The CEO's Mischievous Little Bride

After Wesley laid it all out, Leroy and Wyatt got the picture real quick. Leroy, all pumped up, blurted out, "We just need a fall guy. Let's make it Bradley."

Wyatt, who'd just put together his dream team, wasn't having it. "No way. If we throw him under the bus right after he joined, who'd ever want to work with us again?" Everyone had their points, but Cole was getting fed up with the back-and-forth. "Wesley, you deal with this."

All eyes turned to Wesley, nervous as hell, worried he'd send one of their own to the slammer.

Wesley locked eyes with Wyatt, laying it down hard. "Wyatt, it's either Bradley or you. Any top exec here knows too much. If things go south, they could turn on us. Bradley's new; he's the best option. Plus, you brought him in with a fat paycheck, and he led this mess. Why should I keep him?"

Wyatt's eyes went wide. "Wesley, he's a real asset."

"A guy who jumps ship for money, no matter how talented, isn't loyal. We can't keep someone like that." Wesley got Wyatt's hesitation. "Relax, I'll back you up." Soon enough, Cole's office rang Bradley up to come upstairs.

Bradley walked in, clueless. "Mr. Rossi, I swear, this has nothing to do with me."

Wesley grabbed a bottle of red wine, poured a glass, and handed it to the shaking Bradley. "The Olteran Group blacklisted you and your team. You knew that, right?"

Bradley looked up, despair in his eyes, and nodded. The order came straight from Patrick at Donnicia HQ. Any company tied to Olteran wouldn't touch him or his team. Bradley had checked; Olteran's reach was global. If they couldn't make it here, they were done everywhere.

Olteran dealt with big projects and international partners. Patrick's order was a death sentence, no way out.

Now, The Rossi Group was his only shot.

"If you leave The Rossi Group, your team will hate you, your family will resent you, and you'll never climb back up. Thought about that?" Wesley asked. Bradley's bold move had turned into a trap.

The Rossi Group seemed like his only lifeline. "What are you getting at?"

"Four years in prison for a lifetime of security. Deal?" Wesley asked.

Bradley was stunned, eyes wide, realizing they wanted to make him the scapegoat.

"Think it over. You can leave The Rossi Group now. I'll give you a day. You can refuse, but then you'll have both Olteran and me against you," Wesley said.

Wesley finished his wine in one gulp and walked past Bradley without a glance.

That day, Bradley went back to Olteran's overseas second division, trying to beg for his old job back.

He didn't even get to see the boss. His old colleagues told him, "Adults have to own their mistakes." Then they shut him out.

Because of what happened to Bradley, nobody at the Olteran Group even thought about jumping ship.

Meanwhile, in a mixed residential area, Jeffrey was huddled in a corner, looking like a total mess with his scruffy hair and unshaven face. He might've looked like a beggar, but he was glued to his phone, watching live overseas news. If it weren't for the scabs on his hands, no one would guess he was the wanted Jeffrey.

After catching up on the news, Jeffrey used a burner phone to call Emma overseas. "The time's right."

Back in Donnicia, at Cherry Villa, Patrick got the final call, listening to the latest updates.

"Bradley's been caught. His old team is trying to come back, but we haven't taken any of them. They're stuck at The Rossi Group. Some got demoted to janitors. The Rossi Group's lost up to a hundred billion dollars. I heard Cole sold his private mansion to cover debts," the head reported.

Patrick smirked, "Buy it."

"Yes, sir!" the head quickly replied.

The head of the second division thought Patrick was a master at humiliation! But it felt so satisfying!

In his study, Patrick was giving out new orders when there was a knock on the door, followed by Theodore's voice.

Vera called from the door, "Honey, it's time to eat."

Then, Vera carried Theodore downstairs to wait for Patrick in the dining room.

As Patrick delivered another crushing blow to the Rossi Family, Cole, despite his age, had to swallow his pride and take the loss. But when Patrick humiliatingly bought his favorite mansion, a rage he hadn't felt in decades flared up. He almost trashed his study. "Patrick!" Hatred burned in Cole's eyes; he wouldn't rest until he finished his revenge.

The next day, in The Rossi Group's lobby, a familiar face showed up again-it was Emma.

She'd been to The Rossi Group many times, but the Rossi Family never saw her. The receptionist gave the usual response, "You can't enter without an appointment."

Emma said, "Tell Cole I know Patrick. I've known him since I was fifteen."

Up in the top-floor office, Cole was trying to reach his Dark Web contact to spy on Patrick, but the guy had gone silent. After several failed attempts, Cole angrily smashed his phone. Wesley walked in, seeing Cole still fuming from the night before.

Cole's eyes were bloodshot with anger. "We know nothing about Patrick now."

Just then, the secretary knocked and came in. "There's a Ms. Tooker downstairs who wants to see you. She's the one who introduced Jeffrey to you."

Cole was irritated. "I won't see her."

"She said she knew Patrick since she was fifteen," the secretary added.

Cole was about to refuse again when Wesley spoke up, "She's been here many times? That's interesting, let her come up."

Soon, Emma was brought upstairs. She saw Cole and Wesley again.

"You said you know Patrick?" Wesley asked.

Emma nodded, "My family's business was acquired by Patrick's Morales Group. Do you remember the Tooker Group in Donnicia?"

Wesley nodded, recalling the name. "I didn't expect you to be from the Tooker Group. But I heard you have a close relationship with Patrick?"

Emma sat down and replied, "I'm here to talk about cooperation, not business, but personal matters."

"Tell me about Jeffrey you mentioned earlier." Wesley was very interested.