Christopher Martin uncovered the identity of the person pulling the strings behind the media the very next day. But the discovery left him deeply uneasy. Still, he knew he couldn't keep the truth from the CEO.
So, despite his discomfort, he laid out every piece of evidence before Liam Williams.
"A minister?"
Liam sat in his executive chair, his chiseled features cold and unyielding. His lips pressed into a thin, hard line. His left hand held the file while his right index finger tapped rhythmically against the edge of the desk. Once. Twice. Each tap seemed to strike at someone's nerves, making the air in the room feel heavy.
"Yes, sir. That's what the investigation revealed."
Under normal circumstances, Christopher would have offered his own analysis after delivering the report and discussed countermeasures with the CEO. But this was different. The person in question was the CEO's own brother. So Christopher kept his mouth shut. In his judgment, it was best for the CEO to decide how to handle this on his own.
After all, they were brothers.
Christopher thought the second young master's rebellious phase had come far too late. First, he had split Las Vegas Entertainment City from Pinnacle Corporation, turning it into an independent company. Then, during his solo entrepreneurial journey, he kept trying to poach his older brother's talent and clients. If that were all, Christopher might have considered it forgivable. He had even noticed that the CEO treated these moves as training for his younger brother. So sometimes, Christopher would deliberately step back, letting the second young master believe he had outsmarted his big brother.
But in reality, it was all just to boost the second young master's confidence.
This time, however, he had framed his sister-in-law. Even though the CEO and his wife were divorced, Christopher knew the CEO well enough to understand that this matter would not end quietly.
Watching the CEO's furrowed brow, Christopher knew he was genuinely furious.
The second young master was in for a rough time.
"What did you say? The project deal fell through? Wasn't it already settled?"
In the top-floor office of Las Vegas Entertainment City, a strikingly handsome man with mesmerizing eyes glared at his secretary.
The female secretary couldn't help shrinking back, instinctively pushing up her glasses. Only after steadying her nerves could she continue her report.
"It was settled, but yesterday Pinnacle Corporation offered twice our price. The other party chose to cooperate with them."
After saying that, the secretary nearly tucked her head into her shoulders, wishing she could become invisible.
"Big brother?"
Benjamin Williams slumped back into his seat, his chest heaving violently. He was still seething with anger.
But because someone else was in the room, he couldn't vent his fury. He didn't want to scare the woman sitting on the sofa.
"Leave us."
Amelia White, who had been sitting quietly on the sofa, spoke slowly to the bespectacled secretary. Her sweet voice was like music to the secretary's ears. The woman shot Amelia a grateful look before quickly exiting the office.
She was incredibly thankful that the young lady had come today. Otherwise, the office would have already turned into a disaster zone. Who knew if the CEO would fire her in a fit of rage?
"Second brother, this is all my fault. I think big brother must have found out that you asked the media to expose Emma Johnson's story. That's why he's teaching you this lesson. If big brother finds out I was involved, I'm afraid he'll punish me too."
Amelia set her coffee cup down on the crystal coffee table, her beautiful face filled with remorse. She no longer referred to Emma as her sister-in-law.
"What does this have to do with you? You were just telling the truth. Don't worry, I won't let big brother know you had anything to do with this. I can't believe that even after divorcing her, he's still defending a woman like Emma Johnson. It's incomprehensible."
Benjamin comforted Amelia, his voice filled with indignation.
While he had used the media to expose Emma's story to attack Pinnacle Corporation and give Las Vegas Entertainment City an edge, there was also an element of revenge for Amelia. He had already expressed strong dissatisfaction with Emma before. But back then, she was still his sister-in-law, and if he had moved against her, his big brother would have protected her.
Later, however, he learned from Amelia that Emma had ties to a criminal gang. Although he couldn't find any evidence, his brother had divorced her anyway.
That was when Benjamin decided to let the media expose Emma's secrets. But he never expected that even after the divorce, his big brother would retaliate against him like this for Emma's sake.
Benjamin didn't believe his brother had cut off their partnership because of fluctuations in Pinnacle Corporation's stock. He had done things that hurt Pinnacle's interests before, and his brother had never reacted. This time, it was clearly because of Emma Johnson.
Hearing Benjamin's reassurance, Amelia felt relieved. But she kept her face filled with worry and regret. In fact, she had to make the already furious Benjamin feel even more frustrated, forcing him to comfort her gently for a long time. Only then did Amelia allow herself to look slightly reassured. Benjamin personally drove her back to her coffee shop.
She didn't believe that even if her big brother punished the second brother for this, he could uncover the truth. The things that had already been exposed couldn't be covered up like water. This was exactly the effect she wanted. She had used the second brother's knife to let everyone know that Emma Johnson no longer had any connection to her big brother. And she herself had nothing to do with it. With the second brother's guarantee, her big brother would never know she was involved. She was still his beloved sister.
When the storm passed, she would continue to prepare for the future. She refused to believe she couldn't achieve the fantasy she had dreamed of since childhood.
Amelia stood at the door of her coffee shop, watching Benjamin's Rolls-Royce disappear down the street. Though her face still wore a sweet smile, her eyes were cold and devoid of any warmth.
But Amelia didn't know that when Liam Williams truly wanted to protect someone, he could use all his power to cover the sky with one hand.
While teaching his younger brother a lesson, Liam began exposing the dark secrets of those newspapers through other media outlets. He even revealed scandals involving bribery in political circles. The results of the court investigation were made public. Although the media played a role in shaping public opinion, the masses now had their own judgment.