Hidden Mafia King and the Fearless CEO

Alex smiled and said, “Yes, grandma.”

The old woman’s eyes widened as she looked back and forth between Jenica and Alex. Disbelief was clearly written on her face. She remained silent for a few minutes before letting out a sigh.

“Alright. If that’s really the case, what else can I do?” The old woman looked earnestly at Alex. “I know you don’t like that Antonete girl, and I won’t make things hard for you and your wife, but you need to clean up the mess you made, understood?”

Alex nodded and thanked her.

The old matriarch then turned her hawk-like gaze on Jenica, scrutinizing her from head to toe. “You don’t seem like a country bumpkin to me, so I suppose you have someone backing you up, young lady. From what clan are you? Alex didn’t tell me anything about your origin, so I expect honest words from you,” she said.

The corners of Jenica’s lips twitched. It seemed the old woman was in a foul mood because her words were harsh.

Jenica opened her mouth to speak, but the old woman raised her hand and glared at Alex. “Why are you still here? Go on and fix the mess you made!” she shouted.

Alex had no choice but to excuse himself and leave through a secret door. Jenica, the old matriarch, and the nurse beside her remained in the room.

The old woman cleared her throat and looked at the nurse. “Lade, you may go outside.”

“But Madam–”

“Do you want to disobey my words?” the old woman asked sternly.

Lade, the nurse, shook her head and quietly left the room. Jenica secretly observed the old woman. According to the data, she was almost 90 years old, but due to the top-notch elixirs she consumed, her face was well-preserved. The old matriarch before her looked like she was only 60 and still sharp-minded. The Fuego family had certainly ensured the old matriarch lived a long life.

As the old woman studied Jenica, Jenica also studied her. After a while, the old woman’s eyes narrowed. “You are Jenica Laurel, right?” Jenica nodded. The old woman frowned even more. “You have been living with my grandson for many years, but you suddenly went missing five years ago, and now you’re back in his life. Tell me, what evil plans do you have against my grandson, and I’ll pay you enough money to stop whatever you’re planning.”

Jenica raised an eyebrow. “I don’t understand what you’re saying, madam.”

“Don’t understand?” The old woman sneered. “Young lady, do you think I’ve been blind all these years? The moment Alex offered you a marriage of convenience, it was I who instigated him to find someone!”

Jenica’s eyes widened in shock. She thought that no one aside from Alex’s close aide knew she was the hidden wife of the Fuego Empire’s CEO, and Alex had told her that no other family member knew of their arrangement except Robert Fuego.

But the old woman had known for years?

“What? Do you think I don’t know about your ambiguous relationship with Shimen Takura, the heir of Takura Shipping Lines?” The old woman’s eyes narrowed. “You were seen with a child and him outside! I don’t know what you’re planning, young lady, but this old woman won’t let you continue your deceitful act! Tell me, how did you convince my grandson that you had a child with him?”

Jenica’s eyes narrowed. No wonder Alex didn’t immediately believe her when she confessed about Shamrock; it was because of the old matriarch of the Fuego family. She was sure the old woman had shown Alex the picture of her with Sham and Shimen when she visited the subdivision but wasn’t allowed in by the guard. That was also the day she returned to the country, and since she had no place to stay, she called Shimen to pick her and Sham up outside the subdivision.

“If you’re not convinced, I can provide a DNA test of my son and your grandson. This should be enough to make you believe?” Jenica asked, raising an eyebrow.

The old woman narrowed her eyes while looking at her. After a while, she exhaled. “Yes, you should!”

After a few minutes, the old woman allowed her to return to the party. However, Jenica was no longer in the mood to stay. She planned to say goodbye to Alex but was approached first by her Uncle Marc.

“Jenica,” he called.

She stopped walking and turned to look at the man who called her name. It had been months since she first saw her Uncle Marc after 15 long years of no contact with her paternal family. He hadn’t changed a bit.

“Can we talk?” her Uncle Marc asked. She stared at him for a few seconds before nodding. He led her outside the hall. “How are you?” was his first question to her.

After some perfunctory greetings and answers, her Uncle Marc suddenly asked, “I heard Mr. Fuego introduced you as his wife. Is that true?”

Jenica was speechless for a few seconds. Then she spoke, “Just a jest from that crazy man.”

Although Alex had said that he wanted to introduce her as his wife, thinking back to the guests’ incredulous faces, Jenica might welcome unnecessary attempts in her life, so she planned to hide it for the meantime.

Uncle Marc heaved a sigh of relief. “That’s good. Although I don’t know why you’re with that Fuego brat, standing beside him will only cost your life. Don’t let yourself take the same path as your parents, Jenica.”

Jenica clenched her fists at her Uncle Marc’s reminder. It’s been years, but she still couldn’t track the organization that killed her parents. She had used her connections at HQ, but there was no data on the organization that killed her parents. It was as if they disappeared into thin air after the incident.

“I know,” she whispered.

Silence enveloped the two of them. After a while, her Uncle Marc suddenly spoke, “It’s already been 15 years, lass. Maybe it’s time for you to come back.”

She looked at her Uncle Marc. There was a small smile on his lips. She lowered her gaze and looked at the bright city lights not far away.

Built at the center of power, the Fuego Mansion became a symbol of powerful clans in the capital. Her gaze traveled to the mountains a few kilometers away from the center. She could see the faint bluish figure of the mountain far away. Jenica knew that behind the large and towering mountain was the headquarters of the dormant Guam Business Empire.

“Let me think about it,” she said, then bid farewell to her Uncle Marc.

She returned to the party and looked for Alex. But it seemed like all eyes were on her.

“Look at that shameless woman. The nerve to show up here. I feel sorry for Miss Gia Antonete.”

“Indeed. I don’t know what she did to Mr. Fuego to make him introduce her as his wife. But the old matriarch said that Mr. Fuego is not married.”

“She’s so delusional.”

“I agree. If I were her, I’d go home out of shame. But she has no shame.”

Jenica could feel the disgust, contempt, and ridicule in the guests’ gazes. It seemed the old matriarch had spoken and denounced Alex’s claim that she was his wife. So all his efforts to elevate her status had been thrown out just like that.

She roamed her gaze around to look for Alex, but she saw someone else. A few meters away from her, she noticed a familiar figure. And when the man looked her way, she realized it was Jared. He even gave her a wide smile when he noticed she was looking at him. Jenica frowned and looked away.

Jared was in disguise. If it weren’t for seeing him frequently in the past few days, she wouldn’t have recognized him. But that kind of smirk and mirth in his eyes were unmistakable. And when she saw the teasing in his gaze when they locked eyes, she was sure it was Jared. What a jerk.