CEO’s Regret After I Divorced (Serena and Ryan) novel Chapter 102

Chapter 102: Chapter 102 Her death seems suspicious

Serena’s POV

I spent the next hour with Maya, discussing Holly’s death, but we weren’t getting anywhere.

Holly had been suddenly inserted into our team by Mr. Will, and if someone had paid her to sabotage us, there should be some evidence.

But Holly’s behavior seemed to target everyone indiscriminately, not just me.

"Maybe she actually had mental issues," Maya said, pacing around the living room in frustration. "What kind of person commits suicide right outside someone’s workplace?"

Her words sparked something in my mind. "Maybe... she really did have mental health problems."

No mentally stable person would take their life over a few harsh words, but someone suffering from psychological issues might easily spiral and harm themselves. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense.

"What?" Maya looked confused.

"Listen, can you hold things down at the studio?" I asked. "Tomorrow I need to find Holly’s family and figure out what was really going on with her."

Maya immediately shook her head, her expression darkening. "Absolutely not! What if her family blames you? This is a human life we’re talking about!"

"What if they get violent? You can’t go alone!" Her voice rose with genuine concern.

I frowned, feeling the weight of responsibility pressing down on me. "Then what do you suggest? The internet is flooded with accusations. If we don’t find the root cause, this will never end. I’m the one at the center of this storm—I have to be the one to face it."

Maya’s face contorted with worry. "At least take Celeste or Julian with you. I refuse to let you go alone."

After considering for a moment, I nodded. "Fine."

"I’ll contact Julian to pick you up tomorrow. More people means more protection."

I nodded again, my expression remaining grim. Maya noticed and reached over to playfully rub my cheeks.

"Look at you! You’re going to get wrinkles with that face. Smile a little."

"Remember, if you’re unhappy, your baby will feel it too," she added softly.

But I couldn’t bring myself to smile. Instead, I sighed deeply, guilt washing over me.

"I’m sorry. This all happened because I lost my temper. The studio’s reputation is ruined because I couldn’t just stay quiet."

"You’d already put up with her for too long!" Maya insisted, squeezing my shoulder. "I wanted her gone from day one. You did nothing wrong."

She gave me a gentle nudge. "Stop overthinking. Get some rest."

After a shower, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, my mind racing through worst-case scenarios. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Holly’s accusing face. The online comments swirled in my head—murderer, bully, monster. How had my life collapsed so suddenly? Just yesterday I was celebrating our new contract, and now people were calling for my head.

My hands instinctively moved to my stomach. My baby. Would this stress hurt my child? Would I ever be able to give them a normal life after this scandal? What kind of mother would I be, forever known as the woman who drove someone to suicide?

The darkness in the room felt suffocating. I tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable position, but my thoughts wouldn’t quiet down.

I finally gave up and checked my phone. Amid the flood of hate messages and death threats, Ryan’s texts stood out like a lighthouse in a storm:

[I’ve got people investigating Holly’s background. Should have information by tomorrow.] 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

[Also, there’s a large unexplained deposit in Holly’s account. I’m tracing where the money came from.]

[Try to rest. You don’t need to read these messages right away.]

"Then why did he keep her on staff?"

Julian’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Maybe Mr. Will deliberately sent her to Serena’s studio, knowing she’d be trouble."

"He knew what Holly was like, but probably didn’t expect her to take such an extreme action as suicide."

I nodded slowly, the pieces starting to align in my mind. "That makes sense, but if Mr. Will wanted to fire Holly, he could have done it directly. Why go through all this trouble?"

We fell into contemplative silence. The yard beyond the door had gone completely quiet—clearly, no one would be speaking to us today.

I called Maya, asking her to try arranging a meeting with Mr. Will. Holly was his employee after all; he couldn’t ignore this situation forever.

Within minutes, Maya called back.

"That old snake won’t answer my calls! My assistant tried reaching him too—same result."

"Good thing he paid enough deposit upfront, or we’d really be working for nothing!"

My expression darkened. I was certain Mr. Will knew something important about this situation.

"Julian, let’s go to Mr. Will’s company and confront him directly."

I pulled on a hat and mask to disguise myself. My photo had been plastered all over the internet; the last thing I needed was to be recognized and mobbed.

As we walked toward the car, I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the weather. Something about this whole situation felt increasingly calculated.

Holly’s death might have been suicide, but I was becoming convinced someone had pushed her toward that fatal edge—and I needed to find out who.