The Billionaire's Replacement

CHAPTER NINE - NOTHING IS WHAT IT SEEMS.

Emma's POV

My eyes remained fixed on the photograph.

I kept trying to access the features of the woman standing besides the young boy but not only did it seem like someone scratched the part where the woman's face was, the picture had also faded with age, but there was one thing I could see clearly.

The necklace around her neck.

My mother's necklace.

Without wasting another second, I quickly pulled out my phone and took a picture of it.

The sound of the office door opening made me jump.

I hastily slipped my phone into my pocket and quickly placed the photograph back beneath the other one.

Then Jeremy walked in.

His eyes immediately fell on me and then the drawer.

I expected him to say something but surprisingly he said nothing. He seemed in a rather pleasant mood.

He simply walked to his desk, picked up his phone and checked the time.

"We should leave."

I nodded.

I followed him out of the office, but my mind remained on the photograph I'd just captured.

I needed to know who that woman was and why she was wearing my mother's necklace.

We got into the car and it seemed like Jeremy was going to make a few stops before heading to the restaurant for the board meeting.

We stopped at a few places, I watched Jeremy work and communicate with a number of people but I paid less attention to that, I could not stop thinking about the picture, my mother's necklace and the young boy.

I felt the urge to ask Jeremy but I could not because I knew he would never give me the response I needed.

By the time we arrived at the restaurant that evening, I had almost managed to push the photograph out of my mind.

Almost.

The private dining room was already filled when Jeremy and I entered.

To my uttermost surprise, Gabriel was there and so were several men I recognized from the business magazines.

Jeremy greeted them before taking his seat. I sat beside him while Gabriel sat across from us.

His eyes met mine briefly and he smiled. "Emma."

"Gabriel." I raised a brow at him.

"How does marriage feel like?"

I smiled politely. "Still figuring that out."

A few people chuckled.

Jeremy glanced at me and I couldn't tell whether he was amused or annoyed.

Fortunately for me, nobody engaged me in any form of conversation.

Once the food was served and the conversation turned toward the company, the atmosphere changed.

One of the shareholders placed his glass down.

"Jeremy, we need to revisit the London acquisition."

"We already did." Jeremy replied dryly.

"And you rejected it."

"Because the numbers don't justify it."

The man leaned back and turned to gaze at the other old men sitting besides him. "Several of us disagree."

Jeremy remained calm. "Then show me where my calculations are wrong."

Another shareholder joined in."It's not simply about one acquisition."

Jeremy looked at him with a raised brow. "Then what is it about?"

"Leadership."

Strangely enough, I was interested in their conversation. I glanced around the table.

No one looked particularly comfortable but none of them looked willing to back down from the argument.

"You've made several decisions without consulting the board.” Another man said.

"That's because I was appointed to make decisions." Jeremy c****d his head to the right and leaned comfortably on his seat.

A few of them exchanged looks.

Gabriel on the other hand remained quiet.

Then one shareholder turned toward him. "Gabriel, you were here before Jeremy took over. Surely you see the concern."

I looked at Gabriel and so did everyone else.

He calmly placed his fork down.

"I understand their concern." Gabriel started. "But disagreement doesn't mean Jeremy is incapable of leading."

The shareholder frowned. "You defend him quite easily."

"I defend the company.” Gabriel spoke boldly. "And at the moment, Jeremy is the man running it."

I watched him carefully. His words sounded supportive but I still couldn't brush off the fact that Gabriel was only interested in the empire. It was not like he cared about Jeremy, he only wanted the company for himself and that was why he was using me to gain Jeremy's trust.

"Perhaps Jeremy's priorities have changed." Another shareholder spoke. His gaze moved toward me. "Marriage can do that."

I felt slightly irritated.

The man smiled politely. "No offense, Mrs. Bennett."

"None taken." I flashed him a forced smile. "I suppose every husband needs someone to remind him to eat once in a while."

A few people laughed, even Gabriel smiled but Jeremy's face remained stoic.

I was only trying to ease the tension in the athmosphere but that did not work.

"Perhaps that's exactly what he needs."

The questions from the shareholders continued, One after another. It was like they planned this. The questions were unhealthily too much but Jeremy managed to answer every one.

Eventually, I noticed the change in him. His shoulders had become tense, his answers were getting shorter and it did not seem like the questions were going to stop.

Another shareholder leaned forward.

"Your position may be secure today, but if these decisions continue—"

"That's enough."Jeremy's voice was controlled but I could still hear a bit of strain in it.

I looked at him.

For the first time that evening, I wasn't seeing the ruthless billionaire everyone else seemed to fear. I was seeing a man that everyone seemed to be so against.

Before I could think about it, I reached beneath the table and took his hand.

He stopped. His eyes slowly turned toward me.

I was not sure what I was doing or why I was doing it but I gently ran my thumb over his knuckles.

His expression softened for half a second.

I flashed him a reassuring smile and surprisingly, that managed to keep him calm.

I caught Gabriel's eyes from across the table. His expression was unreadable.

Just as I was about to pull my hand away, Jeremy's fingers shifted beneath mine.

He held me back, really tight.

The rest of the meeting went by calmly and bt the time we returned to the mansion, it was late.

Jeremy went upstairs without saying a word to me while I remained in my room.

I sat on the edge of my bed and pulled out my phone.

The photograph I'd taken earlier appeared on the screen. I zoomed in, staring at it.

The woman.

And the necklace.

My heart skipped a beat as I opened my gallery and searched for old pictures of my mother.

Then I found one.

My mother was much younger in the photograph, She was smiling and around her neck was the exact same necklace.

My heart began pounding.

I hadn't really noticed if she had been wearing the necklace of recents but one thing I knew for sure was that there was no way I could ignore it.

Without wasting another second, I called her.

She answered after several rings.

"Mom."

"Why are you calling me?" Her tone was laced with confusion. I hadn't exactly spoken to her since the day she came to the mansion.

"I wanted to ask you something."

"What?"

I hesitated "Do you remember the necklace you used to wear?"

Silence.

A long one.

"Why?" She eventually responded.

I immediately sent her the picture of the photograph I had found in Jeremy's office.

“Emma, where did you find this?” She sounded almost frightened.

"Why does it matter?" I paused to clear my throat. “Are you the one in the photograph?”

"No, Emma—" Her voice cracked.

Then silence.

I froze. "Mom?"

No response.

I pulled the phone away from my ear. The call was still connected.

"Mom, are you there?"

I heard her breathing, Slow and shaky.

Then all of a sudden, she hung up.