Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask (by Silver Spoon) novel Chapter 147

Chapter 147: Chapter 147 Truth and Reconciliation

Ivy’s POV

I had taken yesterday to clear my head after the chaos at the compound. Today, I was ready to face whatever storm awaited me. I had rested, processed the betrayal that cut like a knife, and organized the violent emotions churning in my mind. Most importantly, I was prepared to confront Caleb and demand the truth. His silence felt like a death sentence. Not a single call or message since that scene in the main hall when that woman pressed her lips against his in front of half the family.

Doubt crept through my veins like poison, making my chest tight with insecurity. Had he already moved on? That woman who marked her territory so boldly in front of everyone, could she be the mysterious woman he had been hunting through the underground for years? If that were true, then Ruby and Xavier had been feeding me lies. Maybe Caleb had already forgotten I existed.

The thought made my heart ache in ways I refused to acknowledge. I needed the truth, no matter how much blood it might cost me.

When Jude walked through the compound doors, I intercepted him immediately. He would have the answers I desperately craved.

"Looking sharp today, Little Bird. How are you holding up after that circus yesterday?" Jude asked, his predatory eyes scanning my face for signs of weakness.

"I am surviving, Jude. Thank you for getting me back to the safe house in one piece. I apologize for losing consciousness before we even made it through the gates."

"Forget about it, Ivy. That is what family does for each other. Besides, I enjoyed making sure you were tucked in safely," he said with that dangerous smirk that always made me want to slap him.

"I appreciate it regardless. But I need you to answer something for me."

"Shoot. What do you want to know?"

"Who is that woman?" Jude froze mid-motion, the sugar packet suspended over his espresso cup. His expression shifted to something guarded and lethal. "You should really discuss this with the Don directly."

"I know that. And I will. But right now, I am asking my friend."

"Playing dirty, are we? Fine, let us sit down." Jude guided me to the reinforced table in the center of the secured meeting room. "That piece of work is Veronica. She was Caleb’s woman during his wild years who betrayed him with half the rival families until Xavier and I forced him to see what she really was. She made Caleb look like a complete fool, turned him into someone reckless and dangerous beyond reason. Caused him nothing but bloodshed."

"Is she the woman he has been searching for?"

"Hell no, Ivy. The woman he is hunting is completely different. Someone he met right after he dumped Veronica’s treacherous ass. Veronica is just a manipulative snake who feeds information to our enemies. When Caleb finally caught her selling our secrets, they broke up and she ran off to Sicily with some arms dealer she was screwing. She showed up in Fresh Ramsey recently out of nowhere."

"What happened in Fresh Ramsey?"

"Ivy, remember that you two are not bound by blood oath and you have been under Parker’s protection. I do not approve of what Caleb did, and I despise that woman. But he spent a night with her. You can breathe easy though, he used protection and she is not carrying his heir."

The words hit me like a sniper’s bullet, stealing the air from my lungs. Even though Jude was right about our status, the betrayal cut deeper than any blade.

"I am not sure that information makes me feel any better, Jude," I managed to say. "If she is here now, there has to be more to this war."

"I think you are right." Jude’s expression darkened with killer instinct. "Caleb wants nothing to do with her, but she is like a parasite that will not let go. I suspect running into us was not the coincidence she claimed it was. We are investigating it through our network."

"Does he have feelings for her?"

"He regrets that night completely. It was a stupid thing men do when their pride gets wounded in a gunfight. And no, he does not want her. But Veronica is dangerous, and she is not some innocent like Yara. We need to be extremely careful when it comes to protecting you from retaliation."

After extracting more intelligence from Jude, I started heading back to my quarters but made an impulsive decision to take a detour.

"Jude, is he in his office?" I gestured toward Caleb’s reinforced door, and Jude nodded. "Can I have a few minutes alone with him?" Jude grinned like a predator, and I walked toward the office, ready to start dismantling this minefield.

I entered without bothering to knock and found Caleb on the leather couch, surrounded by scattered surveillance reports. I approached him, but he had not yet looked up from his intelligence briefings.

"Jude, you..." Caleb began speaking, and I cut him off.

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