Chapter 286 A Deal with the Devil
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Matteo’s words sent a chill down Eliza’s spine. Missy was her brand–something she had never told anyone. Soren kure, yes, but that had been a complete accident. Not even the Sue family had any idea about her connection to Missy. So how did Mattro know?
Feigning confusion, Eliza said, “Mr. Matteo, what’s Missy? What does that have to do with me? Where did you hear these ridiculous rumorsi
Just as she was about to deny everything. Matico turned around and pulled out a few photographs.
One of them was a still from a car’s dashcam, capturing Eliza’s face on the day of the fatal crash.
Another showed her entering and exiting through the back entrance of Missy’s headquarters; the person welcoming her had been Jaylen. Missy’s executive secretary,
All of it lined up perfectly.
Eliza had just claimed she didn’t know anything about Missy.
But the secretary of Missy’s president had personally received this so–called “stranger” at the company headquarters.
“Missy’s headquarters is extremely secure. No one without a card is allowed inside–not even for a tour. All internal staff operate under strict confidentiality, and the owner of Missy has never shown their face. Do I need to spell it out even more clearly?”
There was no mistaking it, Matteo had figured it out. Eliza was the rising star in the corporate world, the elusive, never–seen president of Missy.
Seeing how thoroughly he had investigated her, Eliza simply said, “Mr. Matteo, you really are impressive. But, this isn’t exactly a secret to me.”
“Not a secret? Meaning you wouldn’t care if it were made public?”
That one line made Eliza’s smile falter.
The reason she had never revealed that she was the owner of Missy was because the brand relied heavily on a sense of mystery. If people found out the boss behind the scenes was just a college student, it would shake buyer confidence.
After all, the idea that a college student could successfully run a large–scale cosmetics brand was nearly impossible to believe.
Competitors would seize the opportunity to spin that narrative–highlighting the brand’s youth as a liability and suggesting Missy faced quality control risks.
That would deal a serious blow to the company.
Eliza asked, “What do you want?”
Matteo looked directly at her and said, “I want you to do three things for me–no questions asked.”
Faced with his demand. Eliza replied, “And if I refuse?”
“These three things won’t be unreasonable. As long as you agree, I’ll keep your identity as Missy’s owner a
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Chapter 286 A Deal with the Devil
secret. And I promise, no one will dare leak it.”
Eliza knew exactly what kind of man Matteo was.
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With his power and influence, if anyone tried to use her identity against her, he could make that problem disappear.
And this wasn’t something she could rely on Halbert to handle
After thinking it over, Eliza said, “Sounds like I wouldn’t be getting the short end of the stick.”
“This is a mutually beneficial deal. You don’t lose; I don’t lose. We both get what we need.”
Matteo didn’t seem to have any malicious intent, so Eliza hesitated, then asked, “How did you find out I was Missy’s owner? Why target me out of nowhere? And does Nathaniel know?”
She fired off her questions in quick succession, but Matteo remained expressionless as he said, “You ask too many questions.”
“You said it yourself–this is a mutually beneficial deal. Which means we’re partners now, I just want to understand my partner a little better. That’s not too much to ask, is it?
“Nathaniel doesn’t know. As for how I found out–don’t worry about it.”
Matteo glanced at her and added. “The reason I chose to work with you is because you’re the Sue family’s noble
That answer lined up pretty well with what Eliza had already suspected.
There wasn’t much about her that would catch Matteo’s attention.
The only thing she had of value was her status as a Sue family noble.
Suddenly, she felt foolish for even asking.
“If you’re going to make demands of me,” Eliza said, “then I have conditions too.”
“You’re not in a position to make demands.”
Matteo’s eyes swept over her coldly as he said, “Don’t forget–you’re the one whose secret is in my hands.”
If he were truly ruthless, he could’ve asked for something far more outrageous,
Eliza knew she was in a weak position, but she still decided to take the risk.
“I know you’re the one holding my secret. But if we’re calling this a partnership, then there has to be a balance between us. I’ll agree to do three things for you–but only under certain conditions. I’ll only do what I’m capable of, and nothing illegal. And I will not, under any circumstances, harm the people around me. If you can’t accept these three terms, then I won’t accept your requests. We’ll just go down together.”
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