Chapter 161: Frank Romano
Lady Francine stared at Tenpenny in disbelief.
Her heart burned with anger as humiliation surged through her chest.
If he hadn’t hit her just moments earlier, she would’ve thought she’d misheard him.
But the look in his eyes made one thing painfully clear.
He wasn’t joking.
Luca was treating her like a stray dog.
He hadn’t even bothered humiliating her himself. A mere security captain was enough to grind her pride into the dirt.
After living a life of wealth and privilege for decades, there was no way she could accept such treatment.
Taking a slow breath, she forced herself to calm down.
"You’re the captain of the security team, aren’t you?" she asked, her tone suddenly much softer. "Have you ever thought about becoming the head of security instead?"
The moment she spoke, Tenpenny understood exactly what she was trying to do.
The position of security manager certainly sounded tempting.
But compared to working for Luca?
It wasn’t even worth considering.
He straightened his uniform, then glanced toward the guards stationed nearby.
"It looks like Ms. Luiz isn’t willing to cooperate."
He smiled.
"Boys..."
"Let’s help her."
Without hesitation, several Crescent Security guards rushed forward.
Lady Francine barely had time to react before they pinned her firmly to the polished marble floor.
"Ah!"
"Let go of me!"
"Have you all lost your minds?! Do you know who I am?"
Her screams echoed through the lobby.
Nobody listened.
If anything, the guards tightened their grip.
No matter how fiercely she struggled, it was useless.
Several trained security officers working together could restrain a two-hundred-pound man without much effort.
An aging socialite stood no chance.
Within moments, she was completely immobilized.
Her face was pressed flat against the cold marble.
Just inches from her lips lay the two bloodstained teeth that had been knocked out moments earlier.
Tenpenny folded his arms and looked down at her.
"Ms. Luiz."
"I’ll ask one last time."
"Are you going to pick them up?"
Faced with overwhelming force, pride suddenly felt meaningless.
Hatred meant nothing.
Humiliation meant nothing.
Lady Francine might have been unreasonable, but she wasn’t stupid.
She understood exactly what would happen if she kept resisting.
They would beat her anyway.
And she’d still be forced to obey in the end.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
Slowly, she shut them, swallowing every ounce of disgust and humiliation.
Then...
With trembling lips...
She opened her mouth.
...
From the executive floor, Luca stood quietly beside the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching Lady Francine’s car finally disappear beyond the company gates.
His expression never changed.
"That old hag really came all this way just to make trouble over a bunch of parasites," Rico said with a grin.
Cecelia gave a small laugh.
"Maybe one of those parasites actually matters to her."
The words hit Luca like a bolt of lightning.
His eyes widened.
He turned toward Cecelia so quickly that she blinked in surprise.
"What did you just say?"
She looked confused.
"I said... maybe someone among the people we fired is important to Lady Francine."
"That’s it."
Luca snapped his fingers.
"Exactly!"
His face lit up with excitement.
Rico and Cecelia exchanged bewildered looks.
"What exactly is it, Boss?"
Instead of answering directly, Luca looked at Rico.
"Tell me."
"What’s the one thing I’ve had you investigating that you still haven’t been able to uncover?"
Rico rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"The thing I couldn’t find..."
A few seconds later, his eyes suddenly widened.
"You mean..."
"Lady Francine’s lover?"
Luca smiled.
"Exactly."
"And I’m willing to bet we’re very close."
He wasn’t making a wild guess.
Everything pointed in that direction.
Ever since Gordon and Dexter had been arrested, Lady Francine had visited Dexter over and over again.
She had never once gone to see Gordon.
That alone proved how emotionally detached she was from her husband.
Yet today, after Cecelia dismissed those employees, she stormed straight to headquarters to defend them.
That wasn’t logical.
Not for someone like her.
There was only one explanation.
Among those fired employees...
Someone truly mattered to her.
Someone capable of making her abandon her usual cold calculation.
And that person was very likely Dexter’s biological father.
Luca chuckled.
"I’ve got to admit..."
"She’s got nerve."
Rico nodded.
"I’ll give her that."
"Running an affair right under Gordon’s nose for decades..."
"That’s bold."
Luca turned toward Cecelia.
"Secretary Cecelia."
"Yes, Mr. Hale?"
"I want a complete list of everyone dismissed today."
"Every department."
"Every name."
"Have it delivered to Captain Rico."
She gave a respectful nod.
"Right away."
Although she still wasn’t completely following the conversation, she had pieced together enough to understand the bigger picture.
Lady Francine had cheated on Gordon.
And the man involved...
Might have been one of the employees she’d personally dismissed only hours ago.
A memory suddenly surfaced.
"Mr. Hale."
She stepped forward.
"I think there’s one person you should investigate first."
"Oh?"
Luca looked at her with interest.
"Who?"
"Frank Romano."
"The former deputy finance manager."
She paused, organizing her thoughts.
"Lady Francine rarely came to headquarters."
"But whenever she did..."
"She always visited the finance department."
Rico nodded immediately.
"That fits."
"She studied accounting in college."
He’d come across that detail during his investigation.
Luca looked back at Cecelia.
"Was Frank the only person she placed in Finance?"
She shook her head.
"No."
"There were several."
"But..."
"He was the only one with a private office."
A faint smile spread across Luca’s face.
Now it made perfect sense.
An affair couldn’t happen out in the open.
If they wanted privacy...
A private office was exactly what they’d need.
Otherwise, why would Lady Francine keep insisting she came to headquarters just to "review the company’s financial reports"?
He looked at Cecelia with open admiration.
"Excellent work."
"This might be the biggest breakthrough we’ve had."
His bright eyes remained fixed on her.
Under that unwavering gaze, Cecelia suddenly felt strangely self-conscious.
She knew she was attractive.
But Luca was surrounded every day by women whose beauty rivaled celebrities.
Why would someone like him pay attention to a widow like her?
Even so...
Being looked at like that made her heartbeat speed up.
She lowered her eyes.
"Mr. Hale..."
"If there’s nothing else..."
"I’ll get back to work."
"Wait."
She stopped.
Luca smiled.
"I’d like to investigate you next."
"Me?"
Her eyes widened.
She looked completely confused.
Rico, on the other hand, immediately understood what was happening.
’The boss has taken a liking to her.’
Not wanting to ruin the moment, he casually walked toward the door.
"Boss, I’ve still got a mountain of work waiting for me."
"I’ll leave you two to it."
"Alright."
Luca gave him an approving glance.
The office door clicked shut.
Now only the two of them remained.
Cecelia suddenly became much more nervous.
Step by step...
Luca closed the distance between them.
She instinctively backed away until her shoulders gently touched the wall.
There was nowhere left to retreat.
"Mr... Mr. Hale..."
"What exactly do you want to investigate?"
"If you ask..."
"I’ll answer honestly."
Luca smiled mischievously.
"Simple."
"I want to verify your academic credentials."
He paused just long enough to see the confusion on her face.
"I need to make sure you didn’t fake your résumé."