The CEO's Mischievous Little Bride

Vera said firmly, "No way."

The first person that popped into her head was Jeffrey. When she first scoped out the area, she was on the lookout for him. She didn't spot him, but she remembered his general build. "Even if Jeffrey's build changed, his voice wouldn't. That wasn't him!" If it had been Jeffrey, Vera wouldn't have asked so many questions; she would've just acted.

Patrick believed her. If it had been Jeffrey, he wouldn't have been able to resist attacking them.

"Honey, I'm heading to school," Vera said, worried. "If he targets me, I can handle it. But if it's Theodore, I don't think I could protect him."

Theodore was sleeping soundly in her arms. Vera looked at his peaceful face, worried he might be in danger.

Patrick was quiet in the car for a bit. He cranked up the AC and drove straight home.

After dropping Vera off, Patrick took off right away.

Shawn, leaning on a cane, stood at the door watching Patrick hustle. "Even the President isn't as busy as him." Vera shot back, "You must've lost your game, or you wouldn't have time to complain about my husband."

Shawn, looking grumpy, retorted, "Vera, you've been with Patrick so long, you're just as annoying as he is."

"Oh, so you did lose." If he hadn't, Shawn would be waving his phone around, proving he hadn't lost. Now, with that mild tone and plain reaction, he must've lost big time. Shawn said, "Top up my account."

Vera replied, "Nope!"

With that, she carried the now-awake Theodore upstairs.

That evening, a bunch of strangers showed up at the Olteran house, even Cindy, who usually wasn't very observant, noticed.

She was surprised, "Vera, there are like a dozen new faces here, even the security guards are different. What's going on? When I asked, they said it was on Patrick's orders."

Vera went out to check the increased number of people outside and immediately thought of her conversation with Patrick about the creepshot earlier.

"It's nothing, Cindy. It won't affect us," Shawn reassured.

Shawn knew Patrick's style; he liked to keep things low-key and valued his privacy. He hated being followed or watched.

The situation earlier was weird, so he called Patrick, "Patrick, what's up?"

Patrick's voice was low, and he sounded pissed. "I told them to protect Vera and Theodore. If it's not a good time,, I'll take them to Cherry Villa tonight."

"Cut the crap. What happened to them?" Shawn asked directly.

Patrick replied, "They were secretly photographed."

After hanging up, Patrick stood in a warehouse that didn't match his usual style at all.

There were a few cigarette butts on the ground and some junk piled up nearby.

Patrick's clothes seemed to pick up the dust from the place. He turned around, his shiny leather shoes crushing the still-glowing cigarette butts. Holding his phone, he walked step by step towards the guy tied to a chair, like a judge. There were several cameras on the side. Patrick walked over and sat in a clean chair opposite the man.

Two guards stood at the door, and three more guarded each side of the room.

Patrick stared at the guy with a swollen nose, red face, and bruised eyes. The dude was unrecognizable, but his build matched the one Vera had chased earlier.

His ID documents were laid out on the side, and Patrick had already gone through them.

Patrick's gaze was icy, like a cold blade, filled with a chilling intent as he asked, "Who sent you?"

The guy's mouth was bloodied, and he just shook his head mechanically in response.

Patrick had already checked the cameras. They had not only photos of Vera and Theodore from today but also wedding photos of Sebastian and Molly, and even some of Susan. There were even sneaky shots of them in the parking lot. Patrick leaned back in his chair, exuding a dark aura. He rubbed his fingers together, staring at the guy opposite him.

The guy didn't dare meet Patrick's gaze. His swollen eyes hurt, and he could only see through a narrow slit. But whenever he met Patrick's eyes, he felt a surge of panic.

Patrick kept rubbing his fingers, and the room fell into an eerie silence. The subordinates on the side stayed quiet too.

After a moment, Patrick's cold voice broke the silence, his tone drawn out, "A photographer, huh? You can't do without your eyes, right?"

The subordinates got the hint and moved closer to the guy.

The guy's pupils contracted in fear as he looked at the sinister decision-maker opposite him. He nervously watched the men approaching him, "What are you gonna do?" His voice was filled with dread.

Patrick stood up and turned away, moving to his previous spot. The night, as dark as ink, surrounded him. The darkness of the night matched his somber mood.

He picked up the cigarette pack he had left on the windowsill earlier, took out a cigarette, and lit it with a match. Just then, his phone buzzed with a message from Vera.

Vera: [Honey, when are you coming back? Theodore misses his Daddy.]

Patrick held the cigarette between his fingers, exhaled a puff of smoke, and looked at the message. He could almost hear Vera's playful tone and see her gestures. He calmly listened to the screams behind him and smiled as he replied to Vera. Patrick: [Sweetie, I'm busy outside. I'll be home later. Let him sleep.]

Vera: [He slept all afternoon. He's not sleepy anymore.] Vera then sent him a video of Theodore, who was indeed entertaining himself in his crib.

Patrick saw that Theodore seemed to like the toy he had bought. He replied, [Let him play by himself. You should go to bed early. I'll put him to sleep when I get home.]

The screams behind him continued, and the familiar smell of blood filled the air.

The scent of blood easily triggered the violent instincts in people.

Patrick took another drag of his cigarette to dispel the unpleasant smell.

The guy in the chair shouted in fear, "It's the Rossi Family."

Before he finished his cigarette, Patrick finally heard the answer he had been waiting for.

He replied to Vera on his phone, [Vera, I have to go back to work.]

Vera sent him a cute emoji, [You don't love me anymore. You're using work as an excuse again.]

Patrick had to finish his cigarette, stub it out on the ground, and then turn around with a doting smile on his face, replying as he walked.

After soothing Vera, he sat back down opposite the guy, holding his phone.

Looking at the guy with half his face covered in blood, he asked, "Who are you really?"

"Just a photographer, known as Transient on the Dark Web.," the guy replied.