Sebastian’s pov
Leonard sat back down, his voice strained with defiance. "Accusations without evidence? If you want to remove from my position, Alpha Sebastian, just say so directly. No need for these fabricated charges!"
My patience snapped like a taut string. "I’m asking you about Secretary Cecilia’s whereabouts!"
The sound of my fist hitting the table echoed through the conference room like a gunshot.
My transformation from calculated coldness to raw fury happened in an instant.
Leonard’s pupils dilated in fear, but he quickly regained his composure, putting on a brave face. "I know nothing about Secretary Cecilia’s location! If you’re suggesting I’m involved, present your evidence, Alpha Sebastian!"
His words rang out with false confidence, but the slight tremor in his voice betrayed him.
I reined in my anger, my face becoming an arctic wasteland. The coldness settled in my very core as my suspicions deepened.
My deliberate provocations were ant to trigger an instinctive reaction, and unlike Thomas Dunn’s panic, Leonard’s response showed no genuine surprise—especially when I suggested I might find Cecilia, when he’d briefly flashed a look of smug relief.
[Could it be possible... Cecilia truly couldn’t be found?]
My hand clenched into a fist, knuckles whitening.
"I have what so might call an unfortunate habit," I said, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "I protect what’s mine. Anyone who dares touch soone under my protection—evidence or not—I ensure they et a particularly unpleasant end. Leonard, you seem eager to experience this firsthand."
Leonard t my gaze and visibly swallowed. "Alpha Sebastian," he said with forced sincerity, "I understand your concern about Secretary Cecilia’s disappearance—we’re all worried. If you need soone to bla, targeting Thomas Dunn Dunn and myself... well, we won’t complain."
He gestured around the room. "But please don’t punish the others. They’ve done nothing wrong. Everyone here has devoted themselves to this company. Treating loyal employees this way over so... pretty face... will only demoralize the staff."
As he spoke, crocodile tears ford in his eyes.
The uninford employees in the room were visibly swayed by his performance, their disapproval of practically radiating from them in waves.
This was exactly what Leonard wanted—to manipulate everyone’s emotions, particularly Amara’s.
And sure enough, Amara’s expression visibly darkened with jealousy.
I stood there, deadly calm, surrounded by an aura of lethal cold.
Just then, Beta Sawyer returned from taking a phone call. He hurried to my side, his face brightening with news, and leaned in to whisper: " Thomas Dunn confessed. Cecilia is being held at his family estate."
"Alpha Xavier will head there," I instructed quietly. "Take so n and search within a five-mile radius around the house."
"But the estate is right by the ocean," Beta Sawyer pointed out.
My heart constricted painfully.
The cold sensation intensified, seeping into my very marrow. Disposing of a body in the ocean would make it nearly impossible to recover.
Without ti for further questions, Beta Sawyer quickly left the conference room to follow my orders, organizing a search party for the five-mile radius around the estate.
Everyone in the room watched our hushed exchange and Beta Sawyer’s hasty exit with questioning looks.
"Has there been news about Secretary Cecilia?"Leonard asked with feigned concern.
My sharp eyes caught the fleeting mockery at the corner of his mouth before he could hide it. In that mont, I almost envied Alpha Xavier’s straightforward approach—smashing this vermin’s skull first and asking questions later had its appeal.
"Indeed..." I drawled, watching Leonard’s face tighten before continuing, "Are you afraid, Leonard?"
He paused montarily, then burst into forced laughter. "What do I have to fear? If she’s been found, I should be celebrating! Finally, my innocence can be proven. This is wonderful news.
"Is Secretary Cecilia really that important?!" Amara finally exploded.
She slamd her purse onto the table with such force that papers scattered. "Since I arrived, I’ve heard and seen enough of you worrying about another woman!"
Her eyes were wild with jealousy. "You’ve never been this concerned about anyone before."
I raised my gaze to et hers. My expression was severe, commanding without raising my voice. "Do you even know why she ca to the factory, or why she disappeared?"
"That’s ridiculous," Amara scoffed, her words sharp as a cornered animal’s. "I’m the general manager of this branch. Why should I care about so secretary who’s barely been here three days?"
Her pain made her voice brittle. "But you—the CEO of the entire company—causing all this commotion over a secretary? Anyone would think she was your mate, not just your employee!"
"Amara," I said coldly, "if you devoted even a fraction of the attention you waste on to your actual responsibilities, perhaps your mind wouldn’t be quite so dull."
Amara’s eyes reddened with unshed tears.
"I can’t believe you’d humiliate like this over Cecilia," she whispered. "Yes, I’m dull-witted. I don’t deserve to be general manager. I’ll resign imdiately!"
She pulled out her phone and called my father, Alpha Yardley—putting the call on speaker for all to hear.
I watched coldly, making no move to stop her.
As soon as the call connected, Amara poured out everything that had happened, her voice breaking with emotion.
She described how I was tornting everyone and protecting a newly-arrived secretary, painting as a tyrant and Cecilia as so destructive seductress who’d bewitched .
Leonard comforted her loudly enough to be heard over the speaker, ensuring his voice carried to my father.His words dripping with manufactured sorrow.
"Alpha Yardley," he sighed dramatically, "if General Manager Amara resigns, I’ll resign too. Better to leave voluntarily than be removed from my position. At least I’ll keep so dignity that way."
With both of them threatening resignation, others in the room joined in, claiming they would quit as well.
Amara, seeing how quickly the situation had escalated, began to realize she was being manipulated. She looked nervously toward , but I stood with arms crossed, completely composed, ignoring her gaze.
"Sebastian," my father’s voice ca through the speaker, "what do you have to say about this?"
I finally spoke, my voice calm as still water but cutting straight to the truth. "Father, haven’t you noticed that this performance you’re witnessing is precisely the real face of what this inspection was ant to uncover?"
My words stripped away all pretense and revealed the ugly truth.
Amara’s face cycled through shades of red and purple.
"You’re the one who’s lost all reason over a woman!" she accused. "You’re letting personal feelings cloud your professional judgent! Why are you protecting her? Why do you care about her so much? Have you fallen for her? She has a husband!"
"AMARA!" I barked.
My eyes filled with disappointnt as I stared her down. "Is there nothing in your head besides romantic entanglents? I just asked if you knew why Secretary Cecilia ca to the factory, but you don’t care to know. All you care about is whether I like her or am interested in her."
I took a deep breath. "Yes, I do care about her right now, because she discovered problems that you failed to notice in two years! She was sent here to investigate the accounts on my behalf!"
Amara froze, but she still insisted on arguing."Just because she claims there’s a problem ans there is one? Just because she found sothing ans she’s right?"
Leonard quickly backed her up. "I agree with General Manager Amara. Who says there’s actually a problem just because she says so? Even if there were accounting issues, why didn’t she notify the company first? Why not inform General Manager Amara? She just wanted to impress you, Alpha Sebastian!"
"Because the company has a traitor like you!" A weak female voice ca from the doorway.
Everyone in the room was stunned.
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