Chapter 382 Satisfying Justice
"What the hell did I do? Why are you investigating me?" Andrew yelled.
He was sure he hadn't done anything wrong and was feeling pretty cocky.
The inspector cut to the chase, "You leaked trade secrets. Come with us for questioning."
"What trade secrets? When did I leak anything..." He suddenly went stiff.
In a flash, he remembered handing over the Lockhart Group's proposal to Dominic.
A shiver ran down his spine.
Goosebumps popped up all over, and his confidence vanished.
"What's going on?" Theodore got up and walked over.
As the chairman of the Lockhart Group and Andrew's uncle, Theodore couldn't just sit back and watch.
The inspector looked Theodore in the eye and said, "We got a tip from a Lockhart Group employee saying Andrew leaked your trade secrets. The evidence is solid, so we need to take him in for questioning."
"A Lockhart Group employee?" Theodore was clearly shocked.
He had no clue who had ratted out Andrew or what exactly was reported.
"It was me." Cecilia strolled over and said to Theodore, "I reported him."
"What did you report me for?" Andrew, trying to keep his cool, shouted, "You just can't stand me, right? You just want me out of the Lockhart Group! Just say it straight up, no need for all this drama. I'll leave! I'll leave right now!"
As he spoke, Andrew made a move to leave.
He was probably freaking out.
But just as he took his first step, the inspectors blocked his way.
"Andrew, don't you admit what you've done?" Cecilia asked, her words sharp.
"I did nothing! You're framing me, trying to get rid of me! Cecilia, how can you be so evil, so malicious? No matter what, I'm still your cousin. We're family, and you still set me up like this!"
Cecilia sneered.
She didn't care about Andrew's accusations at all.
She turned to the inspectors, "Can you give me ten minutes to explain everything? Otherwise, I might be condemned by everyone."
The inspectors hesitated for a moment and then agreed, "Okay."
"Thank you." Cecilia smiled gratefully.
Slowly, she walked to the podium, plugged a USB drive into the computer, and the high-def projector in the conference room showed a video of Andrew stealing from Rose's office safe. The video clearly showed Andrew opening the safe, taking out a USB drive, and then leaving in a hurry.
The room erupted in shock.
Andrew's face went pale with fear when he saw himself in the video.
He never expected there to be a hidden camera. He thought he had disabled all the cameras that day, but he missed the one under the desk aimed right at him.
Andrew was so scared he couldn't say a word.
He was utterly speechless.
Everyone stared at Andrew, not believing he would do such a thing.
What good did it do him to pull a stunt like this?
Was it just to frame Cecilia?
If so, he was too malicious.
For his own gain, he completely disregarded the company's well-being.
Just a minute ago, Hank was praising Andrew for his maturity and responsibility, but now it was just plain embarrassing.
"The inspectors also got the Kingsley Group's proposal through legit means. Their proposal is almost a carbon copy of ours. You wouldn't notice at first glance, but dig a little deeper, and it's clear as day it's plagiarism. And that 1.9 billion dollar bid? No coincidence," Cecilia told the board members. "More importantly, I've got records of Andrew's transactions with the other party. I don't want to hold up the inspectors, so I won't play them here."
Cecilia didn't beat around the bush.
She pulled out the USB drive and walked over to the inspectors in front of everyone. "Thanks for your hard work."
The inspectors gave a slight nod, then they took Andrew away.
Andrew was freaking out, totally unable to accept what was happening.
He should've been celebrating, how did he end up getting busted?
Cecilia had been their pawn.
How did she flip the script on him?
If he went to jail, his life would be over.
Andrew resisted, shouting, "Don't arrest me. Theodore, help me!"
Theodore watched them go, but in the end, he said nothing.
His face was grim too.
Theodore never thought Andrew would pull something like this.
Even if Vincent wanted the Lockhart Group so bad, he wouldn't be dumb enough to leak the company's secrets.
Andrew was a real idiot!
The conference room went dead silent after Andrew was taken away.
The silence was super awkward.
After all, a bunch of people had just accused Cecilia.
Their accusations were pretty harsh.
Hank was clearly at a loss for words.
He stood there, wanting to say something but couldn't get a word out.
Ignoring him, Cecilia addressed the board members, "I only got this video today. Rose stumbled upon it while checking her surveillance footage. I reported Andrew to the inspectors not out of spite. I didn't want to let him off just because we're family. If we don't teach him a lesson, he'll never get how serious this is! More importantly, this isn't just about the Lockhart family; it concerns the thousands of employees in the Lockhart Group. If I let Andrew off, it would be irresponsible to the company. So, Dad, don't blame me for acting without your consent."
Theodore looked at Cecilia.
Her words made him admire her.
On one hand, she took the heat for reporting Andrew, avoiding any gossip that he, as an uncle, was ruthless to his nephew. On the other hand, she explained why Andrew had to be arrested, emphasizing that anyone breaking the law should face consequences. The Lockhart Group wouldn't play favorites. Plus, it served as a warning to others that the Lockhart Group would be impartial even with family members, let alone others.
A triple win.
Theodore even wondered if Cecilia was really just 22 years old.
How could a 22-year-old be so sharp and thorough?
Theodore thought about how Cecilia had been cornered by the board members just a moment ago.
With this sudden turnaround, he felt a great sense of satisfaction!
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