CHAPTER 343: CHAPTER 343 ALEXA INVESTIGATION

Leo gave him a side glance, the corner of his mouth curling faintly. "You already are on my bad side, Jay. You just don’t know it yet."

Jay blinked, then laughed awkwardly. "Haha... funny joke, right?"

Leo didn’t answer. He just reached for his glass, took a slow sip of whiskey, and stared ahead with that cold, calculating look that made even the strongest men hesitate to breathe in his presence.

The silence stretched again, broken only by the soft ticking of the antique clock.

Finally, Jay exhaled. "So... this hacker," he said cautiously, trying to change the subject, "is that person working on this case too?"

Leo’s eyes glinted. "Yes," he said quietly. "And whether Maxo realizes it or not, that hacker is the reason he’s already starting to lose."

Jay grinned, curiosity flaring again. "Now you’ve said it. I need to meet this person."

Leo’s lips curved faintly, a secretive smirk tugging at the corner. "You will," he said. "Sooner than you think."

Jay leaned forward eagerly, but Leo was already rising from his chair, his tall frame casting a shadow across the desk. "But for now," Leo added, buttoning his cufflinks, "get some rest. We’ll be moving again soon."

Jay slumped in his chair, pouting. "You always say that right before things explode."

Leo smirked. "That’s because they usually do."

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Alexa leaned back in her seat, her long manicured nails tapping rhythmically against the marble tabletop as her private investigator stood nervously before her. The room smelled faintly of roses and expensive perfume, but the chill in Alexa’s eyes could’ve frozen the air.

"Did you find anything new about Isabella?" she asked slowly, her voice deceptively soft.

The man shifted uncomfortably, clutching the folder in his hands. "No, ma’am... nothing new. It’s the same information you already know," he said carefully. "She was abused by her uncle for years and developed deep trauma. After that, she was taken away by a woman named Jessica and—according to the latest records—she’s now married to Leonardo Moretti."

The sound of glass shattering filled the room as Alexa’s hand slammed her wineglass down on the table. "Freaking Jessica," she hissed, her beautiful face twisting in rage. "That woman ruined everything! Why did she have to meddle? Why couldn’t she just leave Bella rotting where she belonged? That girl deserved to be locked up with her filthy uncle forever, not living like some princess under Leo’s roof!"

Her investigator froze, unsure whether to respond or breathe. Alexa stood up, pacing, her heels clicking sharply against the floor.

"Where is her uncle now?" she demanded suddenly.

The man hesitated before replying, "According to what we found... her uncle was taken by his debt collectors a few months ago. They haven’t been seen since."

Alexa’s lips curved into a cold, delighted smile. "So, he’s gone, huh? That worthless man. How fitting." She turned her head slowly toward the investigator, her eyes gleaming with a kind of cruel amusement. "Show me his photos. Everything you have on him."

The man quickly opened his file and handed her a few printed images. They were grainy surveillance shots—her uncle sitting in a shabby café, smoking, his face rough and tired. In the next photo, two bulky men appeared behind him, and then nothing—just an empty street.

Alexa traced a red-painted nail over the man’s photo, her eyes glinting with venom. "This disgusting man," she murmured. "He ruined her, but also gave her something to cry about for life. How poetic."

Then, after a moment, her expression shifted—darker, calculating. "Find out who took him," she said in a low voice. "If those debt collectors are still alive, I want their names, their debts, and their price. And if Bella has any connection left to that past—friends, witnesses, anyone who saw her before Jessica took her—I want them too."

The investigator nodded quickly, gathering his files. "Yes, ma’am. I’ll start digging right away."

Alexa leaned back again, her smile returning—sharp and poisonous. "Good. Because I’m not done with her yet. That little b*tch still owes me a fall."

"And ma’am... there’s another thing," her investigator said quietly, breaking the silence that had settled in the room.

Alexa looked up from her cup of coffee, her brows knitting together. The expression on his face made her heartbeat quicken slightly; she had learned long ago that his pauses usually meant something big. "What is it?" she asked, her voice calm but edged with impatience.

He hesitated for a moment, glancing around before leaning forward. "It’s about Isabella," he said carefully. "According to a source from Mrs. Jessica’s household... Isabella wasn’t born naturally. She was a surrogate baby."

Alexa’s hand froze midway as she set her cup down. The soft clink of porcelain echoed faintly in the air. "Surrogate baby?" she repeated, her tone sharp, suspicious. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, ma’am," he replied, nodding slowly. "It was extremely confidential. Only a few people in the family knew about it and even they were forbidden to talk. But one of the old servants overheard conversations years ago. Apparently, the matter was covered up before Isabella was even born."

Alexa leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other. The faint smile that curved her lips didn’t reach her eyes. "Hmm... interesting," she murmured.

The investigator gave a short chuckle. "That’s not the best part," he said, lowering his voice. "I also managed to track down a few of the old staff they fired. Most of them didn’t even realize how much they knew until I started asking questions." He opened his notebook and flipped through a few pages filled with scribbled notes. "Turns out, there were more secrets buried in that house than anyone could imagine."

Alexa’s curiosity sharpened. She leaned forward, elbows resting on her knees, her eyes gleaming with intrigue. "Go on," she said softly, her lips curving into a smile that held both charm and danger. "Tell me everything you found."

He glanced at her briefly, recognizing that spark in her eyes—the one that meant she wouldn’t rest until she had every piece of the puzzle. He cleared his throat, readying himself to drop the next bombshell.