Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask (by Silver Spoon) novel Chapter 157

Chapter 157: Chapter 157 Max Goes Missing

Ivy’s POV

On Monday morning, we drove Max to the secure private school that served the children of our family’s inner circle. I made sure to update his authorized pickup list, adding Caleb’s name alongside the trusted guards who could collect him. The headmistress smiled warmly as she watched us together, clearly pleased to see Max with both parents under the family’s protection.

At the Thorne family compound’s business headquarters, Caleb kept steering me toward his executive wing instead of my own financial operations office.

"Caleb, you’re going the wrong direction. My office is in the east wing," I pointed out with amusement.

He stopped abruptly, running a hand through his dark hair. "Right. Sorry, I keep forgetting we don’t share the same workspace yet."

I spotted Jude emerging from my office, grinning like he’d just secured a major arms deal.

"Well, well, if it isn’t the power couple who finally got their act together!" Jude called out cheerfully. "Don’t worry about me cramping your style anymore. I’ve moved back to work directly under Xavier’s command. Listening to you two conduct business was becoming torture."

Heat flooded my cheeks. "Jude, we never..."

"Sweetheart, these walls aren’t soundproof against family members," he interrupted with a knowing wink. "I know exactly what kind of negotiations happen behind closed doors."

Caleb’s lips curved into a dangerous smile. "Can’t argue with facts, tesoro."

"Everything’s been relocated to the main office," Gemma called out from her desk without looking up from the encrypted communications terminal. "No need to thank me."

Inside my office, I found everything perfectly arranged. Like every Monday for the past months, fresh white roses graced the mahogany side table with a handwritten note in Caleb’s distinctive script: "You make me the most powerful man alive. Forever yours, my queen."

Unexpected tears pricked my eyes. These pregnancy hormones were turning me into an emotional wreck. I pulled Caleb close for a kiss, savoring the familiar scent of his expensive cologne mixed with gunpowder.

"So you’ve officially stolen my best intelligence analyst?" Xavier appeared in the doorway, pressing a brotherly kiss to my temple in the Italian family tradition.

"You stole her from me first," Caleb shot back with mock aggression.

"Keep talking and I’ll reassign her permanently to my division," Xavier threatened, his hand instinctively moving toward his shoulder holster.

I left them to their territorial posturing and invited Gemma for espresso in the secure break room. I was dying to hear about her evening with Hunter versus her complicated situation with Dominic, both of whom were high-ranking soldiers in rival crews.

Caleb, Xavier, and Jude joined us shortly after, followed by Katelyn bustling in with her usual commanding presence.

"About time you two eliminated all the uncertainty," Katelyn announced, gesturing between Caleb and me with obvious satisfaction.

"Sit down, Katelyn. We have major family announcements," Caleb said, practically vibrating with excitement as he launched into our story about Max, our relationship, and our plans to formalize everything with a blood oath ceremony.

Katelyn’s weathered face lit up progressively. "That beautiful boy is your heir! He has your exact eyes, and your father’s intensity too. I’m absolutely thrilled for both of you." Her expression shifted to concern as she noticed Gemma’s subdued mood. "But what’s troubling you, dear? You look like someone died."

"Nothing gets past you," Gemma sighed, explaining her breakup with Dominic over his refusal to leave his current crew.

"That soldier’s an absolute fool for letting you slip away," Katelyn declared firmly. Then her expression grew deadly serious. "Before I forget, this might be nothing, but after everything that’s happened with internal security, I learned never to stay quiet. My contact in the kitchen mentioned that Rossi and that snake Monica were meeting in the staff dining area recently. Monica seemed extremely agitated about something."

Caleb’s relaxed posture immediately transformed into predatory alertness. "When was this? Did your contact overhear their conversation?"

"She couldn’t make out their words, thankfully," Katelyn assured him.

Caleb was already pulling out his encrypted phone. "Fisher, I need you to review all surveillance footage from the staff areas immediately. Rossi and Monica had an unauthorized meeting recently. Find that footage and send it to my secure terminal. And I want to know why this wasn’t reported through proper channels."

After thanking Katelyn, we returned to our respective operations. The afternoon brought us together in Caleb’s executive office with Xavier and Jude for an emergency security briefing.

"Fisher recovered the surveillance data," Caleb announced grimly. "Someone had deliberately corrupted the original files. Our tech specialists had to use military-grade recovery software. We definitely have compromised personnel in our security network. I’ve already contacted Scott, and Fisher is conducting a comprehensive investigation of all family soldiers."

Xavier leaned forward with barely controlled fury. "How extensive is this breach? How are they managing to turn so many of our people?"

"Let’s assess what we’re dealing with," Caleb said, pulling up the recovered video.

The footage revealed far more than we’d expected. Monica clearly possessed detailed intelligence about our private family business and upcoming operations. We needed to find leverage to make her cooperate or eliminate the threat.

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