Chapter 147

Daniel had gone missing. He hadn’t come home for days, and his phone remained unreachable.

Anxious, Tyler showed up at Daniel’s home. “Joanna, where the hell is Daniel?”

Joanna gasped in shock. “You can’t find him either?”

‘It wasn’t unusual for Daniel to stay out. With the Azureveil crisis going on, shouldn’t he be busy with that?’

“Damn it. I can’t find him anywhere, and his phone is off. For God’s sake, what the hell is he doing? If this drags on, both our families will face huge losses!” Anxious, Tyler wiped his forehead.

“I thought the project was only going to be paused for a few days, but now the client wants to force our family out of the project entirely. Joanna, how much do we stand to lose?”

Joanna had been a sharp businesswoman in her early years. After marriage, she stepped back to become a housewife, but her keen business instincts remained intact.

After a quick estimate, Joanna was shocked. “20 billion dollars?”

“Exactly!” Tyler wiped the sweat from his forehead again. “Joanna, get Daniel to handle this right away!”

“I’ll try,” Joanna panicked. She kept calling and texting, but still couldn’t reach Daniel. She began to get worried.

Meanwhile, Tyler shot a suspicious look. “What? You can’t reach Daniel either? Don’t tell me he’s behind all this.”

“Hard to tell,” Joanna said cautiously. “Something’s not right.”

‘The day the project got suspended was exactly when I forced Daniel to marry Grace,’ Joanna thought. ‘Coincidence? Or was this all planned?’

“Daniel, Daniel, just what the hell are you scheming?” Joanna muttered to herself.

“Joanna, why don’t you talk to your mother-in-law? Daniel always listens to her,” Tyler suggested.

“Hold on a sec,” Joanna interrupted. She then went to Vivianne’s room to seek advice.

Vivianne’s stance was clear. As long as Daniel didn’t leave the capital, he was free to go wherever he pleased.

The head of the Zuckerberg family must retain proper autonomy and decision-making power. Between the heir and the daughter-in-law, the matriarch must side with the heir.

Joanna came out, clearly having been cold-shouldered, leaving Tyler utterly stunned. “Joanna?” Tyler pressed, sweat dripping down his temples.

Joanna said, “Tyler, we’ll have to handle this ourselves. Do some serious searching. Have you crossed anyone you shouldn’t have? Or maybe you missed something?”

“I’ve racked my brains and called everyone I know, but the client is completely stonewalling us. They’re clearly out to screw the Meyer family over.”

“Can we delay this a bit longer?” Joanna asked anxiously.

“No way!” Tyler replied firmly.

Joanna rubbed her temples, utterly perplexed. “I’ve checked with the company. Daniel hasn’t shown up at all lately. So it can’t be him behind this. Then who the hell could it be?”

Just then, Tyler’s phone rang. “Looking to get the project back on track? Well, here’s your chance,” came the voice on the line.

Chapter 147

“Mr. Delmar? Oh my, what a pleasure! Just say the word and we’ll get back to work right away!” Overjoyed, Tyler hit the speakerphone so Joanna could listen in.

“I hear your family possesses a miraculous fertility aid. Is that true?”

Hearing this, Tyler and Joanna exchanged a stunned gaze. “Everyone seems to be after that medicine now. How on earth did our family’s secret get out?” Joanna whispered.

“Frankly, our boss wants to start a family and needs that fertility pill. If your family can provide it, the project will resume right away,” Mr. Delmar chuckled, revealing his true colors.

Joanna frowned and subtly shook her head at Tyler, signaling him not to agree. She was determined to save that fertility pill as her leverage against Daniel.

‘Only if Edith becomes Mrs. Zuckerberg and has a son to inherit family leadership can this family ensure its lasting prosperity!’ Joanna thought coldly.

“Mr. Delmar, my mother is the one keeping the pill, and I’m not even sure if it’s still there. How about this? Let me go back and check, and I’ll get back to you. Would that work?” Tyler bargained.

Mr. Delmar’s tone turned icy. “Fine, it’s your call. No pill, no project resumption, though.”

Tyler wrung his hands and groaned, “There’s only one pill left. What on earth are we going to do?”

“Tyler, investigate Mr. Delmar’s connections with the Kingsley family of Norava, and check if he’s had any recent contact with Daniel,” Joanna said calmly.

Tyler slapped his thigh and sprang to his feet. “Right, they must be in cahoots! I’ll go check right away.” Tyler stormed out.

With a cold expression, Joanna steeled herself to confront Daniel. She thought to herself, ‘If they’re in this together, things will be much simpler. One pill, two problems solved.

