Chapter 45_Her - AliNovel

Chapter 45

 “They ate some bad food, but it’s okay. I can handle it” Lea assured him.

 Alfred had already done so much for her at the hospital, and with his busy life, she didn’t want him more stressed because

 of her.

 i know y

 you’re worried and don’t want me to deal with the Berry family alone, but your presence will only make Matilda and the others more cautious,” Lea said, fixing his shirt cor. “Don’t worry, I can handle it.”

 ??

 “Lea, Alfred said, stepping closer, their breaths mingling. “Don’t let anything happen to you.

 Stay safe.”

 She finished straightening his cor, gazed up into his eyes, and offered a tender smile. “I can’t stand the thought of being away from you.

 With him by her side, the world seemed less daunting.

 Alfred grinned. Til have someone go with you to make sure you’re safe”

 “Okay” She smiled back

 He took out his phone and made a call. Shortly after, a young man in his twenties appeared, looking just as professional as Eddie and Craig.

 “Jason, I want you to follow her and keep her safe, Alfred said.

 Jason looked at the girl in front of him, surprised. She was stunning, but that was expected among the wealthy.

 Jason, along with Craig and Eddie, had been Alfred’s bodyguards since childhood, with the sole mission of protecting him.

 Now Alfred was asking him to protect someone else, treating her safety as paramount,

 Jason found it hard to understand and wasn’t thrilled about it.

 Alfred noticed his hesitation, arched an eyebrow significantly, and called out sharply. “Jason”

 “Yes, sir!” Jason replied.

 “Do you wanna quit?” Alfred challenged.

 No,

 sir!” Jason snapped back immediately. In their line of work, quitting wasn’t in the cards–only death.

 Jason tumed to Lea, adopting a

 ?a professional tone. “Ms. Lea, just give the word, and I’m at your service”

 Lea chuckled softly, acknowledging his pledge. Turning to Alfred, she remarked, “I’ll keep him close, but I can’t bring him home just yet. Grandpa would be upset if he knew I brought one of your men home

 She also needed to keep this arrangement hidden from Matilda and the others.

 “Just handle it your way.” Alfred consented.

 “Alright,” she responded, her sweet smile reflecting pure innocence. Only in front of him would she smile like that,

 “I’m off now,” she said, her eyes lingering on his.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

 Then, he nodded as she left.

 mily driver, everyone just assumed she took a taxi as usual.

 Jason drove her home, and since she rarely used the family

 By the time Lex arrived home, it was already dark. She was surprised to find Christian home and having dinner.

 She expected him to be workingte, but it seemed Matilda’s request for Nixon to raise money for the stock market had been effective.

 After washing up, she joined Christian for dinner.

 “Where are the caus?” he asked, noticing their absence and learning from the servants that she took them to

 o the pet hospital.

 “I sent them away, Lea replied coldly.

 Christian frowned, not too pleased. “You just gave them away? Why’d you bother getting them in the first ce?”

 Though he was a tough, no–nonsense person who didn’t care for pets, he always e envisioned Lea aspassionate and loving.

 “I’m swamped with school, Grandpa. I don’t have the time to care for them properly.

 y, and a’s only going to get busier if I go away to college. They re better off with someone who can dedicate the time,” Lea exined logically.

 Chapter 45

 Christian wanted to object, but he knew she had a point, although it still didn’t sit right with him.

 Lea set some bread in front of him and urged him to eat, while she started on her own portion.

 ith Alfred be

 She was starving; originally nning to grab a meal with Alfred before heading back, but got caught up in Charlesb and forgot all about it.

 d to make conversation.

 “How’s thepany doing now?” Lea tried

 “It’s stabilized and even showing signs of bouncing back, Christian replied, feeling a bit better as he spoke. His mood lightened, and his appetite

 returned.

 Noticing his improved mood, Lea smiled warmly and said. “Congrattions, Grandpa.”

 Laughing lightly, Christian responded, “Oh, don’t be silly, dear. You’re part of the Berry family too, and this sess benefits you just as much as anyone else!

 She smiled back, though inside she knew the true beneficiary of the Berry Group was Matilda, not even including him.

 Pulling out her phone, Lea immediately saw a headline about the Berry Group’s stock rebounding. Another headline caught her eye about Helen’s murder case. “Hidden Truths Behind Helen Berry’s Alleged Murder.”

 Intrigued, she clicked to read more. Onement spected, [Helen Berry, a prodigy from Vaporleon City’s wealthiest family and a billionaire by sixteen had no reason tomit murder and destroy her life.

 Another read. [If Helen had really murdered someone, the Berry Group wouldn’t just sit back. Their silence suggests they’re waiting for the right moment to rify the situation.]

 Furtherments argued, [If Helen was really the culprit, the Berry family would be in damage control mode. The fact that they’re not scrambling says a lot.]

 [Exactly! The cops would’ve spilled the beans ages ago if she was the real killer. Something’s fishy here, folks.]

 [Yep, smells like there’s more to this story

 y than meets the eye. Bet there’s some hidden truth lurking in the shadows.

 Then, another post popped up, asking, [Berry Group stocks are climbing. Should I offload my shares now! What if there’s more to Helen Berry’s case! Could be a big loss if I sell now]

 Responses flooded in

 [I’m all in on Berry Group’s Al tech. It’s ahead of the curve–that’s why I bought big. If it turns out Helen was set up. I’d kick myself for selling

 [Hold onto those stocks! Helen isn’t the viin they make her out to be. She’s been a straight–A student forever a total whiz kid.]

 [Exactly! The stock bounce is legit.]

 Then came the third post, dering. This smells like a stock market scheme to tank Berry Group and smear Helen

 The </bments continued, heavily influencing public sentiment.

 Someizens even imed it was all a setup, and Helen was framed, urging others to buy Berry Group stocks while they were low

 No wonder the stocks were bouncing back so quickly. It turned out, Matilda had been hard at work not just on the financial front but had unleashed a full–blown PR blitz online.

 She wasn’t just steadying shareholder nerves, she was also enticing new investors into the fray and cleaning up Helen’s public image impressively. It was called “three birds, one stone”

 Lea recognized the maneuverings as ssic Manida–media maniption masterss. Using the financial clout of Berry Group and Fraley Medical, Matilda had secured control over major media outlets in Vaporleon City years ago, reaping substantial profits from orchestrated news

 coverage.

 Lea thought of bringing up the cat poisoning to Christian, but he looked too caught up to listen.

 Hed probably misunderstand, thinking she was just using Matilda, not caring about the family’s survival

 She’d have to wait for the right moment to mention it With Lorrand working on an antidote, she could protect him anyway.

 “Done eating. Grandpa. I’ll go hit the books,” she said, heading upstairs.

 So Matilda thought she could easily

 y stabilize the stock price! Not so fast.

 If Lea couldn’t beat them this time, she’d make sure they’d pay up big time and pour more money into Berry Group. It was about to be hers for the Laking.

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