Chapter 198: Susan Exposed
"Thanks for worrying. This is all on me. I had a little spat with Lawrence over something silly, so I came to make up."
Hazel was improvising, knowing Gerald wouldn't pry too much.
"I'm glad you see it that way. Couples always have their little tiffs. Lawrence is swamped with work, so try to cut him some slack."
As expected, Gerald slipped into his elder role.
Hazel played along, but inside, she was rolling her eyes.
"By the way, I heard Lawrence's leg is getting better. Is that true?"
Finally, Gerald got to the point.
Hazel hesitated, a touch of sadness in her eyes. "He's got some feeling back, but it's not fully healed yet."
She noticed Gerald seemed to relax a bit at her words.
That reaction was odd.
"Take it slow. Hazel, you should go find Lawrence. I won't keep you."
With that, Gerald walked away.
Hazel lowered her gaze and took the elevator up to find Lawrence.
Several employees of the Johnson Group were surprised to see Hazel.
"Aren't Mr. and Mrs. Johnson supposed to be on the outs? Why is she here?"
"Mrs. Johnson doesn't look mad at Mr. Johnson. Maybe it's just rumors."
"I saw some news the other day saying they were getting divorced. Is Hazel here to finalize it?"
Hazel heard every word of their gossip.
She was helpless.
The media was really getting out of hand!
She and Lawrence were perfectly fine!
If it weren't for luring Susan into their trap, they wouldn't bother with this act!
Feeling a bit frustrated, Hazel entered the CEO's office, looking glum.
Hearing the door open, Lawrence looked up and saw Hazel's unhappy face, pausing for a moment.
"Hazel, what's wrong?"
Lawrence asked, and Hazel closed the door, glaring at him.
"I just heard a lot of rumors saying you're about to divorce me!"
Hazel's face showed a forced smile as she spoke.
Lawrence knew he had to say something nice to cheer Hazel up, or he'd be sleeping in the study tonight.
He wheeled himself over to Hazel, taking her hand in his.
"Those people are just talking nonsense, Hazel. You don't need to listen to them. I've already had the online news dealt with. This act will be over soon."
With Lawrence's comforting words, Hazel felt much better.
She realized she was being a bit dramatic.
Even though she knew they were just acting, she couldn't help but feel jealous.
"I ran into Gerald downstairs."
Hazel changed the subject, not wanting to dwell on the rumors.
Lawrence paused, "Did he ask you anything?"
Hazel nodded, "Yes, he asked about your leg. I thought his reaction was strange."
After Hazel recounted the encounter, Lawrence's eyes gleamed with a hint of mockery.
"He's scared. When he heard your answer, he was relieved."
Lawrence hit the nail on the head regarding Gerald's thoughts.
Even in a wheelchair, they couldn't outmaneuver him.
"If my leg heals, they know their good days are numbered, so they came to test you."
Hazel, being his wife, knew this well.
Since they couldn't get answers from him, they tried to test her instead.
"Grandpa will probably keep calling. Are we just going to keep avoiding going back?"
Thinking about the Johnson Mansion gave Hazel a headache.
She didn't want to face all the scheming.
But they couldn't avoid it forever, as they were elders.
Lawrence could see her dilemma and patted her hand gently. "We'll go back in a few days. When we do, we'll confront them directly."
Hearing this, Hazel's heart tightened.
She could already imagine the scene at the Johnson Mansion.
No one wanted to be at odds with their family, but the Johnsons had gone too far!
"How's the Knight family doing?"
To ease the tension, Hazel changed the topic.
"Susan gave Robert the fake data. The Knight family, desperate to save their company, used it and ran into problems."
Lawrence finished, and Hazel raised an eyebrow.
Robert got what he deserved.
"Susan will soon realize she was tricked and will probably come back for the real data."
Hazel shared her thoughts, and Lawrence nodded.
"Don't worry, someone will be watching."
As expected, Susan soon realized the data she stole was fake.
That night, she sneaked into Lawrence's office again after hours.
The floor was dark, with no lights on.
Susan carefully entered the CEO's office, using a small flashlight to find the safe.
Robert's overseas company was in trouble. If she didn't get the real data, they were doomed.
Seeing the safe, Susan's eyes lit up.
She quickly entered the code, but the next second, she froze.
The display showed the code was incorrect!
"Did I remember it wrong?"
Susan muttered, trying to recall the code, and entered it again.
Still incorrect.
A bad feeling crept over her. She didn't even notice the situation outside.
Suddenly, the office lights turned on.
"Surprised the code changed, Ms. Knight?"
Lawrence's voice came from behind, and Susan's blood ran cold, freezing her in place.
Her face turned pale as she slowly turned around.
Three people stood at the office door.
Seeing the person in front, Susan's eyes widened. "Your leg?"
Wasn't Lawrence supposed to be in a wheelchair?
How was he standing?
"Surprised Lawrence is standing, Ms. Knight?"
Hazel spoke, a wicked smile on her face as she saw Susan's shock. "That's because his leg was never injured!"