Game of Love and Deception: The Billionaire's Ex Wife
Chapter 101: Don’t you like wild?

Chapter 101: Don’t you like wild?

7:00 a.m Harrington Bites headquarter.

Tension filled the room, so thick a knife could slice through it as Christian walked in. Every employee from the branch where the food poisoning occurred was present, just as he’d demanded. Knowing who their boss was, they had all made sure to arrive before the unholy time he’d set: 6 a.m, and waited until now.

No one dared to look up at his face as he sat at the head of the table, eyes fixed on the CCTV footage playing before him.

The customers who had been poisoned, the same ones now filing lawsuits, looked completely normal, no matter how many times he replayed the footage.

Rage continued to boil inside him. If he didn’t find something to unleash it on soon, he might explode.

Lifting his head, the room collectively held its breath. They all prayed for a miracle.

"All the kitchen staff, stand up," he ordered.

About thirty men and women rose, trembling.

He scanned their faces, wondering if any of them had betrayed him by siding with the enemy behind this. But nothing in their expressions gave anything away.

His jaw tightened. He wanted to throw every one of them behind bars and have the truth tortured out of them. But too many eyes were watching now, waiting to see how he’d handle the fallout. He couldn’t afford that—not yet, not publicly.

"Every one of you is fired," he said coldly.

Gasps rippled through the room. In the next moment, most of them dropped to their knees, begging desperately. They had nothing else. How would they feed their families?

Even those who still had jobs joined the pleading, following Christian as he stood up and walked toward the exit.

They should have thought about that before doing what they did. Now they were begging—just like he had been in the past few hours. And like him, they would receive no mercy.

They were lucky he wasn’t blacklisting them. He wouldn’t say the same for the next group if things kept going wrong.

His guards blocked the employees from following him outside. Some collapsed to the floor, wailing.

The remaining employees knew their own time might be near. Some were thinking of quitting willingly.

As soon as Christian stepped out, a crowd of paparazzi swarmed him. He cursed.

"Mr. Harrington, are you aware that several people were hospitalized after eating at your restaurant?"

"Is it true that some of your suppliers had previous violations? Were you aware?"

How the hell did they know that? Christian wondered. That information wasn’t public—too damaging for the company’s image. But those suppliers had been cheaper.

Questions flew from every direction. Flashing lights nearly blinded him. Christian’s blood boiled even hotter.

"Hey! Keep your distance!" one of his guards warned, trying to shield him, but the reporters were relentless.

His PR team was already working on a press release, but maybe he could take advantage of the paparazzi.

"Sir, please keep moving," one of his guards said as Christian slowed.

Over twenty microphones crowded his face.

"Mr. Harrington, are you going to resign from your position as CEO?"

He scoffed, turning to the reporter who’d asked. "That’s going to take some time." He didn’t know who was playing dirty—but he hoped to make them regret it soon.

Seeing she had his attention, the blonde reporter asked again, "What do you have to say about the recent crisis?"

*****

Ashley woke up to an empty bed. She squinted, touching her forehead, feeling a mild hangover. Groaning softly, she got up and headed downstairs, hoping to find Lorenzo.

She found him in the kitchen, cooking.

"Good morning," she greeted, drinking in the delicious smell—and the even more delicious sight. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, just an apron tied around his waist, his back bare.

"Morning, princess," he replied in that husky morning voice of his.

"What are you cooking?" she asked, leaning on the doorframe.

"Chicken broth soup. Thought you might wake up with a hangover."

A smile tugged at her lips. "Thank you. I actually did."

Lorenzo nodded toward the small kitchen dining table. "Sit. It’s almost ready." He poured her a glass of orange juice and handed it over. "Drink this first."

"Thanks." She took a sip. It was freshly squeezed. "Can you please turn on the TV?"

Lorenzo raised a brow. "Got a show in mind?"

She downed the rest of the juice and poured herself another. "I want to see how my ex-husband’s dealing with the fallout," she said with a sly smirk.

Lorenzo chuckled. "Alexa, turn on the television," he said between laughs. The large screen facing Ashley lit up.

Ashley grinned. "That’s impressive," she said, glancing around. She hadn’t realized the kitchen had AI features. "Alexa, kindly show me my ex-husband wallowing in misery."

"I’m sorry, I don’t know your ex-husband," the automated voice replied.

Lorenzo burst out laughing. "You’re so silly," he said to Ashley. "Alexa, switch to CNC."

Ashley watched the channels change until Christian’s face filled the screen. The swarm of paparazzi around him was overwhelming.

"Mr. Harrington, are you going to resign from your position as CEO?"

He scoffed and turned to the reporter with arrogant ease. "That’s going to take quite some time."

Ashley snorted. "I can’t wait," she murmured.

"What do you have to say about the recent crisis?"

"We’re taking it seriously. Investigation is ongoing. Harrington Bites has always prioritized quality and customer safety. We’re not running from this."

"Do you suspect sabotage, Mr. Harrington? Do you believe a competitor or former associate is behind this?"

"What I’ll say is this—only one branch had the issue, yet four were blacklisted overnight. That doesn’t add up. We’re digging deeper. If someone’s behind this, we’ll find them," Christian said, eyes locked on the camera, as if he knew someone out there was watching.

"What about the affected customers? Are you implying they’re faking it?"

"No, I’m not. We’re already reaching out. If they’re willing to resolve it outside court, we’re open to that. I built this brand on integrity. We’re not going down without a fight."

Ashley scoffed. "Always shifting blame."

A proud smile ghosted Lorenzo’s face. "Looks like someone’s going to be busy for a while," he murmured, and Ashley giggled.

"Karma’s such a bitch, don’t you think?"

They shared another laugh.

"It’s time to eat, princess," Lorenzo said after, his voice softening. He placed a bowl of soup in front of her and took his seat beside her.

After they finished eating, Lorenzo reached for her hand, gently squeezing it. Their eyes met and held, the silence between them charged. Then he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. It was unexpected—but it sent butterflies fluttering wildly in her stomach. Her hand lifted instinctively to his face, deepening the kiss.

When they finally pulled apart, Ashley was breathless.

Lorenzo’s thumb brushed along her chin, clearly fighting the urge to kiss her again.

"That was wild," he murmured, his voice low and rough.

"Don’t you like wild?"

"I love anything that tastes like you."

A shy smile bloomed across her face, her cheeks turning the color of scarlet.

Lorenzo lifted her hand, pressing a gentle kiss to her knuckles, something he never seemed to tire of.

But then Ashley noticed his smile fade. Her heart skipped a beat. The kiss... had it been to prepare her for what they were about to discuss?

She hoped it wouldn’t be their last. She didn’t want it to be. The thought of losing him again just when she was starting to want him so badly made her chest tighten.

The air gradually shifted, turning heavy between them.

As if confirming her suspicion, Lorenzo spoke. "I think we should talk now, sunshine."

She looked down at their intertwined hands, her pulse pounding. After a moment, she nodded slowly. "Alright."

Lorenzo let go and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

Something flickered in his eyes. Was it pain?

"As I said last time," he began, shooting her a quick glance, "everything I did... was to protect you."

Ashley swallowed hard, a shiver running through her as the weight of his voice hung in the air.

"Protect me... from who?"

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