The CEO's Mischievous Little Bride

Tears clung to Theodore's lashes as she knelt by the bed, gently wiping his eyes with a soft towel. He squirmed, clearly not happy. "Hold still, buddy, let me clean your eyes so you can see your dad." After wiping, Vera gave Theodore's diaper a light pat. "Why'd you stop? Show it to your daddy."

Teasing Theodore, Vera squatted down and started a video call with Patrick. "We shouldn't have spoiled him from the start. Now he pouts whenever things don't go his way. I'm thinking of sending him to Dad tonight. Dad's been spoiling him the most lately, let him handle it."

Patrick smiled, and Theodore, looking at his dad, seemed to have a lot to say, cooing and babbling non-stop.

"Honey, you're in the car, where are you headed?" Vera asked.

"I was busy earlier, now I'm heading back to the hotel," Patrick replied.

Vera then asked, "When will you be back? We both miss you at home."

Patrick replied, "If all goes well, I'll catch the flight tomorrow night. You'll see me the day after tomorrow when you wake up."

Vera picked up the squirming Theodore and asked helplessly, "What do you want?"

"Honey, spanking our son doesn't count as domestic violence, right?" Vera asked.

Patrick reminded, "Not if it's not serious."

Vera pouted at Patrick, "Don't worry, I'll control myself."

Then she gave Theodore a light smack on his bottom.

Vera cradled Theodore, "I'm taking you to your grandpa. You two can mess each other around."

She left the phone on, holding Theodore as she went out. A moment later, she came back to the room, lay on the bed, and started her free time with Patrick.

Sensitive Vera noticed something different about Patrick recently. So she sent Theodore away and sweet-talked Patrick to make him happy.

Lately, every time Patrick felt exhausted, like he was covered in dark mud at the bottom of a lake, Vera and Theodore would call him and warmed his heart. They seemed like a bright ray of sunshine in his life, making him happy and content. Like Theodore couldn't stop cooing, Vera chatted non-stop with Patrick until he returned to the hotel.

Even the dinner was a topic they could talk about endlessly. Patrick wanted to take a shower but kept chatting with Vera. Finally, he laughed and said, "Vera, go downstairs and get a glass of water. I'll take a quick shower and then we can video chat again, okay?"

Vera pretended to be upset, pouting, "Are you tired of me?"

Before Patrick could explain, Vera said, "Fine, you're tired of me again. Who knows who you meet out there? You're already impatient with me, huh? Hang up then." Patrick chuckled, not taking it seriously.

A moment later, when he called Vera back after his shower, no one answered.

Just then, a message from a subordinate came through.

Subordinate: [Mr. Olteran, Cole refuses to meet.]

Patrick: [Then find another way to make him come to me.]

Sure enough, the next day, Cole who had refused to meet Patrick repeatedly called the head of the second department, asking to see Patrick.

"Mr. Olteran, he's calling. Should I answer?" The head of the department looked at the call log, not answering, and looked at Patrick sitting behind the desk.

Patrick's eyes flicked to the laptop on his desk, displaying the stock price chart of the Rossi Group. He leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed. "Wait until the stock price drops below 10%."

By noon, the target was hit. Cole had called the head of the second department over sixty times, sent texts, emails, and even had someone waiting at the Olteran Group's front desk.

On the sixty-seventh call, the head of the department respectfully handed the phone to Patrick.

Patrick's lips curled into a cold smile. He closed the laptop and took the phone, putting it to his ear.

"Mr. Church, please inform Mr. Olteran that I would like to request a meeting and hope he can honor me by having a meal together." Cole was trying to keep his anger in check, his tone humble and polite. "Mr. Rossi, didn't you just refuse my invitation yesterday?" Patrick's cold voice came through slowly, with a hint of chill and pressure.

Cole, feeling the tension, squinted his eyes, "Patrick!"

After a moment, Cole immediately changed his tone, "Mr. Olteran, I had some family matters yesterday, so I refused. Today, I sincerely hope you can give me the chance to apologize in person."

The Rossi Group's financial situation couldn't handle any more turmoil. Last time, they barely kept things balanced. But now, the stock price drop was shaking the Rossi family's foundation.

If it hadn't hit a sore spot, Cole wouldn't have called the head of the second department dozens of times.

"If you had done this earlier, you wouldn't have lost a few billion dollars in a day." Patrick's steady voice sounded again, making Cole dare not be angry.

Patrick agreed on a location and hung up the phone. Then he instructed the head of the second department, "This afternoon, no one is allowed to disturb me. No need to leave anyone at the door." Kimball Church nodded, "Yes."

Kimball was smart, knowing that Patrick's visit was unusual. Last night, Patrick went to the location and didn't let him follow. Today, his actions towards the Rossi family didn't seem like simple revenge. Some things were beyond his level, so Kimball wouldn't ask or be curious.

In the afternoon, Cole showed up at the hotel where he had arranged to meet Patrick. Downstairs, he called Wesley, "Wesley, did you find anything? If Patrick's son is really in Jeffrey's hands, then we'll have the upper hand in today's meeting." Wesley, hiding in the shadows, observing the Olteran family's every move, replied, "I haven't seen anything unusual with the Olteran family."

A moment later, a maid came out of the Olteran Villa, seemingly going shopping.

Wesley observed for a long time. The Olteran family usually had vehicles coming and going. The housekeeper and senior maids had special cars. Suddenly, a maid walking out. Wesley knew this was his chance.

Wesley quickly hung up with Cole, got out of the car, and pretended to be a passerby, coincidentally meeting the maid, Aurelia White. "Hello, can I ask you something?"

Aurelia, looking around forty, slightly plump, was about to go to the city when she met Wesley. She warmly replied, "What is it?"

"Do you know where the Olteran Villa is?" Wesley asked.

Aurelia turned and pointed to a security booth not far away. "It's over there."