Chapter 172
No.1
Evelyn's eyes turned glacial.
"Did the Lee family ancestors bless you with such eloquence?" Her soft chuckle carried venom. "No wonder your words reek of sewage."
"Evelyn Sinclair!" Melissa's face twisted. "You're dead!"
"The instigator bears the blame." Evelyn held her ground. "Focus on your work, Manager Lee. Soon you won't even qualify to count monopoly money."
As Melissa prepared to retaliate, Martha suddenly gasped, holding up her phone. "Impressive work, Financial Department! Exposing PetStar's scandal!"
"My investigation!" Evan Wells jumped forward. "Editor Sinclair and I worked on it separately!"
Melissa and Penelope Pope turned ashen.
No.2
Chaos erupted as the entire Financial Department scrambled to read the explosive report going viral.
"I never approved this!" Melissa shrieked.
Penelope grabbed Evan's arm. "When did you submit this?"
"During the two days you had us detained." Evan shook her off. "Emailed to the editor-in-chief. Problem?"
Melissa swayed, vision darkening.
"I'll sue you!" she screamed hysterically. "You've caused Horizon irreparable damage—"
Evan suddenly waved toward the entrance. "Cousin! She's threatening to sue me!"
No.3
"Cousin!" Evan Wells suddenly pointed at Melissa Lee, his voice trembling with indignation. "She threatened to sue me!"
Cousin?
The term made everyone freeze.
All eyes followed Evan's accusing finger to the tall figure standing at the doorway.
Julian Ashford.
How was he Evan's cousin?
......
No.4
Julian strode in with measured calm, his steady breathing betraying no trace of his earlier frantic dash.
Thirty minutes ago, he'd received word of his mother's sudden illness, summoned urgently to a suburban hospital.
But instinct told him something was off.
Midway there, his suspicions were confirmed—a deliberate distraction.
He'd turned the car around immediately while contacting Eleanor Kingsley.
Now, seeing Evelyn Sinclair unharmed, the knot in his chest loosened slightly.
"Julian, you must stand up for your aunt!" Evan's mother rushed forward. "That woman claims to be carrying Evan's child. Our family can't accept some questionable—"
No.5
"Proof?" Julian's icy interruption silenced her.
She faltered.
"You'll believe any rumor?" His sharp gaze cut through her. "Have you considered Evan's future with this spectacle?"
The Wells matriarch elbowed forward with a simpering smile. "What does it matter for a man? It's not like he's at a disadvantage—"
"If it's truly no consequence," Julian countered coldly, "then why stage this farce?"
He knew exactly who'd orchestrated this charade.
Were it not for family dignity, he'd expose his mother's scheme on the spot.
No.6
Mrs. Wells stammered, "Everyone says she's pregnant..."
"'Everyone'?" Julian's mocking eyebrow lift was lethal. "Are you a fool or a willing pawn? Remember—Horizon Media answers to me."
His words landed like a guillotine.
The Wells clan shriveled into silence.
Their boldness had stemmed from perceived backing.
Now facing true authority, their defiance evaporated.
"Julian..." Melissa's face drained of color.
No.7
She couldn't believe he'd personally authorized PetStar's exposé.
Nor that Evan was his cousin.
He'd never shared these connections, watching her humiliation unfold...
Julian's glacial stare swept over her.
He knew precisely who'd spread the rumors.
PetStar's corruption ran deeper than he'd imagined.
The so-called premium pet food company was a shell operation—its factory crammed with scrap metal, products outsourced from unlicensed manufacturers.