Mr. Chairman's Devious Wife novel Chapter 3

“I have yet to make up my mind,” Sofia said, her eyes narrowing her eyes at him. Did he come because of his proposition?

The enticing aroma of freshly baked croissants wafted through the air, causing her stomach to growl involuntarily.

She stole a glance at the tempting spread, attempting to feign indifference to both the food and the audible protest of her hungry stomach. It was a futile effort.

“Is there a need for such pretense?” Alexander's inquiry cut through the air, devoid of sympathy. “Eat your fill. I only came to make sure that you did not murder anyone. My plans would not succeed when you are in prison.”

Blunt, Sofia acknowledged inwardly, her attention reluctantly shifting from the tantalizing croissants to the man seated across from her. She picked up her fork and began to mechanically spear a piece of brunch, attempting to divert her focus away from Alexander's words.

“LH Group will hold its annual shareholder’s meeting, and in this meeting, your stepfather will blame you for the mishaps. Not directly, of course.”

“W— What?” The cup of coffee in her hand trembled, threatening to spill. His words demanded her full attention, taking all the heaviness and headache from her hangover.

LH Design was the subsidiary of LH Group. Currently, she is the Head Designer of LH Design and its acting CEO. Before she could continue thinking about this, Alexander pushed another document her way. She opened it without asking any more questions.

“This— “

“A plagiarism scandal ready to explode,” Alexander interrupted, delivering the revelation with a cool matter-of-factness.

“I made those designs…” Sofia's voice wavered. How could it be plagiarism? She spent countless nights drawing them, choosing the materials carefully for the upcoming collection.

He didn’t answer. He studied her appearance, his eyes confident yet something about it contained cruelty that made her uncomfortable.

“A rich heiress who grew up with a silver spoon against a working woman who struggled to make ends meet. Who do you think the media will believe?” he asked, his voice cutting through her like a sharp knife.

“What are you trying to say? Why would my father— “

“Stepfather,” he corrected her.

Sofia’s lips trembled. She steadied herself. Her mother married her stepfather when she was just two years old. Her biological father died when her mother was pregnant, and the only father that she knew was her stepfather, Lawrence Miles, who later changed his surname to Lockhart when he married Sofia’s mother Eunice Lockhart.

Charlotte was Lawrence’s daughter from his first marriage. She was only a few months older than Sofia. Because of this, the two always treated each other like sisters.

“You should already know what I was talking about, no?” he asked. This time, Sofia did not answer. She only stared at the document as she thought of what she heard last night.

Her 26th birthday was coming. This meant that her trust fund and inheritance from her late grandfather would belong to her. Shares, stocks, bonds, properties, and at least three hundred million dollars. The inheritance was something that every Lockhart would get once they came of age.

However, to get this inheritance, some conditions must be met. She did not tell Daniel about these conditions, as this had been kept a secret by the Lockhart Family. She did not intend to tell him anything about this matter either.

However, after what she witnessed last night, she was convinced that Daniel knew about the conditions, and that was why he wanted to keep her around despite sleeping with Sofia’s sister.

“The shares…” she mumbled. There can only be one reason why her stepfather would create a scandal like this. It was to taint her name. He wanted to show the board that the heiress of LH Group is a plagiarizing ass. This would surely affect how they view Sofia.

“Smart,” he smirked.

“My father— Lawrence would never do something like this.” She said. However, a part of her already doubted her own words. She grew up with Lawrence, and he treated her like family all this time.

“Just like how your sister would never betray your trust?” he asked.