President’s Sweet Wife novel Chapter 146

There was nothing wrong with the windows, including the balcony outside. Nothing was there other than some plants.

To be sure, Philip even sent someone out over the balcony rails to check outside, and no one was hiding underneath, either.

From the looks of it, they shouldn’t have seen anything else.

Jessica was in disbelief as well.

“How’s that possible? I heard it. A woman crying, just crying and crying, like someone’s wringing her neck. How – how could there be no one there?”

She walked in a trance over to the balcony, checking front and back in a panic.

But in reality, in a space this small, anyone hidden would have been found already. It was impossible for them to have hidden until now.

“Was it… really a ghost…”

“What do you mean ghost? I don’t believe that nonsense!”

Philip flared up and yanked the curtains down. At that moment, a small black object fell from above.

Followed quickly by the sound of sobbing.

Everyone froze.

Almost petrified.

They stared at the little object on the ground. After a while, they finally understood that the crying had come from this thing.

Aleena stooped over and picked it up. It was a mini recorder.

Someone had recorded the sound in earlier and set it on a timer. That’s why Jessica had heard the intermittent sobbing.

“Bastard!”

She slammed the device on the ground, her expression turning ugly.

“Who was it? Who put something like this in Jessica’s room?”

The servants who’d followed inside saw what was going on and turned white in a panic.

They hurriedly shook their heads, denying their involvement.

Philip shot a dark look at Jessica.

“Who’s been in your room today?”

Jessica was still dazed. She thought for a long while and shook her head.

“There’s been too many, I don’t remember.”

All throughout the day, servants had come in and out of her room. If not half a dozen, at least three or four would have come and gone. How were they supposed to tell who the culprit was?

“Oho! Is that so? Then call the police! Have them all interrogated. We’ll find out the truth.”

Some of the servants started begging for mercy right away.

“It really wasn’t me, sir. I’ve never done anything like that.”

“Yeah, we’ve got no grudge with Miss Jessica. Why would we do something like this? It doesn’t benefit us!”

Naturally, Philip didn’t listen.

“Enough, anyway, that’s how we’ll deal with it. Relax. If you really didn’t do it, there’ll be no consequences. But if I find out that we really have a rat in here…”

He glared at them and sneered. “Heh! Don’t blame me for what happens next!”

With that, he had the few servants who’d been in Jessica’s room put in custody, ready to call the police when morning came. Then he left.

At the McCarthy Mansion.

Everything was quiet in the bedroom when the phone at the head of the bed suddenly buzzed twice.

Natalia opened her eyes. Her slender frame was being held tightly in the man’s embrace. A thick, solid arm was wrapped around her. She could smell his fresh scent clearly in the dark.

She lifted his arm lightly off her and leant over for the phone.

It was an anonymous text, its contents simple.

“It’s done. Wire the money.”

Natalia smiled and didn’t reply. She deleted the text and put the phone back.

Behind her, the man grunted. Right afterwards, he reached out with a powerful limb and effortlessly scooped her back up into his arms.

“What is it?”

He didn’t open his eyes, and there was still sleepiness in his voice.

Natalia chuckled quietly. “Nothing. Just a spam message. Woke me up, that’s all.”

In the dark, Archie opened his eyes and looked at the woman before him.

It wasn’t completely dark inside the house. Natalia didn’t like the dark, so she left a small, warm orange floor lamp on a corner of the bedroom, giving a bit of warm light in the darkness.

He looked at the delicate features of the woman in his arms and suddenly smiled.

“If you can’t fall asleep while it’s so late, sounds like you want to do some light exercise?”

Natalia jolted, then realized the intentions of the large hand at her waist, and her body tensed.

“Stop messing around, Archie!”

“You can’t sleep, right? I just have to tire you out.”

“Archie McCarthy! Mhm…”

…

Four days later, Laura’s parts in “The Youth” were completely cleared out.

Natalia had her put in the “Chase the Wind” crew directly.

Hamlin and Nathan were friends. “Chase the Wind” might have been directed by Hamlin, but Nathan’s figure was still behind production and investment.

Natalia had been curious about the relationship between Nathan and Archie, because she’d seen Nathan in Archie’s office more than once.

If it’d just been business, then that was fine, but they were just chatting.

She knew better than anyone else how precious Archie’s time was, which made her more curious as to what kind of relationship allowed Nathan to just laze around with him.

Until one day, Nathan took a gift up to PR and said he was looking for her.

Natalia went out to meet him, and Nathan said outright, “Sorry, Aunt Natalia. I didn’t realize who you were back then and didn’t know your relationship with my uncle. Forgive me if I’ve offended you.”

Natalia’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“What’d you call me?”

“Aunt Natalia!”

Natalia sucked in a deep breath.

Seeing that, Nathan understood that she’d misunderstood and hurriedly explained, “It’s like this – I’m also part of the McCarthy family in Eqitin, but just one of the branches, and more distantly related, so most people don’t know about it. I’m supposed to call Archie uncle, so naturally you’re my aunt.”

Natalia couldn’t feign a normal smile any longer.

“So… that’s how it is. You know about our relationship too, then?”

“Yes, yes, I know now.”

Nathan put up a cautious and worried face, making Natalia wonder if he’d done something she wouldn’t like.

“This is just a casual present, Aunt Natalia. Please take it.”

He passed up a box.

Natalia took a step back.

She stared at him dubiously.

“All right, enough with the aunt this and aunt that, it’s awkward. Just call me by my name!”

Nathan didn’t insist. He smiled and agreed.

Natalia pointed at the gift box in his hands. “I didn’t do anything to deserve that, so please take it back!”

She said, striding off.

Nathan hurriedly stood in her way.

“Aun… Natalia, I’m actually here because something’s come up.”

Natalia looked at him in surprise. “What?”