All Chapters of KICKED LIKE A DOG, RETURNED LIKE A HIDDEN HEIR: Chapter 171
- Chapter 180
199 chapters
Whisper
Chapter 169Paxton felt a cold ripple down his back.“What did you say to her?” he 169mA chill crawled up his spine.“Mother… what are you planning?”She looked at him—really looked—her eyes bright with a glassy, unstable determination he had never seen before.“Something that will remind everyone,” she whispered, “that the Donatoes are not to be dismissed like inconsequential house help.”Paxton stepped forward.“Tell me what you’re going to do.”She lifted her chin.“I won’t tell you because you will interfere.”Then her voice softened, almost lovingly.“You have always been too gentle, Paxton. Too forgiving. Too much like your father.”Paxton swallowed hard.“Mother, listen to me. You need to stop. Alexander isn’t someone you can provoke. His family—”“I know exactly who his family is,” she cut sharply.“And that is precisely why they must be reminded that their power does not make them untouchable.”She stepped past him.“Maria Donatoes bows to no one.”Paxton’s heart dropped.Th
Watch
Chapter 169The tension in the Donato residence wrapped around the room like a tightening rope.Their mansion, usually cold but elegant, suddenly felt smaller—shrunken by Mrs. Donato’s anger and Mr. Donato’s growing frustration.Mr. Donato rose from the velvet armchair, loosening his tie as he exhaled slowly.“Luciana… do you hear yourself?” he asked quietly, using her name the way he only did when he was truly upset. “You insult Mrs. Vega in her own home, you embarrass yourself, and now you come here calling me a coward because I’m telling you the truth?”Mrs. Donato threw her purse on the sofa, the diamonds on her bracelet clinking sharply against the leather.“The truth?” she scoffed. “Your so-called ‘truth’ is just fear wrapped in fancy words. You fear the Morrelo family. Everyone does. But I—” she stabbed her finger against her own chest, “—am not afraid of them.”“You should be,” Mr. Donato answered, voice firm. “Alexander Morrelo is not just another wealthy heir, Luciana. He ho
Target
Chapter 170Alexander was in his office reviewing a stack of documents when his secretary knocked softly and pushed the glass door open.“Sir, Paxton Donatoes is here to see you.”Alexander raised his head immediately. Paxton rarely visited the Morrelo company without calling first. “Send him in,” he said.Paxton walked in with an uneasy expression—his hair slightly disheveled, his breaths uneven, and his eyes restless as though he had been looking over his shoulder since morning.Alexander stood up.“Paxton? What happened? You look like you ran here.”Paxton swallowed hard. “I… I needed to speak to you privately.”He glanced at the secretary still inside the office.Alexander understood instantly. He signaled with a nod.“Bring us two coffees. Then leave us.”The secretary bowed and exited.When the door shut completely, Paxton dropped into the seat opposite Alexander, rubbing his palms together like someone trying to warm a cold fear.“Alexander… Jeffery has been threatening me.”Al
Leverage
Chapter 171Jeffery arrived at the Ministry headquarters just before noon, pushing through the large glass doors with the arrogance of a man who believed the world owed him obedience.The guards recognized him but exchanged uneasy glances—nobody ever looked relaxed when Jeffery Morrelo walked into a building uninvited.He didn’t wait to be announced. He brushed past the reception desk, climbed the stairs with long, impatient strides, and headed straight for the Minister’s private office.The Minister’s secretary looked up sharply.“Sir, you can’t just—”Jeffery pushed the door open.The Minister was inside, standing by the window with his reading glasses in one hand and a stack of documents in the other. He turned slowly at the sound of the intrusion, irritation already building in his eyes.Before he could speak, Jeffery closed the door behind him and said with a smirk,“We need to talk.”The Minister let out a long breath, the kind reserved for problems he wished would disappear on
Problem
Chapter 172Jeffery’s driver could tell something was wrong the moment he slid into the backseat. Jeffery’s expression was stormy, his breathing uneven, and his pupils sharp with barely contained rage. But the driver knew better than to ask questions.“Home,” Jeffery snapped.The car sped off immediately.Jeffery stared out the window without really seeing anything. His reflection glared back at him like a taunt—a defeated man, stripped of power, stripped of advantage, stripped of the one thing he thought made him untouchable.The Minister’s words kept replaying in his head like a siren:“Go home, Jeffery. Search all you want… you won’t find the evidence.”Jeffery’s fists tightened.When the car entered the long driveway of the Morrelo secondary estate he always used, Jeffery tore the door open before the engine even stopped. He marched inside, ignoring the greetings of the maids and guards, heading directly to his private study.He threw the door shut.The room was exactly how he lef
Underestimate
Chapter 173The minister’s private line rang just past midnight, the quiet hour when the country slept and only men with heavy secrets stayed awake. Alexander sat in his office at Morrelo Headquarters, sleeves rolled up, a glass of untouched whiskey resting beside untouched files. He didn’t look exhausted, even though he hadn’t slept in twenty-two hours. He looked focused—like a man tightening the last thread of a trap he’d been weaving for years.He picked up on the first ring.“Minister.”“Alexander,” the minister exhaled, the relief in his voice unmistakable. “I’m calling to thank you. My… files. You retrieved them. Every single one.”Alexander leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. “I told you I would.”The minister released a shaky laugh. “I underestimated you. Again. I didn’t think anyone could get into Jeffery’s office, much less his own bedroom safe.”“That’s why I sent my boys.”The minister swallowed. “And the woman… your aunt—Jeffery’s sister. She cooperated?”
