Hidden Mafia King and the Fearless CEO

When Jenica saw the man, she froze. Was she seeing things? Why was she seeing her Uncle Marc? Jenica’s face went pale.

Over 40 years ago, the old man from the Guam clan adopted a boy who had lost his parents in a massive fire that claimed more than a thousand lives. The boy bore a striking resemblance to the old man, which prompted him to adopt the child. According to DNA results, the boy was the old man’s illegitimate grandson, which caused the entire Guam clan to scorn him.

The old matriarch of the Guam family disliked the boy and made his life difficult. For years, he endured it all until an accident occurred in the Guam family. A big fire engulfed a huge mansion one night, killing all the members of the Guam family except for the only survivors, Marc Cenizo, the adopted grandson, and Jenica’s father.

From that day, the Guam family retreated from the spotlight, and over the years, the masses slowly forgot the powerful family that once shook the entire capital with their influence. Only prominent families like the Fuegos still held great respect for the hidden clan and invited the current head of the Guam family — Jenica’s uncle.

“Mr. Guam, it’s nice to meet you,” Alex greeted and shook hands with her Uncle Marc.

Jenica swallowed and looked down. It had been more than 19 years since she last saw her uncle and spoke to him in person as Jenica Laurel. During the past months, she had only crashed a wedding as Agent J. Tonight was different. She was here because of Alex, and her current identity was Jenica Laurel, her true name.

She remembered their last phone call 15 years ago when her uncle contacted her after her parents’ death in an accident. He wanted her to return to the Guam family and inherit the Guam Business Empire, but Jenica refused. She wasn’t ready at that time to take over a multimillion-dollar company that her Uncle Marc had managed for years. In the end, her Uncle Marc became the acting president until she was ready to return as the sole heir of the Guams.

In the entire Guam family, only she and her Uncle Marc remained alive.

The old man looked at her. A glint flashed in his eyes as he smiled and held out a hand to her. “You must be Jenica Laurel, Alex’s date for tonight?”

Jenica raised an eyebrow and accepted the handshake. “Yes. It’s nice to meet you, Sir,” she said with a small smile. But she wondered why the old man didn’t seem surprised to see her at the birthday celebration of the Fuego matriarch.

“Mr. Guam, I’ve been looking for you,” said an elderly woman approaching them, followed by a woman in her mid-20s. The old woman turned to Alex with an even broader smile. “Grandson, you’re here. Why didn’t Jubel announce your arrival?” she asked, her tone slightly annoyed.

Alex smiled and greeted her with a kiss on the hand. “Grandma, happy birthday.” After his greeting, he introduced Jenica to the old woman.

The old woman smiled at Jenica and introduced her to Uncle Marc. Jenica offered a polite smile and felt relieved when the old woman invited Uncle Marc to mingle with the heads of other families.

“He seems to know you?” Alex said, standing next to her. A worried look flashed across Jenica’s face before vanishing. But it didn’t escape Alex’s sharp eyes. “What’s the matter?” he asked.

“Nothing.” She sighed. “But how did he know I’m your escort tonight?” she asked.

Alex’s lips twitched, and after a moment, he took a deep breath. “Everyone in the hall has been notified of your presence as my date tonight.”

Jenica’s eyes narrowed. “You planned all of this?”

“Yes.” A broad smile spread across Alex’s face. “So no one will dare to lay a finger on you,” he said, casting a sharp look at his relatives who were glaring at Jenica.

She followed his gaze and was surprised to see familiar faces glaring at her. Her brow raised, and the corner of her lips curled up. Ah, what a sight. Some of Alex’s cousins couldn’t hold back and approached them.

“Look who’s here!” said a woman with glasses, an evil smile hanging on her lips as she looked Jenica up and down. “Isn’t this the wretched woman who snatched our cousin from Gia Antonete?”Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

A sudden silence enveloped the room. All eyes were on Jenica. A glint flashed in her eyes as she eyed Alex’s cousin standing in front of her.

“You must be Angela Fuego,” she said, smiling broadly. “I didn’t expect to see you here. The last time I checked, the old matriarch dumped you in the South because of your one-night-stand incident with Dante Antonete.”

Gasps echoed through the crowd, and Jenica’s smile bloomed even more. Angela’s face drained of color as she looked around the room. In the section where the Antonete family stood, Dante Antonete’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Angela.

The woman gulped hard. “I-I hate you!” she screamed at Jenica before rushing out of the hall.

Whispers filled the room, and all eyes were now on Dante Antonete.

“I see! So the woman that Dante Antonete bedded that night was Angela Fuego!” exclaimed a guest.

“The Fuegos must have spent a lot to bribe the media and witnesses. Even though we knew Dante Antonete was involved in a scandal, no one revealed who the woman was with him.” A curious woman nodded. “It’s really a scandal between big families, and we can’t meddle.”

“Alex, I allowed you to bring another woman other than your fiancee, but what’s the matter with her?” the old matriarch asked angrily.

Alex’s jaw clenched as he held Jenica’s hand. “Grandma, she’s my wife.”

“What?!”

The whispers in the hall grew louder.

“Isn’t Mr. Alexander Fuego engaged to Miss Gia Antonete? But he has a wife already?”

“Shh. Don’t stick your nose into these big clan affairs,” scolded the person next to them.

“Alexander Fuego! Come with me!” the old matriarch shouted angrily, heading to a secret door.

Alex followed with clenched teeth, and Jenica trailed behind him. She didn’t want to follow, but Alex held her hand, and many eyes were on them.

As she scanned the hall, she caught Dante Antonete staring at her. As expected, his gaze was sharp. She smirked at him, and his glare grew even more intense.

She was about to look away when she caught her Uncle Marc watching her. His brows were furrowed, and he held a wine glass with a small amount of red wine.

Jenica quickly looked away and exhaled. She knew her Uncle Marc wanted to talk to her, but this wasn’t the right time.

They entered the secret door together. It closed behind them, and she saw the old Fuego matriarch in front of them. Her piercing gaze rested on Jenica’s face. A moment later, she gasped. “You!” the old woman suddenly shouted, pointing at her. “Aren’t you the one who instigated Alex in causing a scene during the engagement party?”

A worried look flashed across Jenica’s face. The old woman’s face was red with anger, clearly affected by what Alex had said earlier.

“Madam, please be at ease. I mean no harm,” Jenica said gently.

She saw the woman who had followed the old matriarch handing her a glass of water. Jenica guessed she was a nurse.

“No harm?” the old woman asked after drinking the water. The nurse helped her sit in a one-seater chair in front of them. “This is the second time Alex has trampled on my face for your sake! Tell me, young lady, what do you want?” the old woman asked harshly.

“Grandma,” Alex called softly.

“You shut up!” the old woman snapped, turning her gaze back to Jenica. “Alex is engaged to the heiress of the Antonete family. I allowed him to bring another woman to the party because he begged. Now, you’ve put mud all over my face! How will you compensate this old woman?” she demanded angrily.

Jenica sighed. “Madam, why don’t you talk to your grandson? He’s the one who caused you trouble.”

Alex’s lips twitched, and the old woman’s face soured as she looked at her grandson. The old woman huffed. “What you said earlier… is it true?” she asked Alex.

Jenica couldn’t help but fake a smile. The old woman would talk to Alex amicably, but when it came to her, it was as if she’d eaten fireworks.