Chapter 499 Is the Salary I Give You Not Enough?
Aurelia had tried to invite Joe and Nathaniel to dinner a few days ago, but Joe had flat-out refused.
She never imagined that just a few days later, the two of them would be sitting together peacefully, even serving her food.
Since they had important business to attend to later, no one drank any alcohol during the meal.
During dinner, Joe's assistant called.
"Mr. Semona, the plane is ready at the outskirts, but the weather's changed. We're not sure if Ms. Semona can leave tonight."
Joe glanced outside. Sure enough, thick layers of dark clouds had rolled in, casting a gloomy atmosphere over the city. It seemed unlikely they could leave tonight.
"Let's leave tomorrow. Safety first. Inform the hospital to keep the heart preserved without any mishaps."
"Understood, Mr. Semona."
Joe was on the phone, and Aurelia overheard most of the conversation.
"Can't we fly tonight?"
"Let's leave tomorrow. It's not safe to fly in this weather. You should get some rest."
Joe's eyelid twitched as he continued, "I have some matters to handle later. You..."
Nathaniel cut in, "I'll stay with her. Don't worry."
Joe didn't say anything, which was as good as giving his consent. Somehow, he had come to trust this troublesome man enough to leave Aurelia in his care.
Joe was indeed swamped with work, taking several calls during the meal. After the last call, he grabbed his coat from the rack.
"I have an urgent matter to attend to. You two take your time."
Joe hurried downstairs with his phone, and his assistant called again.
"Mr. Semona, we've found out. It is Nathaniel's uncle, Thaddeus Heilbronn. He is the one who colluded with the suppliers, took kickbacks, and sent defective materials to the site. He's been working as an engineer in our company. We were careless in our hiring..."
Joe's brow furrowed deeply.
"First, reassure the workers' families. Compensate them properly. No half-measures."
"Mr. Heilbronn, the families are collectively suing us for wrongful death. Just paying them off might not resolve the issue."
Joe's patience was wearing thin.
"Money alone can't solve this. Can a life be fully compensated with money? I said to pay as a gesture of goodwill. We need to give the families a proper explanation. After the incident, how did the project manager handle it? Why didn't they call an ambulance first to save lives, but instead block the site, trapping vehicles outside? Were they trying to cover up the news or block the injured workers' chance of survival?"
"Mr. Semona, the project manager, Cyprian Drostan, resigned in disgrace. No one is handling the mess right now."
"You call that resigning in disgrace? That's fleeing from guilt. Two workers could have been saved, but his actions delayed the rescue, costing their lives. Find Cyprian and hold him accountable.
And what about Thaddeus? Did he run too?"
"He tried to flee abroad to his sister but was caught at the airport. He's now detained at the site."
"Keep a close watch on him. I'm heading over."
Joe quickly arrived at the accident site.
He had personally inaugurated this project, and acquiring the land had taken considerable effort.
The last time he was here, the place was buzzing with activity. Now, it was as silent as a graveyard. After such an incident, even if the building were completed and sold cheaply, no one would buy it.
The driver handed him a hard hat, and he put it on as he walked in. The shouts from the site echoed around him.
Joe reached the small temporary shelter for the workers and pushed the door open.
The shouting stopped abruptly.
Thaddeus had been locked up here for a day and a night without a bite to eat. He was more terrified of being held accountable for the four lives lost.
He had called his sister for help, and she had bought him a ticket to flee. But he was caught at the airport and brought back to the site.
Seeing Joe enter, Thaddeus was extremely nervous. He was always a coward.
"Mr. Semona?"
Thaddeus steadied himself, remembering his sister's advice. He couldn't admit to anything; admitting would make him Joe's scapegoat, thrown out to take the fall.
"Mr. Semona, you have to believe me. I was deceived too. I didn't know those materials were defective when I approved them. If I had known, I would never have signed off on them."
Joe's eyes narrowed, his voice cold.
"Thaddeus, why did you run? Isn't the salary I pay you enough?"
Thaddeus started trembling, his voice shaking.
"It's enough, Mr. Semona. Do you still not believe me? I don't need money. I didn't take a single cent in kickbacks. You know, the president of the Heilbronn Group is my nephew. I don't need money. His holiday gifts are enough to last me a year. I wouldn't do something so heartless."
Joe's brief goodwill towards Nathaniel vanished. He wondered how someone as upright as Reed could have a grandson like Nathaniel. Now he knew why.
Their family hadn't chosen good spouses. As an uncle on mother's side, this guy was such a bad influence on Nathaniel that the Heilbronn family heir was a lost cause.
"Thaddeus, where did that large sum of money in your account last month come from? Don't tell me it was a gift from your nephew."
Thaddeus felt uneasy. For someone like Joe, there were no secrets, and his bank transactions had probably been thoroughly investigated.
Thaddeus steadied himself, his mind filled with his sister's advice.
"Mr. Semona, you're right. That money was from my nephew, so I can buy a car."
Joe snorted. "Enough with the lies. I've already reported this to the police. They'll investigate. Until you're taken away, stay in this room, apologize to the souls outside, and repent. Don't think about escaping. You won't get away."
Thaddeus felt drained, collapsing to the floor. "Mr. Semona, I made a mistake. Don't treat me like this. I've worked for the company for eight years, given my best years. You can't treat an employee like this for one mistake. As the boss of a large company, shouldn't you protect your subordinates when something goes wrong?"
Joe's patience for stupidity was running out. He felt like talking to Thaddeus was lowering his IQ.
"Your greed cost lives, ruined my project, and caused a $200 million loss for the company. And now you want me to protect you? Where do you get the nerve?"
Thaddeus was stunned, his mind racing for a way out.
His only hope was his sister, but she was abroad on vacation and wouldn't be back soon. He had only one option left.
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