Chapter 209

The room was packed, but even if everyone combined their shares, they still wouldn't come close to William's.

What was the point of even mentioning that?

"This wasn't my idea to begin with. Giving me grief won't change a thing. Do you really think if I change my mind, Mr. Cavendish will too?" Luca gathered his things and stormed out.

Back in his office, he shut the door and immediately called Walter to report everything that had gone down in the meeting.

Luca wasn't content with the status quo. A few shares weren't enough for him; he wanted more-more money, more power.

So when the opportunity arose, he didn't hesitate to team up with Walter.

"I think William's head over heels for that woman. He's so wrapped up in love, he's lost all sense of reason. He's taking a massive gamble on this project-he's lost it," Luca said, his disdain for William clear.

The more tempting the prize, the greater the danger.

Plenty of companies were itching to take down the Cavendish family, all wanting a piece of the action. And now William was showing his weak spot.

He was practically begging for it.

Luca figured it was smarter to side with Walter now. When Walter took over as CEO, Luca would become the largest shareholder. Those who gave him a hard time in the meeting would be the ones crawling to him.

Just the thought of it made Luca feel incredibly satisfied.

Walter also breathed a sigh of relief. "We need to move fast. Once the company hits a financial crisis, William will have to sell his shares, and the shareholders will be up in arms."

As long as things got chaotic, he'd have his chance.

Luca grinned smugly. "It's all thanks to your foresight, Mr. Walter Cavendish. Or should I start calling you CEO?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Keep an eye on William. I've already got Christina on our side; she'll help us."

"Really?" Luca was stunned.

He had no clue about the real and fake Christina situation, nor did he know the current Christina was an imposter.

All he knew was that William was head over heels for Christina. William had done so much to clear her name before.

And now Walter had managed to buy off Christina.

They were sure to win.

Luca hung up the phone, brimming with confidence, unaware that William had already seen through him. The executives in the meeting had just put on a show for him.

In the following days, William continued to work on the project openly.

Every night, he would go home and keep a close watch on Rhea.

At first, he didn't let her go out. Later, he even forbade her from using her phone or computer.

When Rhea got angry, William had an excuse ready: "You're pregnant now. Try to avoid electronic devices; the radiation isn't good for the baby."

"What century are you living in? How can you still believe that?" Rhea was furious.

If she hadn't heard it herself, she wouldn't have believed such outdated ideas could come from William's mouth.

When cell phones and computers first came out, there was indeed such a belief.

But over time, more and more doctors debunked it. Even people in remote rural areas didn't believe it anymore.

Yet William, who had received an elite education, firmly believed it!

"I'm already stuck at home all day. Now you want to take away my phone and even the TV. What am I supposed to do all day? Have you ever thought about how I feel?"

William's response was the same: "As parents, we can't let anything happen to our child."

"That's easy for you to say. As the father, you can go out whenever you want, use your phone as much as you like, and even keep your laptop with you. But as the mother, I have to make all these sacrifices. Why?" Rhea's eyes were blazing.

She never loved William. She stayed to play the role of Christina for Walter's sake.

She thought she could just go through the motions, steal the key project documents, and then return to the man she loved.

But things had escalated to this point.

She couldn't see Walter anymore. If she couldn't even contact him online, what was the point of staying here?

"If you keep pushing me, I'll abort the baby!" Rhea tried to use his concern for the child to threaten him.

She thought William would give in.

But reality was far from what she expected.

William's gaze swept over her flat stomach. "Starting next week, I'll have a family doctor come to check on you and the baby."

It was already Saturday, so next week meant the day after tomorrow.

The doctor William hired would surely be an expert. A check-up would reveal whether she was really pregnant.

Once the truth came out, she would be finished, and Walter would be implicated too.

Her only way out was to leave.

If William couldn't find her, he might not realize she was an imposter, which would divert his attention and give Walter a chance to act.

Rhea quickly formulated a plan.

She stopped arguing with William, only throwing a final angry remark: "You're so overbearing. I've had enough of you. You never consider my feelings!"

She stormed off, slamming the door behind her and locking it to show her protest.

The housekeeper saw it all and felt helpless.

William hadn't always been like this. He used to consider everything about Christina. When had he become so extreme and authoritarian?

"Take away all electronic devices. Don't let her touch them," William ordered.

He wanted to push the imposter to her limit and see what she would do.

The housekeeper didn't understand but had to follow orders. "I understand, Mr. Cavendish."

That night, the housekeeper took Rhea's phone while bringing her dinner.

Seeing Rhea's furious face, the housekeeper tried to comfort her: "Mrs. Cavendish, Mr. Cavendish is just very concerned about the baby. Once the family doctor confirms that both you and the baby are healthy, I'm sure Mr. Cavendish will ease up and stop being so controlling."