Flash Marriage to a Stunning CEO (Alistair and Richard)

Chapter 153 Losing Eloise?

Leo's eyes were bloodshot, his whole body radiating the tension of a beast ready to snap.

Ezra barely managed a timid "I'm sorry" before Leo roared at him, "Shut the hell up!"

As a public figure, Leo was usually careful with his words, always managing his image. He wouldn't normally curse unless he was truly pushed to the edge.

Right now, he was well past it.

He shot to his feet, and Alistair had a feeling he knew exactly what Leo was about to do. "You going after her now won't change the fact that she's had you monitored for years," Alistair said calmly.

Leo stared at him, his voice low and threatening. "You trying to tell me how to handle my life?"

Alistair popped a dried plum into his mouth like it was none of his business. "I'm just saying, if you lash out now, she"" know you've caught on. She'll only tighten her grip from here."

People with that kind of need for control never backed off just because they'd been exposed. They only learned to hide it better. It was smarter to wait, stay patient, and take them down when they least expected it, once and for all.

Leo was fuming, but he wasn't stupid. He heard the warning in Alistair's tone. Slowly, he sat back down and turned to Ezra. "Tell me where she is. And if you swear you won't take orders from my mother again, I'll let the rest of this go."

Ezra looked utterly defeated. "I swear I don't know where she is. Your mom didn't like her, so of course she made sure they never crossed paths again. I... I didn't keep track of her..."

His voice broke as he continued, "I didn't want to do this, but your mom's done a lot for me. I thought she was doing what was best for you. I see now I was wrong. Please... just give me another chance..."

Leo stood up again, fists clenched.

Caroline spoke suddenly, her voice cool and composed, "I actually know where that girl is."

Leo turned to her, stunned. "You know her? That's impossible. You've never even met her."

Caroline didn't blink. "Her name is Miley Blair, isn't it?”

Leo froze. His face gave everything away.

Honestly, by this point, Alistair almost felt sorry for the guy.

From the look in his eyes, it was clear Leo had never really stopped looking for

the girl he once had a fleeting, passionate connection with.

He'd probably given up eventually, thinking she'd moved on, found someone else.

She never came looking for me. She must've made her choice.

But the truth was crueler than that. She hadn't moved on. She hadn't chosen to leave him. Someone else had made that choice

for them.

And that someone was the woman he respected most, his mother.

And worse still, he didn't even know that the girl he had never stopped thinking about was already gone.

Caroline brought the conversation back to the present without a flicker of emotion. "You can forgive your mother all you want in the name of love. But I don't accept her attempts to control me, whatever excuse she hides behind."

Leo said nothing.

No. Not even if she's his mother. I'm still a person, a fully grown man. Parents don't get to run your life just because they raised

you.

Caroline's voice sharpened. "My mom left me a box once. It was the most important thing in the world to me. You know what your mother did with it? She threw it out like trash."

She stared straight at Leo. "If someone hadn't been there to stop me, I would've killed her that day."

Everyone else still thought Caroline's mother was alive and living overseas. Only Alistair knew the truth. So he understood the weight of every word she said.

Caroline stood and delivered her final warning. "My problems with your mother go far beyond this. I expect you to stay out of it. If you insist on clinging to her side and standing in my way, then that makes you my enemy."

Leo stood frozen in place, stunned by the ultimatum. As Caroline moved to leave, he lunged forward and grabbed her hand. "Carol, at least tell me where she is. Please, I'm begging you."

Caroline pulled her hand back without hesitation. "Talk to me after your concert," she said coolly.

Once they were outside, Alistair couldn't hold it in anymore. “Honey, you are the kindest person on this planet. If anyone dares call you cold-hearted, I'll fight them myself."

Because if she had told him everything right then, Leo wouldn't have been able to make it through the concert.

His whole career might have gone up in flames.

Caroline gave a self-deprecating smile. "Please, don't put me on a pedestal. I just wanted to give him time to cool off—and take my warning seriously. I don't want him throwing himself into the fire trying to protect his mother when I come for her." Alistair hesitated, a thought creeping in. "What if Gordon gets involved?" Caroline had power. But so did Leo.

And if her father, Gordon, stepped in, Caroline might not be able to win that fight.

Still, he voiced the concern so she could consider it. He wasn't afraid of backing her, even if it meant using more system resources to arm himself against Gordon.

Caroline seemed completely unfazed. “You're worried he will meddle? When I go after Paige, I'm not leaving him out of it."

Alistair stared at her.

She's not even worried about him. Not a bit.

And this wasn't some reckless display of youthful arrogance. It came from a place

of quiet, unshakable power.

He pulled her into a hug.

But another question hit him, one he couldn't ignore.

It sounded crazy, but he had to ask. "Honey... what if Leo finds out Eloise is his

daughter? What if he tries to fight us for custody?"

No. That's my daughter. No one is taking her away from me.

They couldn't hide Eloise forever. That wasn't realistic.

Caroline frowned, "I've thought about that. At first, I thought Leo was just another selfish man. I didn't think he deserved to be Eloise's father..."

Alistair's voice was tense. "You're not thinking of giving her back to him, are you? Because I won't agree to that."

Caroline looked genuinely surprised.

Alistair had always supported her without question. This was one of the very few times he had pushed back.

She studied him for a moment and then tilted her head with a small smile. "Are you afraid she'll start calling Leo ‘Dad'? I mean, biologically speaking, he is her father."

Alistair's expression didn't change. "I don't care. I'm not giving her up."

Caroline stared at him for a while and then softened. She couldn't keep teasing him. "Relax, sweetheart. I'm not that dumb. I raised Eloise, fed her, took care of her when she was just a bony little thing, and watched her grow into this beautiful, confident girl. You think I'd just hand her over to him? I don't do things that make me lose."noveldrama

And the truth was, Alistair knew Caroline loved Eloise just as deeply, maybe even more than he did.

He was just terrified of losing the one thing they'd both fought so hard to protect.