Chapter 26

Fiona bristled at Brenden's skepticism. Since she still needed Brenden's help, she suppressed her irritation,fished out her phone, and scrolled straight to her chat history with Wesley.

Brenden's gaze landed on We_'ey's WhatsApp profile -a brooding night sky with a pale mc on veiled behind shifting clouds.

Then he went through their chat history, finally believing her story

He was surprised that Fiona, usually so soft-spoken,could be so audacious as to insult Wesley, leaving him utterly stunned.

Fiona let out a sigh. "I insulted him, and that's literally the only time he's ever responded to me," she confessed, her tone dropping. "Maybe my insults just weren't creative enough. That's probably why he ended up unfriending me."

Brenden shifted awkwardly and cleared his throat."There's nothing I can do about this," he admitted.glancing away He was just as intimidated by Wesley as anyone else and had zero intention of pleading her case.

Fiona pouted, coaxing him with a playful lilt. "Come on, just help me figure out what'll actually get Wesley's attention. Please?"

Brenden always had a soft spot for women who turned to him for help-and he had to admit,ho was genuinely curious if Wesley secretly enjoyed being scolded.

With a resigned shrug, he gave in. "Fine, I'll try to find out what works on him next time I get the chance."

The next Monday, Brenden marched straight to headquarters and tracked Billy down in the break room.

Billy was surprised by his sudden appearance."Mr.Saunders? What brings you back< to headquarters?"

He guessed Brenden was there for the year-end meeting-Wesley had called him in.

Before Billy could say more, Brenden dropped his voice to a near-whisper. "I slipped in under the radar.Need to ask you something."

Billy was about to point out that Brenden's flashy outfit was already turning heads-everyone had noticed him by now.

But Brenden barreled on, oblivious. "Billy, just be honest with me. Is Wesley... a masochist?"

Billy froze, blindsided by the question.

Brenden's tone grew measured as he continued, "It's a psychological thing. Some people genuinely get a kick out of being scolded or put down. Wesley seems to perk up whenever someone calls him a jerk."

Billy's hand trembled as he remembered the flash of Wesley's phone screen-someone had really called Wesley a jerk.

His hand trembled, causing the coffee to slosh perilously close to the rim of his cup.

After all these years of careful disguise, had Wesley's mask finally cracked? Was the truth bleeding through at last?

A flicker of shock crossed Billy's face, but he quickly collected himself, slipping back into his usual composed manner. With a steady voice and a look of mild reproach, he said, "Mr. Saunders, I realize you're upset about being transferred from headquarters,but that's not an excuse to start spreading rumors about Mr. Moss."

Brenden gestured at Billy's trembling hand. "Careful,man-your coffee's about to go everywhere." Was it just anger from his accusation against Wesley that made Billy's hand shake, or was it something more?

Billy forced a steady breath, deflecting. "Didn't get much sleep last night. Coffee's the only thing keeping me upright."

Yet Brenden couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. He leaned in, draping an arm around Billy's shoulders."Come on, we're basically brothers at this point. So level with me."

Billy brushed off Brenden's arm with a casual shrug,completely unmoved by his persuasion.

He'd been at Wesley's side since the day Apex Group was founded,watching up close as Wesley clawed his way to the top, building an empire from scratch and turning it into a powerhouse in just seven years.

Despite Wesley's quirks, Billy's loyalty never faltered -his respect for Wesley was set in stone.

Brenden couldn't extract a single useful word from Billy-but that silence told him everything he needed to know.

For as long as he could remember, Wesley had seemed untouchable-a legend, the one person Brenden admired above all others. He just never imagined the man he idolized would harbor such an odd quirk.

Still, something about it made Wesley seem a little more human-maybe even approachable.

A sudden itch of curiosity had Brenden wanting to test Wesley himself

Outside the break room, Aubrey overheard their entire conversation and was completely taken aback.

She floated back to her spot in the Sales Department,collapsing onto her chair in a daze.

Gabriela caught sight of her dazed expression and raised an eyebrow. "You were just up in the CEO's office dropping off documents, right? What's brought on that frown? Did the big boss chew you out or something?"

Aubrey brushed off Gabriela's concern with a quick wave,signaling it was nothing serious.

Relieved, Gabriela turned her focus back to the mountain of paperwork on her desk.

Hours slipped by in silence until, suddenly, Aubrey could barely contain herself

She darted over, seizing Gabriela's wrist with a burst of nervous energy. "Gabriela!" she blurted out, her voice barely above a whisper. "I've got the tea. But you have to swear you'll never breathe a word."

Gabriela arched an eyebrow but didn't answer right away.

That look, that tone-she'd heard it from Aubrey before.

Whenever Aubrey hinted at secrecy, it never stayed hidden for long; it would surface company-wide in no time.

Reflecting on it, Gabriela mumbled, "Spill it. I'm not about to run my mouth."

Aubrey shot afurtive glance around the office, then leaned in so close her hair brushed Gabriela's shoulder."Your crush? Turns out he's a total masochist."

Gabriela's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait, who are you talking about?"

Aubrey gave her a look, as if the answer were obvious."Who else? Mr. Moss."

Gabriela arched an eyebrow, suspicion edging her voice. "And where'd you hear that? Don't tell me you're buying into office rumors again."

Aubrey pressed on, her eyes wide with conviction."I'm telling you, I heard Mr. Saunders say it himself. It's true!"

Gabriela frowned, "When did he say that?"

Aubrey leaned closer, voice dropping conspiratorially "He was back at headquarters today. I walked past the break room on the twelfth floor-he was chatting with Billy. I heard every word."

Gabriela couldn't reconcile the Wesley she thought she knew with the man this revelation suggested. Her thoughts whirled, torn between disbelief and curiosity.

She hesitated only a moment, then darted to the balcony, clutching her phone. With trembling fingers,she shot off a message to "NotASaunders."

"Hi, Mr. Saunders, do you have a moment?"

Wesley's hand froze midair as the new message flashed across his phone. He barely had time to register the words before a second, more frantic question popped up. "Is it true that Mr. Moss is a masochist? Does he really like being scolded?"

A startled cough burst from his throat, coffee splattering across the pristine table. His face darkened at once.

All around the conference room, the department heads went stiff, eyes darting between each other and their normally unshakable CEO. Wesley, who prided himself on his composure, had just lost it-in front of everyone.

A ripple of nervous energy swept the room. Not a single person dared to speak. Speculation simmered beneath the silence,each executive silently wondering what could possibly rattle Wesley like this.

Unfazed,Billy reached for a tissue and handed it to his boss, his expression steady.

Wesley methodically wiped his hands and mouth,tamping down the irritation rising in his chest as he fired off a reply. "Who told you that?"

Gabriela refused to throw Aubrey under the bus, but given Aubrey's big mouth, she suspected the news had already made its rounds among a handful of colleagues.

She tapped out her response. "Everybodyat the office is talking. Someone claimed you said it yourself, but|don't buy it. That's why I wanted to ask you straight."

Wesley might have been known as a cutthroat businessman,but Gabriela still respected him-enough that it stung to hear his name dragged through the mud.

Even with Wesley's ironclad self-control, her reply still made his pulse hammer in his ears. He spun toward Billy, jaw clenched tight. "Find Brenden. Bring him to me. Now."