amazed by Alex’s response.

"To dinner."

"But madam?" Ike asked, sounding disturbed. Alex replied, "She will be in the car, and you will be with her. I will make up an excuse."

Alex waited a while in the car when they arrived at the dinner, which was at the house of one of his uncles, watching people go in and out of it.

He watched Joan sleeping by his side one more time, but there was no sign of her waking up anytime soon.

Sighing, he said to Ike, "Get me out."

Ike helped him out of the car, and he met some of the family members and their partners as they came out for fresh air, gossip, or mingling.

His uncle’s house was large but could not be compared to that of Grandpa Aristotle. As soon as they saw him, one of his distant cousins spoke up.

"Alex, Uncle Dean insisted that dinner would not commence without you. Thank God you are here now."

Alex did not honor his comment with a response, wheeling himself past him. The distant cousin, Pascal King, was upset and remarked,

"Such an attitude. Not even your condition gave you the humility to change," he chuckled behind Alex before following suit.

It was as if Alex had a hearing impediment, not responding or reacting to any of the comments made behind him.

Joanna’s condition was already a headache for him, and should he not play his cards well, it would be deemed as disrespect on her side for not showing up.

No one would believe it if Alex explained that she was sedated, so it was all up to him to figure things out by himself.

Wheeling himself in was enough to earn everyone’s attention. Most people did not believe he would show up, not believing that his condition had improved.

Even when Grandpa informed them that Alex was married, they still did not believe it, feeling that he was just trying to secure Alex’s position as the CEO of the King’s Multinational.

If either Alex or Logan were disqualified, other cousins could also be trained to take over the position, so it was not as if they were short-staffed for the position.

Most of those distant cousins were already handling managerial positions to begin with.

Everyone watched him curiously as he made no attempt to shake hands or greet any of them, just wheeling himself to the shoulder of the table.

Pressing a button on his wheelchair, it lifted to the level of the chair, and with the support of his hand, he slid into it, pushing the wheelchair with his leg under the table after pressing another button to reduce the size.

This wheelchair was custom-made and able to aid him without anyone’s help, but mostly, he just liked to use Ike’s help for reasons best known to him.

Another distant cousin, Rita, rushed to his side. "Alex, it’s good to see you again. Everyone thought you wouldn’t be well after the accident."

About to sit on the chair next to where Alex sat, he placed his palm on it. "You can’t sit there. My wife was caught up in an emergency in the office and would be arriving later."

This way, no one could ask him about his wife anymore. Rita had a disappointed look on her face but only forced a smile and moved to the chair next to the empty one Alex restricted her from sitting on.

Logan arrived later with a woman Alex had never seen before. To prevent Logan from directly attacking him or complicating matters, Alex launched the first attack this time.

"A leopard doesn’t change its skin color, Logan. For a moment, I thought you and Mia were rather perfectly suited. Or is it Fiona?"

Logan’s teeth gritted together, but his response was shocking enough to raise brows.