‘The Kingsleys of Norava may be wealthy, but they’re just rich. How could they possibly have the power to shake Azureveil?

‘Likely, this is just Daniel scheming behind the scenes.

‘Has that once powerless nobody gained the guts to challenge me? Hmph, it’s still too early!’ Joanna thought bitterly.

Joanna unlocked the secret room and rummaged through Catherine’s belongings, muttering bitterly, “You were right, Catherine. Your son will avenge you. In the end, I’m his stepmother, never his real mother.

“I once outmaneuvered you, and now controlling Daniel is nothing to me. You and your son are no match for me. Never have been, never will be.”

Joanna packed five of Catherine’s belongings into a bundle, ready to use them as leverage to force Daniel out of hiding, when suddenly a servant’s delighted cry came from outside. “Mr. Daniel is back!”

Joanna hastily set down the items and rushed from the secret room to the main hall. “Aunt Joanna!” Edith called out sweetly.

Edith came in, beaming with joy, arm in arm with Daniel. Joanna stood there, stunned. “Grace? You two?”

“Daniel brought me here for dinner,” Edith said, blushing shyly.

Radiant with the bliss of romance, her once ordinary face became animated in a way it never had before. But that flashy scarlet couture dress with gold embroidery did not suit her.

Joanna looked away, too exhausted to even comment on her sense of style. She thought to herself, ‘Well, you can’t help being plain–that’s on your parents. But fashion sense and poise? Those can damn well be improved!

All those millions spent on Edith every year might as well have flushed them all down the drain. Not one bit better!’ Joanna thought bitterly.

“Aunt Joanna, are you feeling unwell?” Edith asked sweetly, her face full of naive concern.

Chapter 147

Joanna took a deep breath and forced a smile. “The family business is in trouble. I’ve been worried sick, and it’s starting to take a toll on me.”

Daniel just stared coldly, saying nothing. After waiting in vain for a response, Joanna finally pressed Daniel, “Daniel, where have you been these past few days? Why haven’t you answered any of my calls?”

Daniel replied indifferently, “I’ve been with Grace.”

Joanna was stunned. “What the hell?”

Edith let go of Daniel’s arm and rushed over to whisper excitedly in Joanna’s ear. “Daniel’s been taking me all over town these past few days. We’ve had the best time!”

Joanna staggered back in shock, almost toppling over. ‘Not only had Daniel and Edith been off on romantic trips together, but they’d already slept together?

‘What the hell? Their relationship is moving way too damn fast!’ Joanna thought. She pressed a hand to her chest, still struggling to believe it.

Joanna soon leaned in and whispered, “Grace, are you sure you and Daniel have already… You know?”

Edith nodded shyly, her cheeks turning pink. “Of course!”

Joanna’s eye twitched. ‘I can’t believe Daniel would go this far for Amelia.’

‘But seriously? Even to do it with someone like Grace? I can’t believe Daniel would stoop so low as to sleep with her!

Besides, Daniel’s never dated before. Maybe to him, with the lights off and eyes closed, any woman would do!’

Joanna nodded.

Joanna fixed Daniel with a probing look and said, “Daniel, since you two are already intimate, don’t you think it’s time to make the marriage official?”

Daniel sank onto the leather sofa lazily and replied, “No rush.”

“How can you say there’s no rush? After everything that’s happened between you and Grace-”

“Aunt Joanna, don’t rush Danny! We agreed we’d get married after we’d had fun.”

Joanna sighed inwardly. ‘Grace, wake up! With how naive you are, if you don’t put some pressure on Daniel, do you think he’d even glance your way?

‘Keep playing around, Grace. The moment Daniel gets Velmira, he’ll toss you aside without a second thought!’

“Aunt Joanna, I’ve learned two new dishes. I’ll make them for you later.” Edith beamed with childlike innocence.

‘What an idiot!’ Joanna thought bitterly.

Meanwhile, Daniel barely suppressed a smirk and said, “Alright, let’s see what you can whip up, Grace.”

Joanna was livid and snapped at Grace, “When the hell did you pick up all this useless nonsense, huh?”

“Recently,” she mumbled, her eyes darting away nervously.

Edith gave a sheepish smile. She couldn’t bring herself to admit, even to herself, that she’d enrolled in cooking classes to make Daniel happy.

“Go to the kitchen this instant!” Joanna clutched her chest, barely containing her fury. She was about to explode.

Still blissfully unaware of the tension in the room, Edith obediently trotted off to the kitchen. Once Joanna and Daniel remained in the living room, an uneasy silence hung between them.

Joanna fixed Daniel with a stern look and asked, “Daniel, are your feelings for Edith genuine?”

Chapter 147

“Of course not,” Daniel replied.