She Was Never Just the Wife novel Chapter 78

Chapter 78 Frederick Changes His Plan

In an exclusive club’s private suite, the laptop screen in front of Frederick was frozen on a live stream showing Celia and Elliott together.

He leaned back on the sofa, his eyes narrowed behind his gold–rimmed glasses, giving away little emotion, but the slight tension at the corners of his mouth betrayed the

turmoil within.

The mysterious man pushed the door open and walked in. This time, he wasn’t chewing on a toothpick, and his face was unusually serious. He sat down, poured himself a glass of strong liquor, downed it in one go, and let out a long sigh.

“Damn, that was a real eye–opener,” he said, wiping his mouth. “Rose Angel, a statue, an official live stream. Everything we dug up before is a world apart from what she’s showing now.

“This woman’s got layers we never saw. There’s definitely more to her than meets the eye.”

Frederick didn’t respond right away. He slowly pressed his fingers to his temples, as if trying to process the sudden flood of information and weighing his options.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice calm as usual, but now tinged with a grave caution. “All our previous investigations into her background only scratched the surface of her disguise, or rather, what she allowed us to see.

“The fact that she’s managed to keep her real achievements and identity so well hidden, from us, says it all.”

He looked up at the mysterious man. “Get word to our people in Eastetille. Pull everyone back immediately. Stop any direct investigation into Celia. Clean up and reassure all related informants and channels. Make sure there are no loose ends that could tip her off.”

“Pull everyone back?” The mysterious man frowned. “What about Laylah?”

“Laylah?” Frederick’s lips curled into a faint, almost icy smile. “She’s already out of the game. The tide of public opinion has completely turned.

“Unless Beckham’s a total idiot, he’ll know what to do. Just keep an eye on her, nothing more. Don’t waste any more resources. Right now, our main concern is how to handle Celia. The biggest wildcard we’ve got.”

“Wildcard? I’d say she’s solid as a rock,” the mysterious man snorted. “So what now? We act like nothing happened?”

Successfully unlocked!

Frederick paused, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest. “Going after her directly is way too risky. We could end up getting burned.

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Chapter 78 Frederick Changes His Plan

“But she’ll have to return eventually, and once she’s back, she’ll be forced to operate within the usual social circles and norms. Maybe we should try a more indirect, safer approach.”

“Indirect?” The mysterious man raised an eyebrow.

“Haley,” Frederick said slowly. “She and Celia go way back. Right now, she’s our safest bet. Probably the only way we can get a look into Celia’s real life without setting off any alarms.”

The mysterious man nodded in understanding, but then raised a question. “So we’re using Haley to send a gift and make nice? What are we supposed to send, Kenyelle souvenirs? She’s already living there, like she’d need that from us.”

Frederick shook his head slightly, a confident smile on his lips. “The gift is secondary. The real point is to show care and goodwill without being too obvious. Kenyelle souvenirs definitely won’t work.

“I remember Haley mentioned once that her friend has always been interested in clues left behind by her late mother, especially a few antique medical instruments or documents with unique medical symbols that went missing years ago.

“As it happens, when I was handling an inheritance for an overseas collector recently, I came across a 19th–century Cyrenthian portable surgical kit that might be connected. It has a crest with a rose entwined around a staff with snakes.”

The mysterious man’s eyes lit up. “So you want to get your hands on that thing and have Haley deliver it to Celia?”

“No,” Frederick corrected him. “We’re going to use Haley to let Celia know that this item exists, and that it happens to be in my hands. If she really cares, she’ll show it.

“If not, it’s an old piece, nothing special. So it won’t look like we’re trying too hard to impress her, and our motives stay hidden.

“This is way more thoughtful than any expensive gift, and it’ll help us figure out what she actually cares about… and maybe her soft spots.”

He paused, then added, “Of course, handing over the old item directly wouldn’t be smart. Find me a contemporary art piece that fits. Something with real weight to it, preferably by our country’s artist who mixes traditional medical symbols with modern style.

“That’ll be the official gift. The old surgical kit? We’ll mention it casually, like we happened to come across it and thought it might be connected.”

The mysterious man rubbed his chin, eyeing Frederick with a smirk. “Frederick, you

really go the extra mile with your schemes, huh? Is this your version of the handsome guy routine? But looks like this time, Haley’s not your target, is she?”

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Chapter 78 Frederick Changes His Plan

Frederick stayed cool, elegantly straightening his cuffs. “Caution isn’t cowardice, and sometimes the roundabout way is the most effective. Only a fool dives in without checking how deep the water is first.

‘Go get things ready. The art piece needs to be low–key but meaningful, the old surgical kit’s backstory has to be squeaky clean, and make sure the info comes out casually, like it’s no big deal.”

“On it,” the mysterious man said, getting to his feet and heading for the door. He paused, shot Frederick a cocky smirk, and added, “Honestly, Frederick, with how careful you are, sometimes I think you’re more of a spook than the real intel guys.” Frederick didn’t answer. He let his gaze drift back to the laptop. His eyes were fixed on Celia’s composed profile. Behind those glasses, his stare was as deep and

unfathomable as ever.

The mysterious man shrugged and pulled the door shut behind him.

The private suite fell silent again. Frederick sat alone, the flickering light from the laptop screen playing across his face.

He knew that Celia, this immovable wall, had completely disrupted some of his original plans. But maybe she’d also opened a door to something deeper, something far more valuable.

The real challenge was figuring out how to find the key to that door, or at the very least, how to stand somewhere he could glimpse the world on the other side, without

alerting anyone.