Chapter 260 The Truth of the Case
Cecilia's positive response video to all the employees of the Lockhart Group was instantly trending.
There were many comments, most of them praised Cecilia.
The most popular comment was: [Cecilia's life took off after she left Dominic!]
When Dominic saw this comment, he almost smashed his phone.
The comments below were a barrage of criticisms directed at him, with many saying he had held Cecilia back or was unworthy of her.
The woman who once hung on his every word and put him on a pedestal had transformed into a public sensation overnight.
Dominic still couldn't comprehend when Cecilia had started to change or when the gap between them had grown so vast.
He slammed his fist on the desk with a force that echoed through the large office.
Everyone in the office turned to see what had caused the commotion.
Feeling their stares and overwhelmed by his emotions, Dominic stormed out of the office.
He stepped onto the balcony of the office building, dialed a number, and asked sharply, "What's the status of Theodore's case?"
"It's set for court the day after tomorrow. So far, everything is as we prepared—witnesses, evidence—Theodore and Cecilia haven't made any moves."
"Has Henry been bribed?"
"Yes, he has," came the respectful reply. "The answer I just gave you is from Henry himself."
"Tell Henry to slack off during the trial. I want Theodore to rot in prison for life!"
"Understood."
Dominic hung up, his face gloomy with anger.
He thought, 'Cecilia believes she can challenge me—it is pure fantasy!
'I will show her what real disgrace and humiliation look like!'
Dominic composed himself before leaving the balcony.
After he left, a man emerged from a hidden spot.
Alaric stubbed out his cigarette, thinking, 'It is clear that Dominic is behind this.'
But Dominic had never been a real threat to him.
Alaric's goal was to trace the threads from Dominic to the real puppet master pulling the strings.
At 5:30 p.m., Cecilia was wrapping up for the day. The news of significant progress in the case had her on edge with excitement.
When she got home, Alaric arrived just moments before her.
"Any updates?" Cecilia asked directly.
"Ms. Lockhart, could I get a glass of water first?" Alaric raised an eyebrow.
Without a word, she turned and went to the open kitchen to pour him a glass of warm water.
Alaric took it, sipping slowly and deliberately.
Cecilia struggled to keep her impatience in check and forced herself to stay calm. "Can you tell me now?"
Alaric glanced at her, setting the water glass aside. "I've figured out why Charles and Wyatt wanted a $25 million off-the-books deal."
"Why?" Cecilia asked, her curiosity piqued.
Alaric said, his tone serious, "To seal the deal. The Flower Beach International land was valued at $45 million, but Theodore thought that was a bit inflated, so he was hesitant about the transaction. Charles, unable to finalize the deal at that price, told Theodore they had negotiated down to $25 million. Theodore must have thought it was a fair price, which is why he agreed to the contract."
Cecilia asked, "Why would Charles do that? I don't think he's the type to take such a risk for the company's benefit, sacrificing himself for everyone else."
Cecilia would never believe that Charles would use such an extreme method to achieve his goal just because he thought the land was worth buying. If he got caught, it would be a criminal offense.
"Of course not," Alaric said. "Think about it, what was the outcome of the project?"
Cecilia was stunned.
Suddenly, she realized.
"So, you're saying Charles used this extreme measure to push through the Flower Beach International project. Once the project was a go, the Lockhart Group would invest heavily, and the contractor William winning the bid might have been Charles' doing. Once William won, and the Lockhart Group's money flowed in, William would then skip town with the funds, sharing the spoils with Charles?"
"Exactly. Well done," Alaric praised her, his expression one of an approving elder.
Cecilia bristled at his patronizing tone but let it slide for the moment. "How did you find this out?"
"You asked me to keep an eye on William's every move. Instead of shadowing him, I decided to dig into his financial transactions. Despite his attempts to cover his tracks, it was still possible to trace several large payments from William's accounts to Charles'. And…" Alaric paused, a hint of intrigue in his voice.
Cecilia frowned, waiting for him to continue.
"Vincent," Alaric pronounced, each syllable deliberate.
"So, the Flower Beach International project was actually a scheme between Charles and Vincent!" Cecilia's expression revealed no surprise whatsoever.
Alaric nodded in confirmation. "Exactly."
"What I don't get is, if it's all in the past and they've already made out like bandits, why dig it up now? Aren't they afraid of getting caught and ending up worse off?"
Alaric said, "That's the thing. Someone's pushing this behind the scenes."
"Dominic doesn't have the clout to pull something like this off," Cecilia stated firmly. At this stage, Dominic was still a newcomer, not powerful enough to orchestrate such a scheme.
"So it's not Dominic?" she asked.
"No, Dominic has someone backing him," Alaric confirmed.
Cecilia froze. In her previous life, Dominic only started collaborating with the noble family after he was 28, three years later when he made a significant leap in his career.
Cecilia thought, 'Could it be that I've been deceived from the start?
'Is Dominic not marrying into the Lockhart family to gain their wealth but instead is acting under the noble family's orders to strip the Lockhart family of its fortune?'
The thought sent a shiver down Cecilia's spine. If this was the case, then the Lockhart family was already in the crosshairs of the noble family.
What she had thought was a matter of dealing with Dominic now seemed to be a battle against the noble family itself.
"What are you thinking?" Alaric asked, noticing Cecilia's troubled expression.
Cecilia snapped back to the present.
She thought, 'Some things I can't share with Alaric—he might not believe me anyway. Talking about being reborn will just make me seem like a lunatic.'
"I was just thinking if I've been misled by Dominic all along," Cecilia said, offering a half-truth.
"So Ms. Lockhart, you thinks there's still hope for Dominic to be good?" Alaric raised an eyebrow, clearly displeased.
She thought, 'He seems to be a bit too sensitive about the matter. Does he have to be jealous?'
Cecilia gave him a look, not wanting to waste time on trivial concerns. She refocused on the issue at hand. "So, Vincent is the real criminal here?"
He didn't have the capability to do this.
So it wasn't Dominic.
"Dominic has someone behind him," Alaric confirmed.
Cecilia was stunned.
In her previous life,Dominic colluded with the noble family after he turned 28, three years later when he had a significant rise in his career, and then he frequently interacted deeply with the noble family.
Cecilia thought,'Could it be?She had been deceived by Dominic from the start?
Dominic didn't use the Lockhart family's wealth to marry into the noble family; he was instructed by the noble family to take the Lockhart family's wealth?'
Thinking of this, Cecilia felt a chill.
If this was the truth, then the Lockhart family was already targeted by the noble family.
She originally thought that in this life, she only needed to deal with Dominic in advance.
Now it seemed that she was fighting against the noble family.
"What are you thinking?" Alaric asked, looking at Cecilia.
Cecilia snapped back to reality.
There were some things she couldn't tell Alaric.
Even if she did, he might not believe her.
Rebirth and all that, if she said it, she would be considered as a psycho..
"I was thinking if I've been deceived by Dominic all along," Cecilia made up an excuse.
"So, Ms. Lockhart thinks Dominic can still be saved?" Alaric raised an eyebrow.
He was clearly jealous.
She thought,'Could this man stop being so petty?'
Cecilia rolled her eyes at Alaric, not wanting to waste time on irrelevant matters. She brought the topic back, "So, Vincent is the real criminal!"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
