Mr. Villain's Lovely Wife

Chapter 61

“Ma, you didn’t have to chere. | can handle this,” Calen said, leaning back in his chair.

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“Handle this?” Cecil snorted as she crossed her legs, settling on the couch inside Calen’s office. “Is that why Izzy

isn’t here yet? You do know she could leave this company-and you-behind if she wanted to, right?”

Calen sighed, rubbing his temples. “Mom, am | really your son? Do you have to be this harsh?”

“Harsh?” Cecil leaned forward, fixing her gaze on him. “I'm being realistic, Calen. If you were half as smart as

you claim to be, you'd be out there coaxing her back instead of sitting here wasting time.”

don’t even know where she is,” Calen admitted, his voice strained.

“Then find her!” Cecil snapped. “It’s not like she’s vanished off the face of the earth. You have the resources to

track her. Why aren’t you doing it?”

Calen exhaled sharply and leaned back in his chair. “It’s not that easy. Izzy is too stubborn. Even if | find her, it's

not like she’ll just cback. But...” He paused, his expression briefly softening. “I still trust that she’ll forgive

me. She just needs time.”

Before Cecil could respond, the door to the office opened, and Calen’s new secretary stepped inside, holding a

tablet. She hesitated for a moment before approaching the desk.

“Sir, there's something you need to see,” she said, placing the tablet in front of him.

Calen frowned and picked up the device. His eyes scanned the screen, his brows furrowing deeper with every

second. Cecil stood and walked over, glancing at the screen over his shoulder.

“Someone released the news,” the secretary explained. “It's all over the internet.”

Calen’s grip on the tablet tightened. “What?” he said, his jaw clenching as he scrolled through the headlines.

“We already called the media. We suppressed everything. How did this happen?”

Cecil's expression darkened as she snatched the tablet from his hands and read the details. “We warned the

employees ‘not to say a word. There were consequences if they did. So who had the nerve to leak this?”

The secretary shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t know yet, but it's spreading fast. We'll need to address it before it

escalates further.”

Calen placed both hands on his desk, his knuckles turning white. “Find out who did this. Now.”

The secretary nodded quickly and left the office, closing the door behind her. Cecil set the tablet down with a

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sharp motion, her face tense.

“You see, Calen?” she said, glaring at him. “This is exactly why you can’t afford to sit here doing nothing. First,

Izzy is missing, and now this? Your position is already precarious, and if you don’t fix this, it'll only get worse.”

“Ill handle it,” Calen said through gritted teeth as he glanced at the tablet. There were already three thousand

likes on the article, and it seemed that more and more people were reading it as it had been shared over five

thousand times.

Cecil couldn't just sit there and do nothing. Almost immediately, she started calling her contacts, asking them for

help. Not long after, the secretary cback, but it wasn’t with good news.

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“Sir, it seems that more and more media accounts are publishing their own version of this article,” the secretary

said. “We already tried to warn them, but-"

“But what?” Cecil asked, furning. She had also asked a few of her friends to help, but none of it seemed to be

working.

The secretary hesitated before continuing. “Sir, it seems someone is intentionally spreading this. They've paid

several media companies in advance to run the story. Unfortunately, we don’t know who it is yet.”

Calen’s jaw tightened, his knuckles pressing against the desk as he gritted his teeth. “Keep digging,” he said. “I

want answers.”

Just as the secretary nodded and turned to leave, the door burst open with a loud bang, CEO Weiss stormed into

the office, his expression thunderous. Both Calen and Cecil froze as he marched to the center of the room.

What is this circus?” he demanded, his gaze fixed on Calen. “The company is in chaos because of you. Do you

understand the damage this is causing?”

Calen stood, his fists clenched. “We're working on it. | already—"

“Enough!” Weiss cut him off, raising a hand. “You've done enough damage. As of this moment, you are

suspended. Pack your things and go home.”

Cecil's eyes widened as she stepped forward. “Wait a minute. Suspended? This is a misunderstanding. Calen-*.

CEO Weiss turned to her. “This decision is final. Until we resolve this issue, Calen’s presence here is more of a

liability than an asset. He will step aside.”

Calen stared at his father, disbelief flashing across his face. “You can’t be serious,” he said. “I've been handling

this company’s- operations for years, and now you're sideliningover a PR issue?”

