There was a knock on Gabriel’s office door, momentarily distracting him from the paperwork on his table.
“Enter,” He called. The door was pushed open and Billy, poked his head through the crack.
“Sir, sorry for the interruption, but I’ve got something urgent for you.”
Gabriel glanced at the papers in his hands, before nodding. “Come in.”
Billy did just that and shut the door behind him. Walking towards the male’s desk, he placed a white envelope on the table.
“A while ago you asked me to look Into the individual whom had been digging into the Romero family’s past,” He stopped, waiting for his boss’s reaction before continuing.
Gabriel, picked the envelope and opened it, pulling out the contents and his brows arched the moment his eyes landed on the picture in his hand.
“Who is he?” He asked, looking up at Billy.
“His name is Jamil Vanadas,” Billy explained. “He’s the current CEO of Herox Media and owns several branches and subsidiaries in the Middle East of Mexico and further investigation showed that he and Ms. Romero were quite…close in high school.” Gabriel narrowed his eyes. “Close? As in best friends?”
Hesitantly, Billy shook his head. “Not exactly, but they were more than just friends, they were…well, lovers.”
“Lovers?” Gabriel asked calmly, but the look in his eyes was anything but calm.
“Yes. And,” The assistant quickly scrambled to change the subject before the air became any more tense. “It is suspected that Mr. Jamil is the mastermind behind the recent events.”
“How is that?” Gabriel questioned, finally tearing his eyes off the photo in his hand and looking at Billy.
“Like I said earlier, Herox Media owns many subsidiaries, which includes media, a few of the news articles published recently, were all published under IP addresses linked to the company.”
“Hmm,” Gabriel hummed as he placed the papers down. “Good job Billy. Please tell me when you have more information.”
“Of course sir,” The man bowed, but before he could leave the office, Gabriel asked.
“And Doctor Bailey? Have you been keeping an eye on him?”
“Of course, Sir, I’ve kept an eye on him as you requested.”
“Good. Be sure to inform me if he tries to reach across to Leonica.”
Billy hesitated in answering. He for one, wasn’t a huge fan of keeping tabs on strangers phone calls, but at this point, with Gabriel’s recently weirdly developed attitude, it was clear to him that his obedience was the only thing keeping his job intact. One wrong move and he could say goodbye to his cushy job and hello unemployment.
So he simply nodded his head.
“Yes sir.”
Even though Leonica had been aware that something of sort was going to happen, she found handling the press’s constant interview invites, media’s unrelenting probing in her life and everyday watchful eyes, more annoying than she had thought. If anything, she could tell her father was having it the worst, not knowing how much his family and family name would be affected after this whole thing was over.
He had been getting a lot of calls and letters, some from the shareholders of his other businesses, some from the employees, and others from the public.
But not once did he show how affected he was, because his family, his children, were his first priority.
As for Cassandra, the woman was quiet, keeping everything inside while monitoring Irene’s every step in the house.
It was safe to say the illegitimate child was walking on eggshells in her very own home. But it wasn’t like Leonica cared, she had other things to think of, namely the press conference she was currently getting ready for. “Here madam, this looks great on you.”
“Thank you.” Leonica gave her the same tight lipped smile as the lady finished the final touches to her hair. The lady had done a good job, she noted as she caught her reflection across the mirror.
Her hair had been combed till it shined and her makeup was just as perfect.
She looked flawless, and that was a plus for the interview she was about to hold.
“Thank you, Anna.” Leonica thanked the makeup artists which had been hired by Kennedy, who gave her a gentle smile.
“I should be thanking you, madam. It was an honor to do your makeup.”
Leonica returned the smile. “Please, the honor is all mine.”
A knock was heard at the door and Kennedy, who was waiting outside the room, entered.
“Ms. Romero, the conference starts in five minutes.” He informed.
“Understood, thank you, Kennedy.”
He nodded and left the room. Leonica glanced back at the mirror one last time, before pushing her chair back and standing.
“Good luck, madam,” Anna offered as Leonica walked towards the door. “You’re going to do amazing.”
“I know,” She replied with a soft smile as she left the room.
As expected, the conference Hall was buzzing with reporters the moment she stepped in.
She took a deep breath, steadying herself, before making her way to the podium.
“Hello everyone, thank you all for coming.”
At the sound of her voice, the room became dead silent and everyone’s attention was turned towards her.
“I’ll keep this short, so I won’t waste any of your time.” Leonica paused, letting the tension grow, before continuing. “As you may already know, I’m here to speak on the behalf of my family, to clear up as many things as possible concerning the circulating rumors.” She looked around the room, making eye contact with as many people as possible.
“The truth is, Irene Rosewood is indeed, the first daughter of the Romero family.”
The silence was interrupted by gasps and murmurs, but Leonica paid them no mind. She kept her mind straight, sticking to the script she had taken all night to formulate.
“Irene Rosewood was a child born
out of wedlock, out of my father’s previous love affair, but that’s not to say that we won’t welcome her into our family. In fact, as I speak, she’s already settled into our family’s home. We’re trying our best to make her feel welcomed and comfortable.”
A reporter rose his hand. “Doesn’t the second madam’s presence affect the family in anyway? After all, isn’t it hard to accept the sudden appearance of a stranger?” Leonica chuckled and shook her head. “To us, she isn’t a stranger. Ever since learning of her existence, I’ve taken Irene as the Big sister I’ve always wished to have.”
An obvious lie, but of course the press didn’t know this and they happily gobbled up her answer, discussing amongst themselves about how Leonica should be the standard for aristocrats.
Less than a few seconds had gone by when another reporter rose her hand. “How is the first madam reacting to the sudden appearance of a love child?”
Leonica didn’t even hesitate to respond. “My mother was a little shocked at first, but she too, is warming up to Irene and I’m glad for that.”