Chapter 178
Chapter 178
Delilah watched the scene unfold and thought to herself, “Look at them. They and so close. Aria must have been cheating all along
Still bitter about her own public embarrassment, she snapped a photo and sent it to Hannah, embellishing the story with every message.
When Hannah saw the photo, a secret sepse of satisfaction bloomed inside her. She wasted no time forwarding it to Liam,
Hannah Liam, Delilah saw a familiar car during her roam. She swears she’s seen it at the Cole Manor.[
But Liam was knee–deep in disaster control, dealing with the fallout from the Cole Group’s factory explosion, too busy to check his phone.
“How are the injured technicians?” Liam asked, voice clipped.
“Two with minor injuries have already been discharged,” his secretary replied. “Three were closer to the blast–serious but out of danger
This year’s exam season was so tough it dominated online chatter, which barely managed to drown out news of the accident.
“We’ve contained the story, but not from the Shaw Group. They’ve called multiple times. And…” She hesitated. “Several teams of factory workers have handed in their resignations.”
Liam’s face darkened. “Have we figured out the cause yet?”
“It’s the new machines–they weren’t imported after all. Turns out, they were domestically produced by a start-up copying a design from Zhuoda.”
Last time, shoddy lab equipment had caused a major precision error, so this time the Cole Group had been extra cautious, handpicking machines from Masmubia, a major research company, after expending huge effort on procurement channels.
Liam slammed his hand on the desk. “Who was responsible?”
The secretary’s hesitation made sense now. “Andrew.”
Andrew
Liam’s uncle–well–connected, untouchable in the company hierarchy.
Rage exploded in Liam’s chest. “Where is he?”
“Daniel just arrived, Andrew’s in the conference room getting chewed out.”
Liam stormed out.
Inside the conference room, Andrew protested, “I’m innocent! handed the matter to my assistant. I only signed the paperwork–I had no idea he’d switch suppliers!”
Daniel slammed the contract in his face. “Three months ago, your account received one hundred million dollars. You swapped our machines for junk to make a secret profit, injured key technicians, and ruined the Cole Group’s reputation! Do you even know what you’ve done? Embezzlement Andrew! A hundred million–enough to rot in jail for a lifetime!”
The Shaw Group had only ever barely tolerated working with the Cole Group. After the last precision debacle, they’d already voiced their discontent. This crisis was even worse–cooperation was hanging by a thread.
Daniel’s head throbbed with fury
Andrew had done his research–the machines were nearly identical, so he’d thought he was safe. The last thing he’d expected was an explosion.
The thought of jail made him desperate.
As soon as he saw Liam, Andrew dropped to his knees, clutching Liam’s pant leg. “Liam, please–beg your grandfather formel I swear I’m innocent. I don’t know where that money came from–someone’s framing mel”
17
10:46: Thu, 5 JUN
Chapter 178
Suddenly, he seized on a scapegoat. “It’s Aria–it has to bet She’s always had it in for me, always said I wasn’t qualified to be a director, She wants to f the Cole Group with her own people. She must’ve set me up!”
Daniel, disgusted to his core, hurled a coffee pot to the ground. “Call the police! Get this bastard out of my sight”
Andrew grabbed at Liam, frantic. “Liam, I swear, I’m being framed!”
Liam wavered, unable to bear his uncle’s pitiful state. “Grandpa, Andrew’s a PhD from a top university. He’s spent the last two years working tirelessly for the Cole Group, always managing the tech department, never making a mistake. Maybe this is a misunderstanding)”
