Chapter 228 Don't Forget About Alfred
As Sophia looked around, buried memories of the past flooded back, they were vivid and overwhelming. Joy and sorrow both swirled in her heart, every bit intertwined with Gabriel.
'Sophia, you've got to stop dwelling on this. Just think of this place as a normal house.' Sophia told herself.
"Grandma, you're home now, and I really should be heading out."
Sophia made haste to leave, but Madam clung to her hand. "Now that you're here, stay a bit longer. Keep me company and have a cup of coffee before you go."
"I..." Sophia began, but the earnest, tearing eyes of Madam softened her resolve, and she took a seat.
Gabriel retreated to his study and placed a call to Alex.
Alex’s report came swiftly.
"Miss Foster approached Mr. Black and Mr. Lewis... for help."
‘It was likely they aided Tiffany out of respect for her being his girlfriend.’
Gabriel furrowed his brow and commanded coldly, "Look into that therapist."
"Understood," Alex complied.
It wasn't the first time Tiffany had leveraged his influence for her benefit. He had often turned a blind eye to the trivial stuff, but this time, was she aiding a crime?
...
The evidence Caroline uncovered was harrowing. Videos of multiple girls violated by that therapist, among them was the daughter of the Jones Family. Upon seeing the footage, Mr. and Mrs. Jones were stricken with grief, tears welled but not shed, unable to watch beyond a few seconds.
Mrs. Jones nearly fainted.
Attorney Green couldn't bear it and snapped the laptop shut.
After a moment, he reassured them, "Don't worry. Once we prove that this current Zhao Liming is the same Andy from before, we will bring them to justice."
Mrs. Jones burst into tears, and Mr. Jones wiped his own, hugging his wife, comforting her with strokes along her back.
"I heard Tiffany's Counselling Room is run by Mr. Lancaster's girlfriend. Can we truly take on someone like Mr. Lancaster?"
Although Attorney Green held his doubts, he had to display conviction to his clients. "I'll do everything I can to help you win this case."
"Could they resort to harassing us again, like before?" the Jones couple asked worriedly.
"To prevent any trouble, it's best you move for now. Ms. Kelly has already rented a place for you."
Attorney Green glanced at his phone and smiled.
"Ms. Kelly just informed me of an anonymous donation to support your case, so have no fear."
Mr. Jones fell silent. He knew challenging Mr. Lancaster would be tough. Before seeing that video, they might have retreated for the sake of getting by. But now, fortified by their daughter's plight, they were resolute in seeking justice.
‘Why should the wicked roam free after their misdeeds?’
Mr. Jones made a tough call, "Mr. Green, if we release the video, will it reignite the public’s outrage? Can we leverage that to take down the richest man in the country?"
"We can try our best if you decide to release it,” Mr. Green said.
Releasing the video meant exposing the most painful aspect of the deceased, a move torturous for the Jones parents themselves.
Sophia was surprised by Mr. Jones's bold resolution.
All she had contemplated was presenting the video evidence in court once more, fighting to safeguard both the girl's privacy and her parents' dignity.
Now that matters had escalated, Sophia knew that she had to do everything in her power to aid the Jones family.
The video was quickly released to the public with blurred parts to protect identities.
At the same time, Ethan conquered a significant hurdle, uncovering evidence that proved Andy was indeed, Alex.
The police acted swiftly, arresting Alex. They caught him in Tiffany's office.
Tiffany saw the explosive video online and immediately called to have it taken down, but when she was told it was impossible, she invoked Mr. Lancaster's authority, only to hear, "Actually, it was Mr. Lancaster's people who tipped us off. Miss Foster, did you have a falling out with him?"
The implication was clear – had they broken up? The query was delivered with a veil of politeness.
Tiffany hurled her phone at Alex, who managed to duck.
She exploded in anger, "I told you to destroy that video! Why didn't you listen? How can I protect you now?"
"I did destroy it! I have no clue how it was recovered," Leo defended himself, feeling wronged but then suddenly remembered, "I might have uploaded it to a site once, but that site's been shut down for ages."
Did being shut down mean it couldn't reemerge?
Tiffany shook with rage, "Idiot!"
Then the police arrived.
"Who's Leo here?"
Turning around, the police instantly recognized his face.
They approached and subdued Leo on the spot.
Leo struggled in panic, powerless against the police officers who handcuffed him effortlessly, rendering him as helpless as a sitting duck.
As Leo was escorted out by the police, he turned back and silently mouthed a few words to Tiffany.
All color drained from her face, leaving her ashen. She slumped into a chair.
She understood what he meant when he said, "Don't forget about Alfred."
Alfred?
Alfred was dead, killed by Leo, at her behest.
Leo was threatening her!
If she didn't save him, he'd drag her down with him.
However, without the safety net of being "Gabriel's girlfriend," how could she possibly save Leo?
Tiffany recalled how she only ever discussed matters face-to-face with Andy. They had never conversed over social media.
Perhaps there was a flash of ruthless determination in Tiffany’s eyes.
Andy got arrested, and Tiffany's counseling center had to shut down.
The stock price of Lancaster Group, which was dragged down by her counseling center, it had been in the red lately. Someone seemed to be orchestrating a campaign, slamming her counseling center and, in turn, damaging Lancaster Group.
"Boss, we've found out that it's the CoreTech Group that’s behind Lancaster Group's downfall," one of the employees reported.
Was it CoreTech's doing? To use Tiffany as a pawn to take a hit at Lancaster?
It was a bold move indeed.
Tiffany's counseling center's demise wasn’t unjustified. If it weren't for CoreTech’s move, the Jones Family might never have gotten their well-deserved justice.
This time, Gabriel was deeply disappointed in Tiffany.
Gabriel acted, speeding up the review process of the case. Within a week, the court was in session. Andy was convicted based on incontrovertible evidence and received a life sentence.
Tiffany's counseling center closed for good while she fell ill with frustration.
At last, Mr. and Mrs. Jones had justice for their daughter. As they left the courthouse, they were overcome with grief and cried unreservedly, releasing the pent-up sorrow of over a year.
Gabriel was there in the courtroom as well.
When the parents stopped crying, Gabriel approached them.
Intimidated by his commanding presence, they stepped back.
Gabriel stopped, bowed deeply to them, and said, "I'm sorry. Had I known the truth earlier, I wouldn't have left it alone nor allowed it to continue for so long."
Gabriel felt a great deal of responsibility. Had he been more attentive back then, he might have noticed something was amiss.
Mr. and Mrs. Jones were stunned. Was the CEO of Lancaster truly apologizing to them?
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