15.Coax And Manipulate Her Back Into Submission

'Tell me, what the hell is this about?" Xander furrowed his eyebrows in question, addressing the three of them. 'Couldn't you have at least let us sit down first, Xander?" Cecile asked the young man. She secretly chuckled at Cecile's sarcasm. She didn't wait for Xander to say anything more and sat on the sofa there. 'Have a seat," Xander said, taking a seat on the long sofa adjacent to hers. The two board members followed suit, occupying the sofa across from them, facing Cecile and Xander. 'Perhaps now you can tell us what your real intention is?" Xander's question carried a note of impatience as he looked at the two of them. She remained silent and observant, allowing them to converse. She shouldn't be part of their conversation anymore, but she had requested Cecile include her when they confronted Xander about his wrongdoings. Apart from wanting to see his reaction, she also wanted to hear his defense and see if he could escape the mess he had gotten into. Mr. Puerto cleared his throat before he spoke. 'We're here because we need to ask you some questions. Due to the recent scandal at T-Trends, there have been reports about another scandal involving some of our models, particularly Matilda Jimenez." 'What?" Xander asked sharply, raising an eyebrow as he looked at her. She didn't flinch and didn't lower her head. 'Don't look at me like that. I didn't know anything." He stared at her, his suspicion-filled gaze, but she didn't care. 'She's telling the truth," Cecile said, revealing a few pictures of her wearing a mask. Xander approached the table and examined the photos one by one. His gaze remained fixed on her face, allowing her to see his sudden paling and surprise. 'How can you claim that this is Matilda?" he asked, incredulous, as he placed the photos back on the table. 'This is ridiculous! How can you even think that it's her?" 'She doesn't recognize her? Then look at these," Cecile said, holding a photo to Xander. 'Is it a coincidence that her car is parked outside that Club?" She didn't flinch and kept observing Xander's reaction. 'Maybe he's right. Maybe that's just some other woman, and it's all just a coincidence," she added. She exchanged glances with Cecile before shifting her gaze to Xander. She wasn't defending him; she just wanted to confront him with the truth of his wrongdoings. One more thing, she didn't want it all to end there. 'Miss Briella, you shouldn't be covering up your fiancé's mischief. We have CCTV footage inside that Club, and some witnesses saw Matilda's unruly behavior. This isn't the first time, as there have been four other reports, even from the Club's owner. Their reasons are all the same—she's drinking too much and getting wild. Slapping waitresses or breaking glasses and bottles," Cecile replied. 'Don't tell us you didn't know about this?" she directed the question at Xander. She secretly smiled and was satisfied with his response, so she didn't interject. 'We're not done investigating, but as I've said earlier, if we find out that there was indeed misconduct on the part of either of you, you'll suffer the consequences," Cecile stated seriously. 'Our company's reputation is at stake, Xander. I hope that these shreds of evidence turn out to be fake and that everything you've said is true. I hate to say this, but it's better that way rather than having everyone find out that the CEO of Star Agency was involved in misconduct and covering up the models' misbehavior," Mr. Puerto added, his tone solemn. Xander remained silent, but his expression darkened, and his jaw tightened. She wanted to grab her phone and record him, capturing his reaction in photos or videos. Her phone rang, and she casually glanced at it. She saw President Braun's text message. Her eyes widened in shock, realizing he had been waiting outside their Agency for a while now. 'Uhm, I'm sorry to interrupt, but can I go now?" she asked the others. She noticed Xander's face growing even darker, but she ignored it. 'Where are you going?" he asked. 'I have a salon appointment, and I'm running late," she explained. Xander scoffed at her response. 'Is that more important than what we're discussing here?" She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. 'To be honest, this isn't my problem, Xander. It's all yours. I told you from the beginning that the day would come when everyone would find out about your actions, but you didn't listen to me and favored Matilda instead." Xander's eyes widened, caught off guard by her words. I'm sorry, but I had no choice! My husband is waiting for me outside, and I'm here wasting my time with someone like you. 'Wait, what did you say?" Cecile's puzzled question was directed at her. She shrugged and avoided eye contact, wanting to show that her statement was unintentional and came out due to her irritation. 'I... can you just ask him? I need to go," she said, looking back at Xander. 'Please, Xander, tell them the truth. It's for all of us," she pleaded. 'What the hell are you talking about? Don't make things up, Briella! Why does it have to come to this? If you want to make a name for yourself and be recognized again, resort to hard work and honesty. Don't lower yourself for attention," he retorted. Damn you! Of all people, you're the one saying that to me? Look in the mirror and say that to yourself! She let out a frustrated sigh and turned her attention to the two board members. 'It's all up to you whether you believe me. All I can say is the truth will always prevail," she concluded before standing up. 