Chapter 195
When Gideon returned home, he found the living room unusually quiet. His mother wasn't there, and the servants were nowhere to be seen either.
Gideon took off his suit jacket and sat down on the sofa. His phone rang.
It was his assistant calling.
"Mr. Gideon Getty, the matter has been resolved satisfactorily. Mr. David Getty also called just now and asked you to come to Getty Manor for dinner in a couple of days."
"Got it."
"The matter you asked me to investigate also has leads. The reporter who broke the news works for Starwave Entertainment, but he doesn't know who gave him the information. He only knows it was a woman."
After hanging up, Gideon sat in contemplation.
A woman...
Someone connected to Starwave Entertainment, who knew the details of the two companies' collaboration inside and out, and had reason to do this...
"Mr. Getty, you're back."
A familiar voice came from the doorway.
Lorelei walked in carrying a bag of groceries. Seeing Gideon sitting on the sofa, she paused, then slowly changed her shoes and entered the living room.
She'd just mustered her courage when she looked up to find Gideon staring at her intently.
Lorelei swallowed. "What's wrong?"
"There was a problem with the project data."
Lorelei shook her head, putting on a confused expression. "When did this happen? You haven't let me go to the company lately. I haven't been there in ages. You don't tell me what's happening at work..."
"You really don't know?"
"I don't." Her expression looked quite sincere, with no trace of lying.
Gideon stared at her for a while before looking away, his tone cold. "There was a small problem with the data. The two companies could have resolved it after discussion, but someone leaked the news to a Starwave Entertainment reporter. The Getty Group not only had to deal with public opinion, but Starlight Group got dragged into it too."
He'd been busy lately and hadn't been back to the Getty family home. But he didn't need to think hard to know that David's sudden dinner invitation definitely had to do with this.
He was definitely being called to account.
"Even if he's calling you to account, it shouldn't be you. The Getty Group was the one that made the mistake." Lorelei set the groceries on the coffee table and sat beside him indignantly.
"You've been diligently managing Starlight Group, even giving them that project... How can he still treat you like this? He's so biased. Just because Cedric's running the Getty Group now, he can't bear to punish his beloved grandson, so he turns around and bullies you instead. Josephine was in charge of the data—no matter who he blames, he shouldn't blame you..."
She was genuinely angry on his behalf, chattering away, when she suddenly realized something was wrong. She was the only voice in the entire living room.
Lorelei looked up...
Gideon was staring at her intently. Lorelei's spine went rigid as she started reviewing whether she'd said something wrong, but no matter how she thought about it, nothing seemed amiss.
She hadn't mentioned anything about the data.
Gideon said quietly, "I never told you it was the Getty Group's data that had problems, and I never said Jojo was in charge of that data."
But she knew everything.
Lorelei's face went deathly pale.
She'd been so focused on winning his favor and standing on his side that she'd been careless—she'd let something slip in her eagerness.
"I, I heard it from Mom... She told me you've been a bit troubled lately because of some data problems at the company. I thought it wasn't serious..."
Just as she finished speaking, the door opened again. Briana was back.
The moment Briana walked in, she sensed the wrong atmosphere. Seeing the standoff between the two, she immediately regretted it. She'd gone out to play cards without money—she should have just borrowed rather than coming back for her wallet.
"Mom, perfect timing. I have something to ask you." Gideon immediately brought them face-to-face. "Lorelei just said you told her about the problems with my company's project?"
This idiot!
Briana cursed Lorelei a thousand times in her head, but outwardly put on a confused expression. "No, I never interfere with your company business. You never told me either. Has there been some problem with a project recently?"
She acted even better than Lorelei.
Gideon slowly turned his gaze to Lorelei's face.
Lorelei shot to her feet. "Ms. Hughes, you—"
Briana's face darkened. She quickly walked to Lorelei's side and took her arm, while secretly pinching the most tender flesh on the inside of her arm.
"Lori, are you misremembering? I never interfere with company matters. How could I tell you these things when I don't know them myself? Gid can testify to this—he never tells me anything about work."
The pinching nearly made Lorelei jump, but seeing the veiled threat in Briana's eyes, she could only swallow her anger. Gritting her teeth and closing her eyes, she accepted it. "It was me."
Gideon looked at her and smiled coldly. "So it was you after all."
Briana immediately released Lorelei and switched to her son's side, scolding harshly. "You ungrateful girl! Hasn't my son been good enough to you? You're pregnant and can't work, living here every day. The servants and I wait on you, cooking and preparing everything for you. And this is how you repay my son?"
Lorelei was blindsided by the harsh scolding—her first real glimpse of this future mother-in-law's true colors.
But having already confessed, she couldn't back out now. She could only swallow this bitter pill. "Yes, it's all my fault. I was possessed. I wanted revenge on Josephine so badly that I did something so foolish. Please forgive me. I know I was wrong. It won't happen again."
Gideon stood up and looked at her coldly. "Leave immediately. I don't want to see you again."
"You don't even want the child?" Lorelei's voice trembled.
"The child..." Gideon smiled self-mockingly. If not for this child, he wouldn't have reached this point. "Find somewhere to have the baby. I won't short you on money. But until the child is born, I don't want to see you."
He turned and headed upstairs.
Lorelei rushed after him, grabbing his arm desperately. "Are you going to abandon us, mother and child?"
"Do you think those words apply to you?" Gideon almost laughed in anger, looking down at her coldly. "Do you realize you've essentially leaked corporate secrets?"
Lorelei's face went white. "It's not that serious... I just let something slip in a moment of impulse..."
"You have far too many of these 'impulses.'"
One thing after another—Gideon was too tired to count them all anymore.
He didn't even want to speak to her now.
"Don't make me say it a third time. I don't want to see you in this house."
With that, he pushed Lorelei away and headed upstairs.
Lorelei stood there watching his retreating figure, swaying unsteadily.
Her state made even Briana feel a bit sympathetic, so she stepped forward to offer a few words of comfort. "Don't be too upset. My son isn't heartless. No matter what, you're still carrying his child. That's a connection you'll never be able to sever."
"You said before that if I took the fall for you, you could guarantee I'd marry into the Getty family." Lorelei looked at her like a drowning person grasping at straws, clutching Briana desperately. "Was that true?"
Briana took a step back, her eyes evasive. "Why would I lie to you? If I said I could, I can..."
But in reality, after this incident, her son probably wouldn't show Lorelei any kindness anymore.
Seeing her guilty expression, Lorelei suddenly understood everything clearly. This woman wouldn't help her—couldn't help her.
She lived under Gideon's power, oppressed. And wasn't Briana just another version of herself?
But no.
She would never become Briana.
She absolutely wouldn't give birth alone and raise the child by herself. She had to give the child a complete family. She had to marry into the Getty family.
Suddenly, Briana heard a thud. She instinctively looked up to see Lorelei collapse. She rushed forward to catch her, shouting upstairs. "Someone! Gideon, come quick! Lorelei's fainted!"