Information
Chapter 174Jeffery did not sleep.He paced his study like a man walking inside his own grave, tearing through drawers, folders, safes—anything that could hide the evidence he once thought made him untouchable. He had already flipped over his desk twice, shattered a lamp, and ripped through his filing cabinet with bare hands.Nothing.Every document, every flash drive, every sheet he had hidden so carefully…Gone.His breaths grew harsher, more desperate. Sweat dripped down his temples as he scrambled through the last safe—his most secure one—only to find it empty, as silent as his rapidly collapsing plans.“No… no… this can’t be happening.”He fell back onto the leather chair, the realization slicing through him like a blade.Someone had been in his home.Someone had been in his office.Someone had stripped him clean.He looked around, paranoia crawling up his spine. “Who… who dared…?”And then a name surfaced—unavoidable, unmistakable, inescapable.Alexander.The moment Jeffery thou
Chance
Chapter 175Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Alexander’s stare—calm, deadly, the kind of look that didn’t shout threats but promised them in silence. He tossed, turned, woke up drenched in sweat more than once.By morning, he looked like a shadow of himself.Still, pride kept his spine straight as he walked into his office. He greeted no one. He didn’t even remove his coat before locking the door behind him.He needed a plan.He had to strike before Alexander made his next move.Jeffery paced the room in sharp, rapid steps. “I need leverage. I need something big. Something that puts me back on top.”His phone vibrated.He snatched it immediately.It was his right-hand man, Gregor.Jeffery picked up. “Tell me you found something.”Gregor’s breathing was uneven. “Boss… something is wrong.”Jeffery froze. “What do you mean wrong?”“There’s no footage,” Gregor said shakily. “Every camera in your house and office—completely wiped. Erased. Not corrupted. Not hacked. ERASED.”Jeffery st
private server
Chapter 176Jeffery stared at Roman across the office, weighing his next words carefully. Roman was unpredictable—he enjoyed chaos, manipulation, and inserting himself into other people’s disasters. Aligning with him was dangerous… but right now, everything was dangerous.Roman folded his arms, waiting. “Well? Don’t keep me guessing, cousin. You said you still have a card. I want to hear it.”Jeffery inhaled slowly.He knew exactly what the card was.He had kept it hidden for years—kept it even from his own closest associates. It wasn’t something he could use lightly. It was too sensitive… too explosive.But cornered wolves had no luxury of caution.Jeffery stepped toward his safe, unlocked it, and retrieved a thin metal box—a box that had been untouched for years. Roman’s eyes brightened with immediate intrigue.“What is that?”Jeffery held it tightly. “Proof.”Roman smirked. “Proof of what?”Jeffery met his gaze directly.“Proof that the Morrelo family isn’t as untouchable as they t
Retrievement
Chapter 177The video played in Alexander’s private server room—an underground chamber only three people had access to: Alexander, Matias, and Luca.The footage from Jeffery’s office projected onto the main screen.Alexander stood completely still, hands behind his back, eyes fixed on the screen as Roman picked up the photo of Leonardo and smirked.Matias muttered a curse. “They truly have no fear.”Luca stepped closer, lowering the volume. “Boss… this is the final proof. Jeffery and Roman working together. And whatever is in that metal box… it concerns your uncle, your father friends.”Alexander said nothing.But his jaw clenched so tightly that the muscles in his cheek twitched.Leonardo Morrelo was the one person Alexander respected unconditionally. The man who mentored him, who guided him, who protected him when he has nobody abroad in a strange country. The only person he trusted with his life.And Jeffery had targeted him.Matias exhaled quietly. “Boss… we need to tell Leonardo.