The Ex Who Became His Obsession - Chapter 34: Chapter 34

"Mom," Leonard snapped. He finally figured out where Alyssia had picked up her flair for drama.
He thought in surprise, 'My mom actually brought Charlie here? Is a peaceful life too boring for her? She just had to stir up a storm?'
"Leon, I show up and find Charlie standing out in the hallway. He came to visit you out of pure kindness, and you shut him out? How could you do that?" Beatrice scolded Leonard.
She turned around, shooed Joseph away, and plopped herself right down next to Alyssia. "Sweetie, what happened? I heard you fainted. Work's important, but so is staying alive, you know?"
She took Alyssia's hand and frowned. "Oh my, why are your hands so cold?"
She then glanced over at Leonard.
Milena had already straightened her posture, not leaning against Leonard's bed like she did earlier. She subtly shifted away from Leonard, keeping a polite distance.
Beatrice's last visit and those harsh words she said to Milena were still fresh in Milena's mind. Milena had learned to be cautious around this unpredictable, sharp-tongued woman who had both power and the title of her "future mother-in-law."
Beatrice let out a low scoff. "No wonder her hands are cold. Her heart's probably frozen stiff by now."
Leonard felt his mother was picking a fight for no reason. He cut in, "Mom..."
"Don't call me that. I sometimes really regret bringing you to the world," Beatrice snapped.
She had initially given Leonard some credit, thinking he'd finally come to his senses by putting Alyssia in the same room as him, so that they could patch things up.
But then she walked in and saw him and Milena acting affectionately. It looked like they were rubbing salt in Alyssia's wounds for fun.
"Charlie, sit down," Beatrice said, still bitter but ready to fight dirty.
She flashed Charlie a warm smile. "Look how silly I was. Of course, you didn't come here for Leon. Come on, sit with Aly. The poor girl's been in the hospital alone. Thank goodness you came to check on her."
Charlie rarely got flustered, but Beatrice's bold lies even made him blush a little.
After Alyssia fainted and Leonard dragged her away by force, Charlie was dying to check on her but wasn't allowed in. Helpless, he had turned to Beatrice for help.
But now, as Beatrice spun the truth without blinking, Charlie only felt embarrassed.
"You called my mother, didn't you?" Leonard's voice turned cold before Charlie could even sit down.
Leonard had made it very clear to his people that no one was to tell Beatrice what happened to Alyssia. Charlie was the only one who would've known and the only one who dared to call Beatrice for help.
In Leonard's mind, Charlie would use any means possible to get close to Alyssia.
Charlie gave a dry laugh and said directly, "Milena, I heard Archer's deal with your Summer Haze Media has a bet clause. Did you set up the interview today?"
Alyssia looked up, thinking in surprise, 'Charlie found it out too?'
Beatrice and Leonard both turned to Milena at once. Beatrice's eyes were sharp and unyielding. She didn't fully get what was going on yet, but her expression already screamed hostility.
Leonard's gaze narrowed just slightly, but a cold haze swept through his eyes.
Milena tensed so hard that she could barely get a word out. "No... I mean, I don't know. I've never been involved in the company's business. Charlie, what interview? I don't know what you're talking about."
Milena warned herself inwardly, 'I have to play dumb. No choice. If anyone finds out I was behind the scenes, all the effort I put into being the perfect woman will go up in flames.
'I've already taken 99 steps. I'm just one step away from being together with Leon. I can't let it all crash now. Charlie doesn't have proof. Archer and his team would never leak it.
'Besides, no one dares cross the Johnson family. Even if Leonard finds out about the bet between Archer and Summer Haze Media, that still doesn't prove I orchestrated the whole thing.'
Now that she'd made up her mind, Milena's voice became more confident. "Charlie, what are you even talking about? Say it clearly. What exactly happened to Archer?"
Beatrice also turned to Charlie and urged, "Yeah, what happened? Spit it out." She couldn't stand people who spoke in riddles.
'Damn it, Charlie's half-assed accusations are doing nothing but making it obvious Milena's done something shady. I'm still stuck playing guessing games. It's driving me up the wall,' Beatrice thought, her teeth grinding.
But how was Charlie supposed to explain the whole thing? It involved Alyssia's reputation, and honestly, he wasn't even sure just how far things had gone.
Still, he refused to let Milena off the hook. "That phone call I got—was that you? You had someone tip me off about Alyssia's incident and even gave me the exact location. Milena, what the hell were you trying to pull?"
His tone sharpened like a blade as he added, "Let me guess, you tipped Leonard off too? What was the plan, eh?
"Get us both to show up so we could watch her fall apart? Or did you screw it up, and you want me to clean up the mess?"
Charlie had been nearby when the doctor gave Leonard the results of Alyssia's blood test, so he heard every word with his own ears.
He continued, "You planned that interview to ruin Alyssia, and you wanted Leonard to witness the whole damn thing. But things didn't go how you expected, did they? She didn't fall for it. So then what?
"You were scared the two of them might patch things up, so you rushed to tip me off, hoping I'd come in and rescue her. Milena, you really live up to your family's expectation—devious to the bone."
Cold sweat slid down Milena's temple. She thought, 'Damn, he nailed every single detail. Charlie actually pieced it all together.
'No wonder he's Vanguard Media's golden boy, the rightful heir to the entire empire. And this kind of man... this brilliant, sharp, righteous man... only has eyes for Alyssia. Alyssia of all people. What did she ever do to deserve that?'
Beatrice shot to her feet like she'd been lit on fire. "Milena, what the hell did you do? I want the full story now."
Even if some details were still fuzzy, Beatrice had already stitched together the truth behind the scenes, and she was seething.
Her voice dropped with menace. "Don't test me, girl. I swear I'll teach you a lesson your mother should've taught you years ago."
"Mrs. Rivera, I didn't... I really didn't." Milena trembled, her eyes brimming with tears. "I don't know anything, I honestly don't... I'll go back and look into it myself. I'll prove I'm innocent.
"I-I like Leonard, but I know a decent person doesn't snatch what belongs to someone else."
She wept like her heart was breaking. But seeing Beatrice still put on a long face, Milena switched tactics and lunged for Leonard's arm.
Milena begged, "Leon, I didn't do it. I swear on everything. You know exactly what kind of person I am. Anyone else can doubt me, but not you. If you don't believe me today, I-I'll jump out that window."
"Jump then. Go on." Beatrice pointed right at the window and shouted, "If you don't feel like jumping, I don't mind helping you out."
Of course, Milena didn't dare. She sobbed uncontrollably, trying to throw herself into Leonard's arms. "Leon, you know me better than anyone. You know how hard I've tried to bring you and Alyssia back together."
But Leonard brushed her off with a cold wave of his hand.
"I'll get to the bottom of this," he said, his voice like stone. There wasn't a flicker of warmth in his eyes.
Milena's heart plummeted. She wondered with fear, 'What should I do? Leonard is really doubting me.'
"Are you serious? You're gonna take Charlie's word over mine?" she snapped, her voice rising with panic. "Leon, how could you believe him over me? I-I..."
Beatrice casually stepped aside and gestured toward the window. "Come on. Don't just brag here."