Chapter 49
Mateo’s POV
The stunned, heartbroken look in Layla’s wide, dark eyes felt like a physical blade twisting directly into my chest.
Her plush lips parted in complete shock, the faint color that had flushed her cheeks just moments ago draining away, leaving her pale beneath the ambient candlelight.
“Huh?” she whispered again, her voice small, fragile, and utterly shattered.
I squeezed my eyes shut for a brief second, trying to rein in the absolute fury coursing through my veins.
The caller on the line had been my private investigator, revealing that Lorenzo’s men were quietly making moves behind the scenes to dig into my personal life, attempting to expose my family to force a hostile board buyout.
If they uncovered even a single whisper about Layla—if they realized she wa
