All Chapters of The CEO's Toxic Placeholder : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

The discovery of the Veritas Holdings files threw Jasper into a state of intense crisis. The files were spread across the large conference table. They were cold, hard proof that the Blackwood family fortune was built, in part, on a long, slow history of deception and lawbreaking. This was not a small mistake. This was systemic crime.Jasper and I stayed in the office all night. We barely spoke. We just read. The deeper we went, the clearer the horrifying picture became. The tax evasion was not accidental. The large political contributions were deliberately hidden from the public record. The crime was deep. It was systematic. It was the way the old Blackwood generation operated.As the morning light hit the room, Jasper finally pushed back from the table. He looked exhausted, but his mind was running fast, focused on corporate survival."We have two choices, Eleanor," Jasper said, his voice measured and professional, the CEO armor clicking back into place. "And we must choose quickly,

The internal resistance to the audit was suffocating. Mr. Williams and the IT manager were doing a perfect job of hiding the final evidence. They had protected Lord Blackwood’s secrets for decades. They were not going to let an outsider, the "reckless wife," destroy their system now.I had the audit team in place, but we were paralyzed. We knew the illegal transactions were recorded. We knew the hidden ledger existed. But the information was buried deep within the layers of Veritas Holdings, protected by specialized, old-world accounting methods and decades of secrecy.I needed specialized knowledge. I realized that only someone who was not Blackwood, but who had been part of that old world of influence, would know where to look.I thought back to the gala. I remembered the people who had insulted me, the people who hated that I lacked the right lineage. One name came to mind immediately: Mr. Alistair Thorne.Mr. Thorne was a powerful figure in the old financial circles. He was wealth

Jasper and I stood in the quiet sitting room. The chaos of the stock market crash was outside. The screaming of Lord Blackwood was over. We had paid the price of truth. The house was calm."The old house belongs to us now," Jasper said softly. His eyes were focused only on me. "It belongs to the light we chose." We will tear out all the shadows."I looked at the key again. I had fought so hard for my professional worth. I had fought to save the company's soul. Now, the final reward was purely personal. It was the key to our home."I will design the kitchen first," I decided. The thought filled me with warmth and purpose. "It will be open. It will be full of sun. No dark corners. No hidden spaces." Everything will be honest."Jasper smiled. His smile was deep and gentle. "Perfect. No dark corners in our life, Eleanor." We build only truth here."We sat down together on the sofa. We did not talk about stocks. We did not talk about Lord Blackwood. We talked about building a family, not j

The news from Seraphina was like a cold wind. Vivienne was back. She was not just back in the city. She was back in our world. She was circulating in the elite social circles of London. She was using the Blackwood scandal to make herself look important.I knew Vivienne well. She was the woman Henry truly wanted while he was with me. She was the reason I felt like a placeholder for years. She was beautiful, manipulative, and very clever. She knew exactly how to use people's secrets against them.Jasper saw the change in my mood immediately. We were in the East Wing. We were looking at the new windows. The light was beautiful, but I could not focus on it."She is talking to the old trustees, Jasper," I said. My voice was tight. "She is telling them that I am still emotionally tied to Henry. She is telling them that my Ethical Review is just a way for me to hide my own secrets."Jasper’s face went hard. He knew about Vivienne. He knew what she represented in my past."She is looking for

The morning was cold. The sky over London was a flat, hard gray. I stood in front of the mirror in the East Wing. I did not wear the soft colors Jasper liked. I did not wear the dark, heavy suits of the Blackwood office. I chose a dress of sharp, clean white. It was the color of a blank page.I put the silver key in my pocket. I felt its weight against my leg. It reminded me that I had a home to go back to. I was not a woman looking for a place to stay. I was a woman who knew exactly where she belonged.Jasper was waiting for me by the car. He did not look worried today. He looked like a man who knew the ending of the story. He opened the door for me. He squeezed my hand before I got in."I will be in the lobby," Jasper said. His voice was steady. "I will not interfere. But I am there. I am always there.""I know," I said. And I did know. That was the difference. With Henry, I was always alone even when we were together. With Jasper, I was supported even when he was in another room.W