'Please excuse me." She got up and briefly looked at Cecile. If she hadn't received that text message from President Braun, she would have wanted to stay and witness Xander's reaction further. As she left the building, she scanned her surroundings and looked for where Luigi had parked the car. Once she spotted it, she walked towards it casually, not wanting to draw attention from passersby. When she was right in front of the car, the door automatically opened, and she entered without hesitation, finally letting out a sigh of relief. 'How's everything?" President Braun asked her as she settled beside him. 'Everything was fine, but I encountered a slight problem," she said, looking at the man beside her. 'What is it? Did someone hurt you again? Did Xander do something to you?" President Braun's questions came one after another, and she could see a surge of protective energy radiating from him. She pressed her lips together and suppressed a smile. She didn't expect President Braun to get so worked up. She shook her head. 'No, it's not that," she said, glancing briefly at Luigi through the rearview mirror. 'I think someone is helping me." Suddenly, Luigi slammed on the brakes, and if it weren't for President Braun's quick reflexes, she would have been jolted forward into the dashboard. 'What the fuck are you thinking, Luigi?!" President Braun's anger was evident as he held her protectively. Her heart rate increased, and she could also feel his heartbeat racing, whether from shock or due to their proximity. She wasn't sure. 'I-I'm sorry, Mr. President. I-I saw a black cat crossing the road. I couldn't avoid it in time. I swear it won't happen again," Luigi stammered an apology. 'Make sure it won't happen again, or I'll make sure you regret the day you were born!" President Braun's threat was fierce. 'Yes, Mr. President! I'm sorry, Madam," Luigi apologized to her as well. 'Are you okay?" President Braun's concerned question came while he still held her close. She was facing his chest, and she could inhale a mix of his expensive cologne and his natural scent. She bit her lower lip to suppress a gasp and savored the scent even more. 'I'm fine," she simply replied. They remained in that position, and it seemed like President Braun had no intention of letting her go. She closed her eyes, finding his heartbeat soothing, like a beautiful melody in her ears. Coupled with his warm body and arms wrapped around her, she felt like she had found a haven. Meanwhile, inside Xander's office, the two major stockholders of Star Agency were still present. Cecile seemed relentless with her questions, and Xander was growing increasingly irritated, especially by the amount of information she seemed to have. Above all, he couldn't understand where she had gotten those pictures. 'Xander, what excuse are you going to come up with now? I came here to help you, but how can I do that when you're not honest?" Mr. Puerto said. 'I am telling you the truth!" Xander insisted. 'Why are we wasting our time on something so pointless?" 'What the hell?" Cecile exclaimed. 'Are you insane? How can you say this is pointless when the company's reputation is at stake?" 'I told you, I have nothing to prove because I haven't done anything wrong! Whoever gave you false information is fabricating stories to extort money from us!" Cecile laughed at his statement, her expression mocking. 'We'll see about that. I'll continue the investigation, and if I find out you're lying and covering something up, I'll make sure you pay for it." Xander's eyebrows furrowed, and his expression turned grim. 'Are you threatening me?" 'Why? Feeling threatened?" Cecile retorted with a smile. 'How dare you! I'm the CEO of this company. I can fire you anytime I want!" he snapped. 'You seem to be forgetting something, Xander," she remarked. 'Cecile, that's enough," Mr. Puerto intervened. 'We can't be sure who's telling the truth." 'I'll make sure you regret this, Cecile!" Xander threatened. Cecile raised an eyebrow and shrugged. He clenched his fists beneath the table; Matilda was right. He couldn't let himself be defeated by them. He was the one in the highest position, and he held a substantial share in the company. He could easily remove Cecile, even if she were one of the major stockholders. He could easily have her ousted if he found an investor who could match her share in the company. After the two left, he stood up and prepared to leave for home. He needed to ensure Matilda was alright and hadn't harmed his child. At first, he couldn't believe she was pregnant, and he thought she was just using that as an excuse to avoid marrying Briella. He was ready to marry Briella, not because he loved her, but because of the benefits he could gain from the union. Once he secured those benefits, he would divorce Briella and propose marriage to Matilda. He had known Matilda since college and even developed feelings for her back then. But after they graduated, she disappeared, and when they met again, he was already engaged to Briella two years ago. He had been engaged to Briella for two years, but it was only now that she decided to marry him. He planned for the wedding to be discreet, almost secretive, but Matilda insisted on attending her doctor's appointment. That was when he found out she was pregnant. No other man could be the child's father but him, as he knew Matilda loved him deeply, just as he loved her. He was willing to do anything to make her happy and help her achieve her dream of becoming a famous model. And due to Briella's attempts at ruining things, he would need to coax and manipulate her back into submission, making her behave like a loyal dog that followed his every command.