Reborn as Mr.CEO's Fat Wife-Chapter 947: Director Locke’s Counterattack

Bertha Swift stared at the official Twitter post from the "Wilderness" program team. It was only a few hundred words, yet she had read it dozens of times, as if trying to glean something different from the statement.

But there was nothing. No matter how she read it, it was clear—Adam Piers and the actress Zoe Thatcher had fallen off West Mountain, their fate still uncertain.

Fate still uncertain...

BANG!

As Bertha gripped her phone in a daze, a loud bang rang out from outside, startling her already frayed nerves. She stiffened, then bitterly tried to console herself—she had nothing to do with that man in the first place. Even if something had happened to him, what did it have to do with her?

Trying to comfort herself this way, Bertha got up, pretending nothing was wrong, and walked toward the kitchen. No matter what others were going through, she still had to live her life. In her current position, she didn’t even have the privilege of being heartbroken.

But just as she was about to reach the kitchen, Bertha couldn’t help but stop in her tracks. "Are you going on a trip?"

The girl creating all the noise earlier had a suitcase in hand. Upon hearing Bertha’s question, she looked surprised, then spoke in an unusually gentle tone, "I’m going to West Mountain. I’m going to find Master Piers!"

Bertha’s body stiffened. "You... you’re going to find him?"

"Yeah, haven’t you seen the news? The program team said Master Piers is in trouble. My friends and I don’t believe it, so we’re heading to West Mountain to find him..." The girl’s voice started to choke with emotion.

Bertha glanced at her eyes, then at the suitcase. "The program team won’t let you, will they?"

"So what? Unlike Brian Joule, Master Piers doesn’t have a massive fan base. He only has us, his new fans. If even we don’t care about him, who will?" the girl said angrily, her face showing her indignation. "Of all the people, it had to be our Master Piers and the least noticeable Zoe Thatcher who got into trouble. The program has been covering this up instead of letting everyone know—there’s definitely something fishy going on!"

After speaking, the girl dragged her suitcase and stormed out without engaging in further conversation with Bertha.

Bertha thought to herself mockingly, that man hardly needed fan support when he had the entire Piers family behind him.

But as she watched her roommate about to close the door, she suddenly blurted, "I’ll go with you."

Bertha was momentarily surprised by her own words.

"Huh?" The girl thought she had misheard.

"The weather around West Mountain is bad. It’s not safe for a girl to go alone. Let’s go together," Bertha quickly adjusted her emotions and repeated.

The girl looked incredulous. "You’re not secretly a fan of Master Piers too, are you?"

"Me? A fan? No, I..."

"Don’t deny it. Our Master Piers is so handsome. Being his fan isn’t embarrassing. I’ve lived with you for so long, and this is the first time I’ve found you kind of adorable." Bertha was about to explain, but the girl cut her off. She clicked her tongue twice at Bertha, looking at her as though she’d discovered a treasure.

Feeling awkward, Bertha gave up on defending herself. "So, can I go with you?"

"Of course! Go pack your things quickly. We need to protest on-site, or who knows if those heartless program people will abandon Master Piers," the girl urged her.

Bertha murmured an acknowledgment. She returned to her room, put on a thick coat, wrapped herself tightly, grabbed a backpack, and set out with her roommate Maria White toward the airport.

At first, Bertha worried they might not be able to get tickets. Surprisingly, Maria somehow found a scalper who handed over tickets once they arrived at the airport, though the price was one and a half times the normal fare.

After transferring the money, Bertha checked the balance on her phone, her brow twitching in irritation. But there wasn’t time to think; Maria hustled her onto the plane in a whirlwind.

...

West Mountain.

Brandon Piers arrived directly at West Mountain in a private jet, along with the latest cutting-edge product from ROSE Technologies.

As soon as he disembarked, he got into a vehicle sent ahead by the program team.

When Brandon reached West Mountain, it was exactly 6:30 PM, three and a half hours since Adam Piers and Zoe Thatcher fell.

As soon as Brandon entered the visitor center, he saw David Locke and a few others waiting inside.

Simon Baker had heard about the legendary Master Brandon. Even so, he couldn’t help being momentarily startled by his presence. But there was no time for admiration; he hurried forward, beginning to explain and apologize profusely.

Brandon wasn’t there to listen to useless chatter. He gestured for Simon to stop. "Director Locke has already briefed me. Finding them is the priority."

