Chapter 22

Brandon returned to the country at once, and Joseph later filled him in. Apparently, before Brandon had left for Fleurkenstein, he had mistakenly admitted during a party that Roxanne was his wife. Someone at the event had maliciously recorded it and was now using it to blackmail the Slewmans' board members, extorting them for a large amount of hush money. This enraged the board, and they collectively concluded that the Lesterfields were the masterminds behind this. So, in retaliation, they hired multiple hackers to infiltrate the Lesterfields' company's systems and steal countless business secrets. If the Lesterfields' company secrets were exposed, their stock prices would crash. Then, they would undoubtedly go bankrupt and be left with an insurmountable debt. Brandon immediately rushed to attend the board meeting. When he arrived, he overheard the board members ridiculing the Lesterfields. "The Lesterfields are finished this time. Not only do we have information on Dillon Lesterfield's lifetime of hard work, but we also know about the covered-up bribery suspicions surrounding Ezra Lesterfield. Once these are made public, the Lesterfields will be universally condemned. In fact, the whole family may even be locked up for a few years." "Dillon Lesterfield's two daughters can't escape either, right? His youngest, Roxanne, may have married Brandon Slewman in secret, but she's still a Lesterfield at the end of the day. And given the feud between her family and the Slewmans, Brandon can't protect her this time." "We really have to thank Brandon for marrying her in secret. Once this is revealed, we can watch from the shadows and place the blame on Brandon's head! Hahaha!" Brandon couldn't stand to hear another word. Violently shoving the doors open, he surveyed everyone in the room with an icy gaze. "I see you've all been conspiring behind my back. Were you all trying to surprise me?" he stated. The board members jumped in shock and then quickly got out of their seats. With forced smiles, they said, "Mr. Slewman, you're back. I think you're mistaken. We're not plotting anything at all—" Brandon held up his hand and silenced everyone. Then, he demanded, "Hand over the secrets." The board members exchanged treacherous glances. Before Brandon could continue, they took advantage of their numbers and quickly seized him. "We're sorry, Mr. Slewman, but we're doing this for your family," one of them said. "Exactly," another chimed in. "The Slewmans and the Lesterfields have been feuding for years, Mr. Slewman. And now, there's finally a chance to destroy the Lesterfields for good. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so we must seize it!" Someone else added, "And once the Lesterfields are out of the picture, the Slewmans will be on top! You'll be wealthier than anyone can imagine, Mr. Slewman!" However, Brandon furiously retorted, "I don't care about being that rich! Daring to harm the Lesterfields means harming Roxanne too. And I won't spare any of you if you hurt her!" One of them mocked, "Roxanne is just one woman, Mr. Slewman. Why are you so obsessed with the Lesterfield family's daughter?" "We don't mean to criticize you, Mr. Slewman, but your downfall is because you care too much about your personal relationship. You can love anyone you want—just not the Lesterfield family's daughter," someone sneered. "Lock Mr. Slewman up and release the secrets immediately!" the ringleader of the group ordered. Brandon's eyes widened in fear as he watched other board members turn on the screens in the room and display all the information they had illegally obtained. He had already hurt Roxanne enough, so he couldn't allow her family to be destroyed because of him too. Brandon struggled in a frenzy and managed to break free from the board members' grasp. In a crazed state, he ran into the hallway and grabbed a can of gasoline from a storage room. Rushing back into the large meeting room, he splashed it all over the screens and the other board members. Then, Brandon pulled out a lighter. The board members looked at him in terror. "Mr. Slewman, calm down…" Brandon flicked the lighter and lit the gasoline without hesitation. The fire spread quickly, and soon, the entire building was engulfed in flames. At the same time, in Fleurkenstein, Roxanne accidentally cut her finger. Red blood gushed out from her fingertip like lava. Julian's heart ached at the sight, and he immediately sucked on her finger. Once the bleeding had stopped, he quickly took the fruit knife from her. "Let me slice the mango for you. You seem distracted today. Is something wrong?" "It's nothing," Roxanne replied, smiling awkwardly. She felt a strange sense of unease in her stomach as she stared at the cut on her finger. It felt odd—like a part of her had gone missing.