Driven to Madness by Jealousy

"Now that I'm helping you, shouldn't you reward your husband a little, darling?" Alex leaned in close to Mark, his breath warm on Mark's face.

Mark pushed him away, annoyed. "Your breath is all over me. Can you keep your distance?"

Mark had no idea that Alex had mischievous intentions. He just dealt with Alex as usual.

Alex, knowing Mark's naivety, pointed to his own cheek. "Come on, give me a kiss."

"What? Why would I kiss you? Are you crazy?" Mark immediately got angry, not in a playful way but genuinely furious.

"Is that so? If you don't kiss me, I won't help you investigate your parents. After all, it's just a small reward, and you can't even give me that," Alex said, putting Mark down on the floor, no longer letting him sit on his lap.

Mark was stunned. One moment everything was fine, and the next, Alex had completely changed his attitude.

Damn it, why is this guy so difficult to deal with? Mark scratched his head in frustration, feeling like Alex's mind was as unpredictable as a woman's, if not more so.

No, Mark, you need to endure this. Once he helps you find your parents, you can ignore him completely. Mark convinced himself and took a deep breath.

It worked; he calmed down, grabbed Alex's face, and kissed him quickly. "Is that enough? Are you satisfied now?"

Mark let go of Alex's face, wiping his mouth in disgust.

Alex was indeed satisfied, though he would have been even happier if Mark hadn't wiped his mouth.

He's definitely worth training. My little wife has potential, Alex thought with a smile, ruffling Mark's hair as if rewarding him.

Mark, annoyed, slapped Alex's hand away and asked, "So now you'll help me find my parents, right?"

"I'll tell Howard later. Once we have news, I'll let you know," Alex replied, reaching to ruffle Mark's hair again.

"That's more like it," Mark muttered, seemingly unhappy but not pushing Alex's hand away this time, letting him touch his hair.

As expected, helping him with something lowers his guard. Alex had identified another weakness in Mark.

"How long are you going to keep touching my hair? You're messing it up," Mark finally snapped, slapping Alex's hand away again. "I'm hungry," he added, rubbing his stomach.

Alex's meeting had stretched into the afternoon, and Mark's stomach had been growling for a while. It was hunger that had driven him to come looking for Alex.

"I'll take you to eat something good and introduce you to my friends," Alex said, standing up and grabbing Mark's hand, intertwining their fingers.

Mark was stunned, then blushed, his heart racing. Maybe it was because Alex's hand was so big and warm. This was the first time he had held hands with someone like this, feeling their warmth blend together.

Damn it, Mark, you're straight. Why the hell is your heart racing? Mark thought, covering his face in frustration. He allowed himself to be led by Alex, but he couldn't bring himself to dislike it, which confused him even more.

In the reception room, Isabelle had just been informed by the returning butler that today's events were to be ignored. She was furious.

"How could all those board members just let this slide? Alex hasn't been ousted, and he didn't even ask Grandpa for help? How is that possible?" Isabelle slammed the table in disbelief. Although she wasn't interested in business matters, she knew enough and had assumed her grandfather would prioritize their interests. She expected him to at least put pressure on Alex, but now it seemed Alex had come out unscathed.

The butler glanced at Belmont, who did not stop him, and then explained to Isabelle, "It was Rick. Alex brought Rick to the board meeting, and Rick inherited his grandmother's shares. He is now a member of the board."

This news hit Isabelle like a thunderbolt, leaving her slumped in her chair, her face pale.

Alex had planned this from the start. He knew how to deal with the situation, which is why he didn't stop me from leaving and telling Grandpa. Isabelle bit her lip, feeling both unwilling and insanely jealous.

What's so good about that Mark? Why does Alex protect him so much, even to the extent of bringing Rick into the fold?

Isabelle's face contorted with rage, her eyes filled with malice. Mark, Mark, Mark. You deserve a horrible death.

Clenching her fists, Isabelle seethed with anger. All her fury was now directed at Mark.

"I want Mark dead. Grandpa, help me. You have to help me," Isabelle cried, kneeling in front of Belmont, desperate for Mark's destruction.

Belmont looked at Isabelle's pitiful state, feeling a surge of anger. "You are the future heir of the Delacroix family. Look at you now, acting like a lunatic over a man."