With that, a man stepped out from behind Brandon, found a seat, and began setting up a laptop.

Before long, Assistant Kelvin Max also walked in. "Master Brandon, the equipment has been deployed."

"Good," Brandon nodded, then turned to David Locke and Mary Scott. "The drones are in the air. We’ll have results within half an hour."

His words caused the entire visitor center to hold its collective breath. There was both anticipation and anxiety in the air.

Everyone hoped to find Adam and Zoe alive, but they also dreaded discovering their bodies.

After speaking, Brandon placed several calls while the tech specialist he brought along continued typing away on the keyboard.

The wait was excruciatingly slow, but twenty minutes later, the young, aloof-looking specialist suddenly looked up. "Master Brandon, I’ve found them."

With one sentence, everyone’s nerves tightened further.

Mary instinctively grabbed David’s hand.

David patted the back of her hand gently. "They’ll be fine," he reassured her.

Mary didn’t respond. She only stared at the young specialist.

The man typed rapidly once more. Under the burning gazes of the crowd, he finally said, "Life signs detected. They’re alive, Master Brandon."

Whoosh!

Hughes’ remark caused a wave of relief in the room as everyone’s eyes widened in excitement.

Brandon promptly ordered, "Send the coordinates to the police."

"Right away," Hughes replied, swiftly taking care of it.

Soon, the roar of helicopters resonated outside once again.

This time, ambulances also rushed in, parking where the helicopter was slated to land.

After roughly thirty more minutes of anxious waiting, the helicopter returned. Simon received a call from the police: Adam and Zoe had been found.

Simon shouted the news excitedly, and everyone rushed to the landing site.

By the time they arrived, Adam and Zoe had already been loaded into separate ambulances.

Mary, seeing Adam and Zoe hooked up to oxygen masks, finally let her suppressed tears overflow.

David, sensing Mary’s emotions, pulled her into a comforting hug. "Don’t cry. They’ll be all right," he said gently.

Mary nodded as tears streamed down her face, but her heart remained tightly clenched!

Soon, Adam and Zoe were rushed to the nearest hospital for emergency treatment.

The medical facilities near West Mountain were subpar. Fortunately, Brandon’s meticulous planning included bringing along a team of specialists from the Piers family hospital.

After over an hour of surgery, the two finally turned a corner, escaping life-threatening danger.

When the surgeons emerged and delivered their update, a collective sigh of relief swept through the room.

Mary wiped her face vigorously. David turned to her with a soft smile. "It’s over."

"Mm," Mary nodded, only then noticing Simon collapsed on the floor in the hallway. His face was ashen. Of everyone, Simon had likely endured the most nerve-racking day.

Adam and Zoe were soon moved to separate hospital rooms.

Mary pushed David into one of the rooms and listened closely to the doctor’s reports on the two. Once they were assured no lasting harm had been done, she finally felt the weight lift from her chest.

Leaving the room, David turned and softly told Mary, "Wait for me here."

He wheeled himself over to Brandon. "Thank you for everything today, Master Brandon. If you ever need anything in the future, just say the word."

Brandon’s gaze flicked to David’s injured leg. "Don’t worry. I won’t hesitate to ask when the time comes." Checking the time, he added, "Now that things are stable, I’ll head back. Better to leave before the old man starts worrying. I’m leaving this in your hands for now."

"Understood," David answered decisively.

Without lingering, Brandon left the specialists behind and departed quickly.

On his way out, he crossed paths with James Jerome, Stella Murray, and Brian Joule, who had arrived upon hearing the news. The two men were calm, but Stella was visibly shocked. She brushed past Brandon with her mouth slightly agape and didn’t recover for quite some time, until James snapped her out of it with a pat. "Was that Swallow City’s most handsome man, Master Brandon? No wonder he has such a reputation," she murmured.

"Sure, he’s good-looking, but must you act like such a fangirl? Your new partner Brian is standing right there," James said scornfully.

Brian laughed. "Master Brandon’s charm is undeniable. I concede completely."

Stella patted Brian. "You’re handsome too, but Master Brandon is something else..."

She trailed off, her gaze following Brandon’s retreating figure.

James, unable to stand it anymore, dragged Stella quickly inside.

On their way, they heard that Adam and Zoe were out of danger. Their moods lightened considerably.

Reaching the hospital room, Mary placed a finger to her lips, signaling them to be quiet. "The doctor said they won’t wake up until tomorrow. Let’s not disturb them for now."

