Mr. Villain's Lovely Wife

Chapter 144

Chapter 144

The door shut behind Liam with a quiet click.

Silence stretched across the boardroom for a few moments, the tension from the meeting still thick in the air. No one moved. No one spoke. It was as if they were waiting for confirmation that what they had just witnessed was real.

Then-

“He smiled.” muttered Christopher Adler, the CFO, blinking at the door like he had just seen a ghost. He turned to the others, still processing. “He actually smiled.”

A ripple of disbelief moved through the room.

“Did you see that?” another executive, Vincent Dupont, asked, adjusting his tie. “Or am I–am I hallucinating?”

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“You’re not hallucinating,” Luca Moretti, head of legal, muttered. He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, looking deep in thought. “That was a smile.”

The entire team exchanged glances.

Their CEO–Liam Horvath–the man who had spent the last few weeks tearing through everyone like a cold–blooded executioner, had just smiled at his phone. Not a smirk, not a half–second twitch of amusement, but an actual, unmistakable smile.

It was unsettling.

Christopher frowned, rubbing his chin. “Since when does he smile?”

Vincent leaned in. “Since never.”

“Exactly,” Christopher said. “So, the question is–who the hell was on the other end of that message?”

A hushed murmur spread through the room.

Liam had been in a foul mood since he returned from his last trip. No one knew exactly what had happened, but his patience had been razor–thin, his temper even worse. The Covington acquisition team had been getting the worst of it, but truthfully, everyone had been walking on eggshells.

And yet–one text had flipped a switch.

Luca tapped his pen against the table. “Who do we know that could possibly make him react like that?”

Vincent’s eyes gleamed with curiosity. “A woman, obviously.”

Silence.

woman named Lisa Laurent, leaned forward. “Do you think it’s… you know… someone special?” The CEO had been very private with his life. Many rumors surrounded him, but everyone in this room knew that those aren’t true. After all, they knew that the CEO mostly stay in the office

into

It made sense.

of man to engage in casual conversations during meetings, let alone be distracted by his phone. If he had actually smiled, then whoever had messaged

Wed, 26 Feb

Chapter 144

it be someone from his family? Christopher wondered

family, he wouldn’t have smiled like that. He barely acknowledges his relatives”

“And I doubt it’s business–related. Nothing about Covington is

smirked, leaning back in his chair. “Then it must

to settle it.

bigger question hung in

adjusted his watch. “I mean, has anyone ever seen him with someone?”

“Not romantically, no.”

he doesn’t

like him? There’s

chuckled. “Maybe he’s just good at

sighed. “If that’s the case,

the door Liam had walked out

amused glances, but the

managed to

immediately called Izzy when he arrived at

are you?” he asked. “If anything feels off, take the meds the

his concern. Leaving for London after what happened to Izzy wasn’t something he wanted, but he

mood had been foul since the moment his plane left the U.S. What worsened his mood was the fact that

slightly as he leaned back in his

Izzy finally said, dragging out the word. “I’m not

tightened around his phone. “What’s wrong?”

dramatically. “Terrible condition, really. There’s only one known

his nose, but a smirk tugged

yet, you still like

the tension in his shoulders eased. “If you keep saying things like that,

“Some people are trying to get close to me,

you know.”

his chair, his eyes narrowing.

Chapter 166

and of

the

fall with Law Bzzy countuned. And he’s maying to the same bones building

waghed “%ur exactly as doing in