"What can I do? I love him. I can't live without him," Isabelle sobbed, clutching Belmont's pants. "Please, Grandpa. I can't live without Alex. I have to marry him. I won't marry anyone else."

Belmont sighed, feeling a headache coming on. He regretted spoiling Isabelle so much that she had become this willful. But thinking about the future of his company, he couldn't just ignore her.

"Steward," Belmont called.

"Yes, sir." The butler immediately stepped forward.

"Investigate this Mark thoroughly. Don't overlook any details," Belmont ordered coldly.

"Understood." The butler smiled and hurried off to carry out his orders.

"Thank you, Grandpa. You're the best," Isabelle said, standing up and hugging Belmont, still sobbing.

Belmont sighed, stroking her head. He was helpless. She was his only family left after his son and daughter-in-law died in a car accident years ago. He had to find a reliable person for her before he died; otherwise, he wouldn't rest in peace.

"Grandpa, are you angry with me?" Isabelle asked, sniffling, as she stepped out of Belmont's embrace.

"Silly girl, you're my only family. How could I be angry with you?" Belmont replied, gently patting her hand.

"That's good," Isabelle said, wiping her tears and sniffing, genuinely afraid of upsetting her grandfather.

Meanwhile, in Thomas' office.

Entering Lucas's office, Thomas immediately slapped him hard, furious beyond measure.

Lucas, who had been happily welcoming Thomas, was stunned, clutching his face. "Why did you hit me?"

"You dare ask? You said Belmont was on our side, didn't you?" Thomas pointed at Lucas, yelling.

"Isabelle was treated like this by Alex. Belmont is sure to deal with Alex," Lucas replied, bewildered.

Thomas, hearing this, became even more enraged, grabbing Lucas by the collar. "So you weren't sure?"

"Calm down, Thomas. What's happened? Explain it to me, and I'll analyze it," Lucas tried to soothe the furious Thomas, who had erupted out of nowhere.

Could it be that they failed? But that can't be. Even if the stock didn't plummet significantly, it did drop. The board wouldn't just let Alex off the hook. They would seize the opportunity to remove him.

Lucas, unaware of what transpired in the boardroom, was confused.

"Analyze? Analyze what? Alex and Rick teamed up. Van supported them. Your uncertainty has pushed me into the fire. What are you going to do about it?" Thomas shouted, punching Lucas and knocking him to the ground.

Lucas didn't dare retaliate, quickly getting up to ask, "What's Rick got to do with this? How is he involved?"

"He's now a shareholder. What do you think?" Thomas retorted, storming out after pushing Lucas aside, slamming the door behind him.

Lucas chased after him but lost sight of him. His second son, Isaac, rushed towards him, looking frantic.

Suppressing his anger, Lucas dragged Isaac into his office, closing the door and roaring, "What the hell happened? How did Rick become a new shareholder?"

His voice echoed with fury.

Isaac, terrified, wiped the sweat from his forehead and stammered, "Alex was prepared. Among the shareholders who never showed up, one was Rick's grandmother. Rick inherited her ten percent share, giving Alex an advantage. Van immediately supported Alex."

Lucas staggered back, his face ashen, realizing that Alex had set a trap for them, letting them think it was the right time to strike.

Damn it. Alex must have known about Belle's escape long ago. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so calm on the wedding day. Lucas thought, realizing how deeply Alex had planned.

"Now what, Father? Thomas thinks we tricked him. He won't stand with us anymore," Isaac panicked.

Seeing his son's uselessness made Lucas even angrier. His son couldn't compare to Henry Dupont's son, which only fueled his frustration.

"Now what? We have no choice but to appease Thomas. Do we have any other options?" Lucas shouted.

"Yes, yes. I'll go immediately," Isaac hurriedly left. They couldn't afford to lose Thomas, their only ally on the board. Without him, how could they fight Alex?

"Are you insane?" Howard asked, glaring at Rick, who stood grinning by the bathroom sink.

Rick had been following him everywhere like a shadow, and Howard was fed up.

"You just figured that out? I've had Howard-itis for a while now. Can't live without seeing you," Rick replied, leaning against the sink, his arms crossed, grinning.

Howard ignored him, drying his hands with a towel. His face was cold as he threw the towel in the trash, as if discarding Rick.

He

 walked past Rick, but Rick grabbed him, pinning him against the wall, still smiling.

"What the hell do you want now?" Howard shouted, enraged.