MIMI 199 The Mastermind

Inside Henry Hirogori's office, the cold man sat at his modern dark-wood desk. His dark brown eyes glanced up to stare at the two men across from him with a penetrating, unwavering gaze.

The imposing powering radiating off him would have intimated most people, however, the two young men seem unaffected.

"I don't believe this was Lee Odo's doing. He has no ulterior motives and never expresses interest in the business." Kenji said.

Henry grunted in agreement and coldly turned his head to face Shen Jue and asked, "And you?"

Leaning his body against the office wall, Shen Jue's head was turned to look out the window next to him, where he watched the scenery below.

When Henry's attention fixed on him, his face was suddenly showing the devilishly charming smile, but that smile did not reach his eyes in the slightest.

"Earlier, when they tried to turn off the screen, who volunteered to help?" Shen Jue asked slowly, his voice light as a feather.

The moment he spoke these words, a dangerous glint came to life in Henry Hirogori's eyes as he narrowed his gaze.

"Tobias." He spat out just one word that was cold as frost.

Unlike his father, Kenji's eyes did not reveal the slightest bit of anger but were tinged with puzzlement and confusion instead.

He looked at Shen Jue with a furrow in his brow and said, "While his company is competing with us, he doesn't appear to be the type to resort to such schemes."

Shen Jue's eyes swept over Kenji, a hidden glint in their depths. Henry Hirogori was a little unhappy with Kenji's response, so his tone dipped a few degrees.

"Are you defending him?"

"No. However, I don't believe we should quickly assume he's the mastermind behind all of this." Kenji responded calmly.

In silence, Henry processed his son's words. The murder within his eyes gradually faded away. But before he could think any further, Shen Jue spoke up again.

"Whether it's him or not, he is still considered a threat. While this won't affect the company too much, from tonight's events will he not benefit the most from this outcome?"

Once more, Henry's gaze turned grave.

"I'll investigate this later. For now, we'll need to fix this mess. Both of you are dismissed."

Kenji looked at his father's expression and pressed his lips together. Despite his desire to speak, he suppressed his inner thoughts.

"Yes, father."

…

[Odo Event Leads To Shocking Affair]

[Planned Scheme at Odo's Event]

[Sinful Love Affair Exposed]

That night, Mimi was lying in bed, but she could not sleep. She sat up in her bed and scrolled through the latest news on her phone. The longer she looked, the more she felt her throat tighten.

Finally throwing her phone at the end of the bed, she pushed herself beneath the covers and shut her eyes.

It would all fade eventually. Lee Odo was a capable businessman. A scandal like this was nothing to him.

However, recalling the old man's pale and worn-out complexion, those reassuring thoughts scattered. The depths of her eyes instantly chilled over, but the guilt in her heart only increased. Tension grew in her face and limbs, her mind replaying last night's events.

The look on Alec's face. Disappointment.

Her breathing became more rapid, more shallow.

The look in Tobias's eyes. Pain.

Her chest felt hollow. In seconds, Mimi curled herself tightly in her bed, her only movements being the trembling of her limbs.

Everything felt so cold. So empty.

…

Two bright and sunny days have passed since Lee Odo's event and the Hirogori scandal. All of it, still relevant. Mimi reached out to Jean on Lee Odo's situation and was stunned by the news.

Investors and partners of his company were pulling out. After the news spread amongst the industry, people began to suspect it was Lee Odo's doing. After all, for the past year now, numerous businessmen were put into scandals.

However, the moment the biggest name in the industry, the Hirogori family became among the people exposed, many felt fearful. Whether Lee Odo was the culprit or not, that didn't matter to them.

The fact that the scandal was exposed at his event, was enough for them to grow suspicious.

When Mimi received this news, the gut-wrenching feeling within her stomach intensified.

Did Shen Jue not say this would not affect Lee Odo?

A day after the event, Shen Jue called to tell her Henry ordered him to help clean up the mess from that night. For the time being, their plans would be on hold. While Shen Jue was busy, Mimi spent her free time at her neighbor Grace's home.

"Is something wrong, dear?"

"Hmm?" Mimi glanced up from her bowl of soup.

"While your appetite seems the same, you seem to have lost weight. Are you eating properly?"

Mimi smiled faintly and giggled. "That's the first Grace, usually you're complaining about how I eat too much."

Even when faced with the girl's lively and teasing face, Grace looked at her with a grim expression.

"Did something happen? Where's Alec? I hardly see him anymore or that handsome friend of his."

Mimi grinned uneasily and said, "It's nothing, we just had a little fight that's all."

"That's it? A little fight?" Grace huffed. "Do you think not speaking to one another will solve it? You can't just give up on someone because the situation is not ideal. Nobody is perfect, nobody is correct, and in the end, you're family!"

When Mimi heard her words, she was immediately flustered. She hadn't expected for the old woman to say such righteous words.

"But, Grace…"

"No buts! I don't care if you scream and disturb the entire neighborhood, just communicate with one another! If I didn't scream, shout or smack my husband a few times when we fought, do you think we'd still be married?"

Mimi opened her mouth but did not know what to say. When Grace saw the young girl's speechless expression, she picked up the bowl of soup and put it away before lifting Mimi by the arm, out of her chair.

"Come on, go! Go apologize! And don't come back to eat here until you have!"

Without allowing her the chance to respond, Mimi was pushed out of the apartment and had the door shut in the face.

She was dumbfounded.

However, recalling the words Alec spoke that night, her hands clenched into fists.

[You may think you know what kind of person he is, but you don't. You can't understand, nor control a man like him.]

The truth was, she didn't know anything about Shen Jue. While she didn't bother to question his intentions for assisting her, she could not help but think of it occasionally.

When he was around her sister, he never paid any attention to her - including the day she came out of that family training system. Despite her disordered state of mind, he hadn't revealed the slightest bit of care.

It was as if she was nothing but a nuisance in his eyes.

What suddenly changed?

More importantly, what kind of man was Shen Jue?

Mimi's eyes narrowed up, a deep chilling glint flashed within them.

There was only one way to find out. She would need to go into the underworld.

Chapter end