Chapter 32: Chapter 31 Who Is She
The boardroom went completely chaotic the second the doors clicked shut.
The directors didn’t care about the succession papers anymore. The lawyers dropped their pens. Everyone began to whisper.
"Did he secretly marry another woman? I thought he’s no longer with his wife?" the older director muttered, leaning halfway across the table. "He just walked out on a multi-billion-euro transition. For a child."
"I heard she’s enrolled at St. Vittoria," another executive whispered back, pulling out his phone. "The assistant said ’Princess Anastelle.’ Who is she? He’s never had a kid listed on any asset registry."
"Nobody marries in secret at this level. But he just left a restructuring meeting because the school called. That isn’t a niece. He wouldn’t lift a finger for a niece."
I stood by the door, my hands gripping the strap of my bag so hard my fingers went numb. I listened to them spin a web of completely wrong theories, my stomach twisting into a tight knot. They thought she was his secret daughter. They thought he was hiding a family.
They had absolutely no idea.
By the time I got back to my desk in the executive suite, the gossip was the least of my problems. The internet had already caught up.
Someone inside the academy must have taken a video or a photo when we walked out to the car. In less than two hours, the biggest gossip accounts and business watchdogs were exploding.
I stared at my monitor, my phone vibrating continuously against the desk as notifications flooded the local media apps.
The main headline on the feeds was completely wild:
THE CHILD POWERFUL ENOUGH TO PULL LAZIEL MONROE OUT OF AN EMERGENCY MEETING.
Beneath it, a photo showed Laziel kneeling on the pavement outside the principal’s office, his hand adjusting the diamond tiara on Anastelle’s head while I stood anxiously in the background.
Another page posted:
BREAKING: Billionaire CEO Laziel Monroe Spotted With Mystery Child At St. Vittoria Academy.
The comment section was absolute madness.
– I thought this man literally hated human contact. Since when does he touch children?
– Look at his face. He isn’t even looking at the cameras. He left a board meeting for her? This is 100% his daughter.
– Wait, didn’t he separate from his wife years ago? Did he have a secret family this entire time? Is this why they never had kids?
– Forget the kid... since when does Laziel Monroe HOLD HANDS in public? Someone check the temperature in hell.
The rumors were feeding themselves, turning a simple school incident into a national media circus. Everyone was trying to connect dots that didn’t exist.
...
Paris
Valentina Monroe sat on the terrace of an exclusive rooftop spa, scrolling through her phone while her assistant reviewed tomorrow’s schedule.
"Mrs. Monroe."
"Hm?"
"I think you should see this."
Without much interest, Valentina accepted the phone.
Her thumb stopped.
A photograph filled the screen.
The image of Laziel kneeling on the gravel next to a little girl in a diamond tiara. The headline scrolled boldly across the top: WHO IS PRINCESS ANASTELLE? Sources claim CEO Laziel Monroe personally abandoned an emergency board meeting after receiving a call from the child’s school.
Valentina froze as jealousy flared in her chest. She was his wife. She had spent years enduring his coldness, his complete absence, and his absolute refusal to give her an ounce of genuine attention. He had never looked at her like that. He had never dropped everything for her. The fact that a completely unknown child could make the untouchable Laziel Monroe break his own rules —while she, his actual wife, couldn’t get him to return a phone call—tasted like bitter leaf juice.
She knew him better than anyone. She knew the man who skipped family funerals, who refused to attend charity galas, and who would normally send an entire team of lawyers and security details to handle a minor issue rather than waste five minutes of his own time.
Yet here he was.
"...Interesting," she murmured quietly.
The internet thought it was a secret daughter. The board thought he was hiding a family. But Valentina knew Laziel didn’t have a sentimental bone in his body. There was a reason he was playing the doting guardian, and she was going to find out exactly what cards he was holding.
Valentina handed the phone back without another word.
Her assistant studied her carefully. "Should I have the articles taken down?"
"No."
Valentina picked up her teacup, taking one slow sip before setting it back onto the saucer.
"If people are talking, let them."
Silence settled over the terrace.
Then she spoke again.
"Prepare the jet."
Her assistant didn’t ask where. She already knew.
"Milan?"
Valentina nodded once.
"I want to be in Italy before the day ends."
"Yes, madam."
She turned, reaching for her handbag.
"I want everything waiting on my desk before I land."
"The child’s identity, her mother’s, how she entered Laziel’s life, and why she’s suddenly important enough to interrupt a board meeting."
Her assistant nodded.
"It will be done."
Valentina smiled faintly. "If anyone thinks they’ve quietly carved out a place beside my husband...they’re about to discover how expensive that position truly is."
.....
New York.
The city never slept.
Neither did Helix Monroe.
Since leaving the fertility clinic, he had buried himself in work, refusin
g to think about the doctor’s words.
Less than five percent.
The number kept returning no matter how many meetings he attended.
No matter how many contracts he signed.
No matter how many glasses of whiskey sat untouched on his desk.
His phone buzzed.
Once.
Twice.
Then continuously.
Without looking up from the report in front of him, he reached for it.
Financial news.
Celebrity blogs.
Business outlets.
Notifications poured in from every direction.
His brows knitted together.
"What now?"
He unlocked the screen.
The first headline appeared.
THE CHILD POWERFUL ENOUGH TO PULL LAZIEL MONROE OUT OF AN EMERGENCY BOARD MEETING.
Helix let out a short laugh.
"Ridiculous."
He swiped.
Another headline.
WHO IS PRINCESS ANASTELLE?
Then another.
MYSTERY GIRL SEEN LEAVING ST. VITTORIA WITH BILLIONAIRE CEO LAZIEL MONROE.
His smile faded.
He opened the article.
The photograph loaded.
Laziel stood beside a little girl wearing a school uniform and a diamond tiara.
Another picture.
Laziel adjusting the tiara.
Another.
The little girl holding his hand.
Helix frowned.
That didn’t make sense.
His brother barely tolerated adults. Children were even lower on the list.
He zoomed in on the child’s face. The image became slightly pixelated, but the features were glaringly distinct. Dark, stubborn coils of hair framed her face. And then there were the eyes. Even through a photograph, they were a vivid, piercing green.
Why did those eyes look so familiar?
And wasn’t she the same little girl from Laziel’s estate??
Another photograph showed a woman standing a few steps behind them.
The image wasn’t sharp enough to make out her face.
Only a familiar silhouette.
He narrowed his eyes.
"...Have I seen her before?"
The feeling disappeared as quickly as it came.
Did Laziel have a secret child? Helix thought, his mind racing through the possibilities. With Valentina? No, Valentina would have weaponized a pregnancy the second it happened to secure her position.
If this girl was a legitimate Monroe child, the entire playing field had just changed. His father’s words echoed clearly in his mind: The first grandchild secures the succession. If Laziel had an heir, Helix’s fight for the empire was dead in the water.
His office door opened.
His assistant stepped inside carrying a tablet.
"Mr. Monroe."
Helix looked up.
"I assume you’ve seen the news."
"I have."
The assistant hesitated.
"The board in Milan is already discussing it."
Helix rested the phone on his desk.
"What are they saying?"
"Nobody knows who the child is. Some believe she’s Mr. Monroe’s daughter.... Others think she’s a relative."
Silence.
"Find out who the child is," Helix ordered. The woman standing at the side.... And how they entered my brother’s life."
The assistant hesitated. "And if she is verified as Mr. Laziel’s daughter, sir?"
"First, get me the truth and find out who birthed her," Helix said quietly. "Then we’ll decide exactly what to do with her."
