CEO’s Seduction Trap

Joshua hesitated in his response. “Miss Patel, the result of my investigation is as I mentioned, but if you ask me to be sure, I really can’t be certain.”

Leila furrowed her brow at his words. “Who did you conduct these inquiries with?”

Joshua explained, “I have a friend in a minor leadership position at Premier Construction. I heard it from him.”

Leila nodded. “Okay, I see.”

Joshua pressed further. “What’s wrong? Miss Patel, did I investigate incorrectly?”

Leila replied calmly, “No, carry on with your work.”

After ending the call, Leila went over these matters in her mind before picking up her phone and dialing a number.

The call was to a former colleague from Yort city named Susan. Leila remembered Susan had some contact with Mr. Moore during their competition with Premier Construction for the project last year.

When Susan answered the call, her voice sounded surprised yet amused. “Well, well, Miss Patel, what brings you to call me?”

Leila smiled as she spoke. “I have an urgent matter to discuss with you.”

“Go on, as long as I can help, I won’t hold back.”

Leila got straight to the point. “Do you still remember Mr. Moore?”

Susan replied, “Of course, the CEO of Premier Construction we competed against last year.”

Leila continued, “Right. When you had contact with him last year, did he have anyone special around him, or…”

Before Leila could finish her sentence, Susan interrupted, “Are you asking if there’s any scandal involving this Mr. Moore?”

Leila admitted, “There’s some indication in that direction.”

Susan asked curiously, “What made you suddenly inquire about this?”

Having worked together for years, Susan knew Leila wasn’t one to gossip.

Leila explained frankly, “The company I’m currently with is interested in acquiring Premier Construction. I followed him to S city, but now I’ve discovered there’s no project he’s invested in here, so I thought…”

Coming to S city under the guise of a business trip without any actual business meant there must be some shady private matters involved.

Susan’s voice lowered slightly. “There is indeed something, but I’m not sure if that woman is Mr. Moore’s lover. Nevertheless, Mr. Moore is very attentive to her.”

Leila inquired further, “What kind of woman is she?”

Susan replied, “A woman in S city who’s seven or eight months pregnant, supposedly Mr. Moore’s secretary…”

Secretary…

After ending the call with Susan, Leila stood by the window and looked outside for a moment.

In this society, people’s hearts are fickle.

Leila was contemplating when her phone chimed with a notification. She glanced down to see a news alert: “The Ramirez Group CEO to Get Engaged!!” Seeing the notification, Leila instinctively tapped on it to open the news article. However, she quickly thought better of it and hit the back button. It didn’t concern her anyway.

Deciding to focus on her investigation regarding Mr. Moore’s secretary, Leila used her connections to gather information about the secretary. She discovered that woman, called Linda, aged thirty-two, had a son and was unmarried. With Linda’s current address in hand, Leila hailed a taxi and headed to the residential complex where she lived.

She had expected Linda to reside in a luxurious upscale neighborhood, but upon arrival, she found it to be a rather ordinary residential building, even somewhat old-fashioned. There wasn’t even a security guard present. Leila exited the taxi and entered the complex, spotting two elderly people playing chess and enjoying the cool breeze by the roadside.

Leila observed them for a moment before politely approaching and inquiring, “Excuse me, do you happen to know Linda?” One of the elderly men looked up at her, shook his head, and replied, “No, I don’t.”

Leila nodded understandingly. Just as she was about to leave, the other elderly man who had remained silent suddenly spoke up, “Linda? She used to work in Neo city, I remember.”

“Yes, do you know her?”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

The old man nodded. “Yes, we ‘re neighbours.”

He then looked up at Leila and asked, “Are you her friend?”

Leila didn’t dare to tell the truth, so she simply nodded and said, “Yes, a friend.”

“She’s not at home right now; her child is sick, and she’s staying at the maternal and child health hospital,” the old man explained.

Leila nodded gratefully and thanked him before leaving.

As she walked away, she overheard the old man speaking in a lowered voice to the other, “You don’t know Linda? She’s the girl from our neighborhood who was the only one to get into graduate school. Ah, such a good girl, having a child before marriage…”

The other old man chimed in, “Young girls these days. It’s really, ah, hard to say…”

Half an hour later, Leila arrived at the maternal and child health hospital. After some inquiries, she learned which room Linda was in.

Instead of entering immediately, Leila went to a nearby supermarket and bought some fruits. Once she had the items, she returned to the hospital and knocked on the ward door.

There was no response from inside, but Leila could hear a muffled argument. She pressed her ear to the door and listened.

“I told you to stay with the child in Neo city, but you insisted on coming back.”

“Even if you don’t think for yourself, you should think about the child.”

“Look at you now, all alone, without anyone to help.”

Through the door, Mr. Moore’s deep voice carried a hint of anger.

After a moment, a woman’s voice responded from inside, “Mr. Moore, I’ve caused you enough trouble already. I can’t afford to cause you any more trouble.”

“What do you mean? We’ve worked together for so many years, and I also have a responsibility for this child,” Mr. Moore retorted.

As the two inside continued to argue, Leila felt hesitant to directly intervene by pushing open the door. Instead, she walked over to a bench in thecorridor and sat down, planning to wait until their argument subsided.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she sat down, she saw a familiar figure. The person was bent over, pushing a cart filled with bedsheets that needed cleaning, passing right in front of her.

Leila froze for a moment, then quickly stood up.

The person, completely oblivious to her presence, continued walking with his head down, occasionally exchanging a few words with a middle-aged woman nearby.

“I can handle it alone; you take a break.”

“What do you want for lunch? I’ll go buy groceries later and cook for you when I get home.”

For some people, absence brings longing, but upon seeing them again, all that remains is endless hatred.

Leila gazed at the figure before her, lost in thought. Her hand clenched involuntarily at her side, fingertips digging harshly into her palm.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Mr. Moore strode out.

Spotting Leila, he paused for a moment before speaking, “Leila, what are you doing here?”

Startled back to reality by his words, Leila took a deep breath and replied, “Mr. Moore.”

Leila spoke softly, her voice easily drowned out in the bustling corridor of the hospital. However, the middle-aged man who had just passed by her with the cart seemed surprisingly sensitive to her voice. Upon hearing it, he stumbled and almost fell.

The middle-aged woman hurriedly reached out to steady him. “Watch your step.”

With her hand tightened on his arm, the man regained his balance, but his eyes flickered back to Leila’s profile. Then, with hurried steps, he fled.

Leila caught sight of the man’s reaction, and her already clenched hand tightened even more.