The Heiress Spoiled by Four Brothers and One Devilish CEO-Chapter 260 Nothing—I didn’t do anything

Private villa.

Charles sat behind a long, ornately carved wood table. A cigarette dangled between his fingers, burning down to a long ash that eventually fell and thudded onto the table.

There was a knock on the door. He gave a sidelong glance, irritated. "Come in."

A suited man stepped inside, bowing respectfully. "Sir, the online situation keeps escalating. It’s getting out of control. Your opposition is now throwing mud too."

Charles stubbed out the cigarette, his eyes cold and deadly. "Why do I even bother keeping you lot around?"

His voice was calm, but the man knew he was seething.

"Sir, we’ve sent our best coders, even hired several hackers. We tried reaching out to ShadowWing, but he didn’t take the job."

Charles’s brows tightened. "Wasn’t he supposed to be the top hacker? I don’t care what it takes—dig him out from wherever he’s hiding."

"Sir, hackers like that... they’re buried deep. Not easy to track down..."

With a sudden swing, Charles hurled the ashtray at the wall. The elegant demeanor he usually carried was gone, replaced by pure rage. "You can’t even manage some lousy internet buzz? Useless! Find ShadowWing. I want results!"

He took a deep breath, reeled his temper in a bit. "Did you find Nathaniel?"

"No, sir." The man’s voice dropped to near silence.

"He must die. I don’t care what it takes—get rid of him. And keep all those researchers under control. If anyone leaks anything... shut them up. Permanently."

The suited man lowered his head, biting back a response.

"What about Karl? Still nothing?"

"No word. We’ve checked highways, rails, flights... Nothing at all."

"No one vanishes into thin air. Ever heard of skin masks? Bet he’s changed his face. Keep checking." Charles clutched his chest suddenly. "Three damn tasks—none done right. What’s the point of you? Get out!"

The man scrambled out, and the moment the door clicked shut, Charles hacked up a mouthful of blood.

His body had been acting up lately—when he got upset, this kept happening. He yanked a tissue and dabbed the blood from his lips, staring at the deep red staining the paper. He tried breathing slowly, but his throat felt like metal and blood, triggering a fit of coughing.

His phone buzzed on the table. He picked it up. "Move."

The call ended. He narrowed his eyes, filled with a cold fury, his voice low and venomous: "Time to wrap this up."

At the Lewis family estate.

Stella Banks knocked gently on Megan’s door. "Sweetheart, dinner time. I made your favorite—braised ribs."

Closing her laptop, Megan stood and opened the door.

"Everyone’s downstairs already. Just waiting on you and the little one."

Megan gave her a stiff smile that disappeared the second Stella turned around. Silent, she let Stella take her hand and lead her down to the dining room. The whole family was there tonight.

As they entered, Tristan stood up and took Megan’s hand. "What took you so long?"

Megan quietly pulled her hand back. "Didn’t feel great."

"Your stomach?" Tristan looked worried.

Everyone’s eyes immediately drifted to her rounded belly.

Oliver Lewis spoke first. "Megan, if you’re unwell, I’ll take you to the hospital right now."

Jason added, "This isn’t minor. Five months in—you need to be extra careful."

Brandon Lewis adjusted his gold-framed glasses. "What kind of discomfort? Emily and I can go with you."

Samuel shot to his feet. "I’ll bring the car around!"Megan shook her head. "Nah, just feel a bit off in my heart." She glanced at Tristan.

Tristan lifted a hand, gently ruffling her hair. "What’s going on in that head of yours? Imagining things again?"

Megan gave a short laugh, shooting a quick look at Nicole sitting next to him. "Yeah, I guess I am. Anyway, let’s eat. Grandma put a lot of effort into this meal, don’t let it go to waste."

Mrs. Lewis enthusiastically started serving everyone, especially Megan. "Megan, you’re pregnant now, gotta eat more good stuff for the baby."

Megan smiled, lips curving up naturally. "Thanks, Grandma. You’ve really been working hard cooking for everyone lately. We all see it. Let’s put the past behind us. Thank you for everything."

Mrs. Lewis nodded, face warm and kind. "I was wrong before. Ignored my real granddaughter and cared for the wrong person."

"Everyone messes up sometimes. Let’s not dwell on it," Megan said as she held Grandma’s hand. "You’ve changed for the better now, haven’t you?"

Mrs. Lewis’s smile stiffened slightly seeing Megan’s innocent face. Her lashes trembled as she nodded faintly.

As Mrs. Lewis sat down, Michelle picked up a piece of fish and placed it in Jason’s bowl. "Have more fish. Grandma’s stew is delicious."

Jason also gave her a piece in return, his eyes full of warmth. "No bones in the belly part—go ahead."

Samuel rolled his eyes. "Okay, are you two trying to feed me dog food right now? I’m already full just from looking."

Michelle blushed and took a bite. "It’s really good."

Mr. Lewis smiled at his wife. "Teresa, if you’d been like this earlier, the house would’ve been so much more peaceful. This feels... nice."

Mrs. Lewis sighed lightly and nodded. "It was all my fault before. I let everyone down. But I won’t do it again."

Megan clapped her hands, and Mrs. Hall came in carrying a small cage with a white mouse inside.

Megan leaned lazily against the back of her chair. "Déjà vu, huh? Last time you came back from temple and I ended up punished by family rules. So this time, are we talking family rules again—or jail?"

Mr. Lewis instinctively glanced at Mrs. Lewis. Last time she did put something in the food, so he immediately picked up on the implication.

"What did you do this time?"

A flicker of panic crossed Mrs. Lewis’s face, though she quickly masked it. "Nothing—I didn’t do anything."

She picked up a piece of beef and took a bite. "See? Everything’s fine."

Megan chuckled lightly, covering her mouth. "Grandma, I didn’t say you messed with the food. Why are you jumping to conclusions? Feeling a little guilty?"

A bead of sweat slid down Mrs. Lewis’s temple, though she tried to maintain her calm. "Well, I made mistakes before, so of course that’s what I thought you meant."

"Fair enough," Megan said, as she slowly got up and stood behind her. Leaning in close with a smile, she asked, "But Grandma, you really believe that little white powder was only meant for me this time?"

Mrs. Lewis froze, suddenly feeling like she couldn’t breathe. "You don’t trust me? Fine, I’ll eat it to prove I’m innocent!"

She grabbed her chopsticks and went for a piece of loofah.

Megan’s smile vanished. Her voice turned cold. "If you’re that sick of living long, I won’t stop you."

Mrs. Lewis’s hand trembled hard, her chest heaving as she stared at the shiny green loofah. "I... I’ll eat it."