Sean''s brow was furrowed. He had been investigating the man, but there were still no leads.


    He had checked the hotel, but there was no record of Joanna ever staying there.


    The trail had gone cold; too much time had passed, making it impossible to find anything.


    "Sir, what if Ms. Sanders misunderstands? The two of you are already at a point of no return. If you''re helping Joanna now..."


    "I know what I''m doing. You don''t need to worry about it. I can''t reveal that she''s my wife yet—it would put her in mortal danger. As long as she stays hidden, those illegitimate heirs will be more cautious. The more sheys low, the less they''ll see her as a threat, and the safer she''ll be. We need to speed things up on our end. I''m going to make sure those bastards are crushed so they can never get back up. I''ll make them pay for every single one of their schemes."


    His voice was deep and maic, almost hypnotic, like an echo rising from a deep valley.


    Sean was taken aback. He realized that Sebastian was in an unusually good mood today, and the dark circles under his eyes were gone.


    "Sir, what''s the next step? Ms. Sanders''s reputation..."


    Sebastian frowned at him. "Why do you keep calling her Ms. Sanders? She''s a married woman. She''s my wife.”


    Sean paused, certain he had exined this before.


    "Fine, fine. Your wife, then. Her reputation is in tatters right now. What should we do? Everyone online is attacking her."


    Hearing the word "wife” sent a wave of pleasure through Sebastian. He tilted his head slightly, a meaningful smile ying on his lips. "She''ll handle it. Just give her some time."


    He had slept soundly holding herst night. The feeling of being fully rested was incredible.


    Sean was baffled by his logic. "Sir, now is the perfect time. All you have to do is help..."


    "She doesn''t need it. She''s more than capable of handling a small issue like this on her own."


    He gave Sean a dismissive nce.


    Sean said nothing more.


    All they could do was wait for Natalie to step forward and clear her own name.


    ***


    When Nathan saw Joanna''s press conference, he was livid. He called and immediately started screaming at her.


    "Joanna, have you lost your mind? How could you do this to me? You''re just using me and tossing me aside! I''m your father! How could you bring up the past in front of all people? Mypany is already bankrupt! What more do you want?"


    Joanna was back in her office, ecstatic to see her social media followers had


    swelled to five million. She felt like she was on top of the world.


    Using Natalie and Nathan as stepping stones had sent her fame skyrocketing, elevating her status to a whole new level.


    Soon, she would be the top star in the industry.


    "Dad, I was just telling the truth. What''s the problem? Are you going to report me? Think about your situations if you do that, you have If nothing. Can you afford to treat your illness? As long as you behave, I''ll take care of you in your old age." Cóntent


    Nathan fell silent. He looked at his current state-so pathetic he could hardly stand to look at himself.


    Sophia was out of the house from dawn till dusk, having long forgotten she even had a husband.


    Now, his only support came from his son and daughter.


    That''s right, he still had his son. He couldn''t let anything happen to him. He had to wait for his son toe back, and once he made hiseback, Nathan would be the chairman of the board.


    Nathan conceded. "Fine! I''ll be your stepping stone. But you need to send me a million dors this


    you''ve been using me this whole


    month. And don''t forget, Joanna


    you


    time. I have my own proof y know."


    Nathanughed smugly. “Joanna, I don''t think you want this to turn into a war


    between us. All I want is money. I don''t care about anything else you do. You can do whatever you want."