Chapter 178
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178
Delilah watched the scene unfold and thought to herself , “ Look at them . They and so close . Aria must have been cheating all along
Still bitter about her own public embarrassment , she snapped a photo and sent it to Hannah , embellishing the story with every message .
When Hannah saw the photo , a secret sepse of satisfaction bloomed inside her . She wasted no time forwarding it to Liam ,
Hannah Liam , Delilah saw a familiar car during her roam . She swears she’s seen it at the Cole Manor . [
But Liam was knee – deep in disaster control , dealing with the fallout from the Cole Group’s factory explosion , too busy to check his phone .
“ How are the injured technicians ? ” Liam asked , voice clipped .
“ Two with minor injuries have already been discharged , ” his secretary replied . “ Three were closer to the blast – serious but out of danger
This year’s exam season was so tough it dominated online chatter , which barely managed to drown out news of the accident .
“ We’ve contained the story , but not from the Shaw Group . They’ve called multiple times . And … ” She hesitated . “ Several teams of factory workers have handed in their resignations . ”
Liam’s face darkened . “ Have we figured out the cause yet ? ”
“ It’s the new machines – they weren’t imported after all . Turns out , they were domestically produced by a start-up copying a design from Zhuoda . ”
Last time , shoddy lab equipment had caused a major precision error, so this time the Cole Group had been extra cautious , handpicking machines from Masmubia , a major research company , after expending huge effort on procurement channels .
Liam slammed his hand on the desk . “ Who was responsible ? ”
The secretary’s hesitation made sense now . “ Andrew . ”
Andrew
Liam’s uncle – well – connected , untouchable in the company hierarchy .
Rage exploded in Liam’s chest . “ Where is he ? ”
“ Daniel just arrived , Andrew’s in the conference room getting chewed out . ”
Liam stormed out .
Inside the conference room , Andrew protested , “ I’m innocent ! handed the matter to my assistant . I only signed the paperwork – I had no idea he’d switch suppliers ! ”
Daniel slammed the contract in his face . “ Three months ago , your account received one hundred million dollars . You swapped our machines for junk to make a secret profit , injured key technicians , and ruined the Cole Group’s reputation ! Do you even know what you’ve done ? Embezzlement Andrew ! A hundred million – enough to rot in jail for a lifetime ! ”
The Shaw Group had only ever barely tolerated working with the Cole Group . After the last precision debacle , they’d already voiced their discontent . This crisis was even worse – cooperation was hanging by a thread .
Daniel’s head throbbed with fury
Andrew had done his research – the machines were nearly identical , so he’d thought he was safe . The last thing he’d expected was an explosion .
The thought of jail made him desperate .
As soon as he saw Liam , Andrew dropped to his knees , clutching Liam’s pant leg . “ Liam , please – beg your grandfather formel I swear I’m innocent . I don’t know where that money came from – someone’s framing mel ”
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10:46 : Thu , 5 JUN
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Suddenly , he seized on a scapegoat . “ It’s Aria – it has to bet She’s always had it in for me , always said I wasn’t qualified to be a director , She wants to f the Cole Group with her own people . She must’ve set me up ! ”
Daniel , disgusted to his core , hurled a coffee pot to the ground . “ Call the police ! Get this bastard out of my sight ”
Andrew grabbed at Liam , frantic . “ Liam , I swear , I’m being framed ! ”
Liam wavered , unable to bear his uncle’s pitiful state . “ Grandpa , Andrew’s a PhD from a top university . He’s spent the last two years working tirelessly for the Cole Group , always managing the tech department , never making a mistake . Maybe this is a misunderstanding ) ”