Weiss crossed his arms. “This isn’t just a PR issue. It's a scandal that’s disrupting everything we've worked for.

I'm not letting it spiral further.

Calen stepped around his desk. “Is this about the Macau project?”

Weiss stiffened, the question clearly catching him off guard. His eyes narrowed slightly, but he quickly masked

his reaction. “What are you talking about?”

You know exactly what I'm talking about,” Calen pressed. “Is this suspension really about the scandal, or is it

because Izzy is more important to you?”

“What?” Cecil and Weiss both said at the stime.

“Calen, what are you talking about?” Cecil asked.

“Isn't it because you're scared she could leave the company? So, you would suspend your own son?”

CEO Weiss narrowed his eyes as he studied Calen. “You're blaming Izzy for your mistakes now? This has nothing

to do with her proposal or favoritism. This is about damage control, something you've clearly failed at.”

“Oh, please...” Calen stepped closer, his fists clenched at his sides. “It's always about Izzy, isn't it? She wins one

proposal, and suddenly, she’s your golden child. You want to keep the board happy and keep the investors calm,

and you'll do anything to achieve that-even if it means suspending your own son!”

Cecil stepped forward, placing a hand on Calen’s arm. “Calen, stop this. You're crossing a line.”

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Chapter 61

Calen shrugged her off, his glare fixed on his father. “No, Mom. I'm saying what he won't admit. He's always

looked down onbecause I'm not really his son. Isn't that right, Dad?”

CEO Weiss'’s face hardened as he stepped toward Calen, his jaw tightening. “Watch what you're saying, Calen.

I've never treated you as anything less than my own son. You want to accuseof favoritism? Fine. But don’t

you dare question the years I've invested in you, in your career, and in this

mpany.”

“What? What did you say?” Calen let out a humorless laugh, throwing his hands up. “Years of what? Criticism?

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Doubt? Every t| make one mistake, you're there to point it out, to remindI'll never measure up to your

expectations. And now, instead of helpingfix this, you're pushingout-for what? A small mistake?”

CEO Weiss stepped closer. “Small mistake? Do you understand the scale of this scandal? It’s not just about you.

It's about the mpany’s reputation, the jobs of thousands of employees, and the trust of our investors. If you can’t

handle the weight of that responsibility, then maybe you shouldn't be here.”

Calen’s hands slammed onto the desk, his face red with anger. “And yet, you'd throw it all in favor of a stranger

because it makes business sense? You don’t even care about me, about what this means for our family!”

“Don’t you dare,” Weiss’s hand cdown on the desk, matching Calen’s intensity. “Don’t you dare accuse me

of not caring! You've made mistakes, yes, but | have never stopped supporting you. You think this is easy for me?

Suspending you was the last thing | wanted to do, but I'm doing what's best for the company. You think this is

about Izzy? It’s not. It’s about fixing the mess you created.”

Calen straightened, his face twisted with frustration. “Fixing the mess | created? If you're so worried about the

company, why not step in and help instead of punishing me? You're always so quick to judge, but never there to

backup when it counts.”

CEO Weiss’s hand tightened into a fist as he pointed at Calen. “Because leadership isn’t about running to Daddy

every tsomething goes wrong. It's about owning your mistakes and fixing them. You want to be the man you

claim to be? Then act like it.”

“Enough!” Cecil interjected, stepping between them. “Enough. Both of you. This isn’t solving anything.”

CEO Weiss turned to her, his voice firm. “I've made my decision. Calen is suspended until this is resolved. And |

expect both of you to respect that decision.”

Calen

shook his head, his voice filled with bitterness. “Respect? That's rich coming from you.” He grabbed his jacket

from the back of his chair and headed for the door. Before leaving, he turned back to Weiss. “You know what,

Dad? Don't bother pretending you care anymore. It's clear where your priorities lie.”

He slammed the door behind him, leaving CEO Weiss and Cecil in silence. Cecil turned to her husband. “Do you

think this is the right way to handle this? Pushing him away?”

CEO Weiss exhaled sharply. He then ran a hand through his hair. “He needs to understand the consequences of

his actions. | just hope he sees that before it’s too late.”

“What do you mean? He seemed confident that Izzy is going to—"

“Liam Horvath,” CEO Weiss said. “He is the one spreading the news.” Then he turned toward his wife. “Why do

you think

that is?”