Hearing that Adam and Zoe were safe for sure, the last traces of worry in their hearts faded.

But while Adam and Zoe were out of immediate danger, the situation was far from resolved.

After collapsing to the floor earlier, Simon got up and began making calls to Assistant Director Ernest, ordering him to arrange for PR to release updates about Adam and Zoe’s rescue and condition.

Meanwhile, Mary, Lambert Norman, and a few others had to head to the police station to give statements.

David wanted to follow Mary, but she stopped him, turning to Martin. "Take Director Locke to get his leg checked."

"There’s no need. My leg—"

"You don’t want me to constantly worry, do you?" Mary interrupted him. Earlier, she had been so preoccupied with Adam and Zoe that she hadn’t paid attention to David’s injury. Now that the two were stable, she couldn’t bear to let him run around unnecessarily.

Watching Lambert Norman quietly walking behind Mary, David felt a pang of discomfort. But knowing his persistence would only make Mary worry, he reluctantly relented. "I’ll come pick you up later."

"Okay," Mary agreed without argument.

David’s expression softened, but as he watched Mary and Lambert leave together, a sour taste rose unbidden in his mouth.

Martin stepped in to block his view. "Director Locke, let’s go get your leg checked."

"Mm," David grunted, following Martin begrudgingly.

Witnessing the whole scene, James, Stella, and Brian felt their eyes burn. They had just one question in their minds: Was this really the same David Locke, known in the industry for being aloof and scandal-prone?

Apparently, rumors couldn’t always be trusted.

After taking an X-ray, David had to wait half an hour for the results. But he didn’t sit idle during that time.

"Leak the information," he instructed Martin, checking the time as he sat in the clinic’s modest hallway.

"Understood," Martin replied, typing furiously on his phone for a while before sending the news to a few media outlets.

Those outlets quickly released explosive dirt about Charlotte Leigh—allegations ranging from her escorting services during her school years to explicit photos involving investors and evidence of her sabotaging other actresses in the same agency. The revelations were endless, each more shocking than the last.

The public, who had just relaxed with the news of Adam and Zoe’s safety, began directing their anger toward the program team. Simon had been trying to steer the narrative in a positive direction by working with several media outlets, but the impact of the incident was too great for effective damage control. Just as he was starting to despair, Charlotte Leigh’s scandal suddenly took the internet by storm.

Although Adam and Zoe were currently trending, they were only minor celebrities at best. Now that their safety was assured, their story couldn’t compete with the explosive sexual misconduct of a well-known actress, especially one like Charlotte Leigh, who had cultivated a sweet and innocent image.

The scandal spread like wildfire.

Netizens quickly shifted their attention, swarming to dissect and comment on the revelations.

Some opportunistic media outlets took the opportunity to amplify the buzz even further.

When Charlotte first heard about the program incident, she had been in a great mood. However, upon learning that it was Adam and Zoe who had fallen instead of Mary Scott, she cursed Duke Blue for being useless. She tried calling him, but his phone was mysteriously off.

This irritated Charlotte to no end. What she wanted was for Mary to disappear, not Adam or Zoe. Then again, she figured that with Adam and Zoe in trouble, the show would have to halt production. She planned to capitalize on the momentum to paint Mary as a bad omen. Once the label stuck, Mary’s career would be over.

Charlotte’s plans were well-crafted. She was simply waiting for the program team to announce that Adam and Zoe had perished before launching her campaign. Instead, all she got was news that Adam and Zoe had been rescued. Frustrated, she was about to vent her anger when her phone suddenly started vibrating incessantly.

Confused, Charlotte checked to see it was Twitter, but the flood of notifications jammed her phone. Instead of loading, it froze and crashed.

A foreboding sense of dread washed over her. She restarted the device, muted the notifications, and opened it again. But as soon as she saw the content, her grip tightened in terror. Most of the messages were insults—vulgar and cruel. Words she had never encountered in her carefully maintained public persona.

When she finally turned to the trending topics, her heart skipped a beat. Her name was at the top, marked with a glaring red "HOT."

Charlotte stared, stunned. Despite having trended before, she had never ranked this high. The mix of shock and fear made her hands tremble as she clicked the headline. One glance, and her vision darkened. Staring at the explicit photos and damning accusations, she muttered, "Impossible... This is impossible..."

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