Chapter 824: Straightforward

Chapter 824: Straightforward

Ayan lifted his gaze and coldly met Rex's eyes. Indifferently, he asked,

"So, are you going to say it or not? If you're not going to, then leave. I'm

busy.”

Rex was taken aback by the question.

He widened his eyes and stared at Ayan without blinking, saying,

"Ayan, you're giving off some vibes of a scumbag changing his mind.

I've already taken the initiative, so what else do you want from me?"

Ayan let out a soft snort. “You took the initiative, but for what purpose?"

"What purpose could I possibly have? Ayan, don't overthink it. I'm a

good person,” Rex replied calmly. “You absolutely can't guess what I've

found out.”

Rex started teasing, hesitating to speak, and looked at Ayan. He

walked to the coffee table, picked up a cup of coffee, and said in a cold,

detached voice, "I'll tell you something you absolutely can't imagine.

Preston and Eileen both came from the same orphanage. I've putin a

lot of effort to investigate this matter in Flento City. I found out that

Preston was adopted from the orphanage by the Walker family. Then I

traced back to his orphanage and conducted an investigation. I also

discovered information about Eileen's parents going to adopt her. At

first, I didn't think there was any connection with Eileen. It was just that

I found her parents’ names familiar, so I had someone check it out.

Unexpectedly, there really was a connection with Eileen. I specifically

inquired about Eileen's parents’ former neighbors. They couldn't have

children, so they adopted Eileen when she was three or four years old.”

"They both came from the same orphanage?"

"Yes."

Ayan narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of cold indifference flickering in

his gaze. It was unclear what he was thinking.

Seeing his lack of response, Rex asked in confusion, "What's wrong?

Ayan, say something! What are you thinking?"

Ayan calmly replied, "They have been plotting together all along. This is

a secret Eileen refuses to reveal. She considers it her trump card and

doesn't want to use it so easily, otherwise, Preston would be worthless

to her."

Rex's face also turned serious. He said, "Ayan, are you implying that

Eileen knows Preston's secret? And her reason for not telling you is to

hold this as a final trump card to threaten Preston?"

"More or less. But even Preston won't reveal the truth to his own

cousin, Sean. We still can't be sure about what Eileen knows."

"So?"

"So, I need you to focus and thoroughly investigate this matter."

Ayan leisurely stood up from his office chair, took slow steps towards

Rex, raised his hand, and lightly patted Rex's shoulders. A faint smile

played at the corners of his mouth, carrying a deep meaning.

Rex immediately caught on and exclaimed, "Ayan, isn't this a bit unfair?

After all, I'm the CEO of Ward Group. Commanding me to do things like

this, shouldn't I be compensated?"

"What do you want?"

“I want the car you just got."

"Well, look who's asking."

Rex chuckled, "Kian said you had just gotten it, and I happened to

come at the right time. So, I'm taking advantage of the situation, right?"

"While I'd love to fulfill your request, I'm sorry to say that I've already

given the car to someone else.”

Rex was left speechless. "Given it away? To whom?"

"Well, definitely not to you," Ayan said with a faint smile. He turned

away, poured himself a drink, and took a few sips while keeping his

gaze fixed on Rex. "If you find out the truth about this, I'l double what

you want.”

"What do I want?" Rex laughed. "Do you even know what I want?"

"Well, it's either a car or a person,” Ayan replied casually, and Rex

simply smiled without saying anything more.

Their eyes met, and something unspoken passed between them. Just

like Camille and Sienna, they didn't always need to explain everything

explicitly; a single glance was enough to understand each other's

thoughts.

Having learned from Rex that Preston and Eileen came from the same

orphanage, Ayan tried not to reveal too much on his face, but many

emotions welled up inside him.

As soon as Rex left, Ayan immediately called Kian.

He explained the situation to Kian and said calmly, "I'll have Rex

investigate secretly, and you can investigate openly using my name. As

soon as we make even the slightest move, Preston will surely react.

Whether or not Rex can find something useful will depend on the

direction of your investigation and whether it can uncover Preston's

secrets.”

Kian nodded and asked softly, "Mr. Simpson, how can I make Preston

react more strongly?"

Ayan glanced at him impassively and said, "Or perhaps I should take

care of it for you?"

Kian quickly explained, "No need, no need. I just have a hard time

finding the right approach, so..."

"Regarding Louise's death, it's obvious that Sean is the one taking the

blame. You just need to use Sean to make Preston reveal himself.

Even if Sean doesn't know what Preston is up to, I don't believe he's

completely clueless. Besides, Sean has Elijah behind him, right?"

"I understand what you mean. Preston is now facing enemies on all

fronts. He pushed Sean into a corner, and even though the police

haven't caught anyone yet, they are investigating. As long as the

situation remains unclear, Sean will be carrying the blame. Preston

can't ignore that. The longer Sean goes without news, the more

anxious and helpless he becomes, and that's what Preston wants. But

if Sean receives any news, can Preston remain calm?"

“I don't know if he can remain calm, but what I want is for his inner

composure to turn into panic. He has already cut ties with Austin, so he

must have anticipated this day. He transferred all the projects he was

involved in to a company registered under his own name. His actions

are no different from ingratitude. So, let's make their relationship even

more strained.”

Ayan sneered lightly, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

Although Preston had no direct involvement in Camille's kidnapping,

Austin's actions were certainly related to him.

Ayan picked up the annotated acquisition documents and handed them

to Austin. "Give these to Jenson. After he reads them, he'll know what

to do.”

Kian agreed and said, "Mr. Simpson, should I contact Sean now?"

"Yes, let's start both of these tasks simultaneously. Don't give Austin

and Preston too much idle time. We don't want them to get bored and

do something detestable.”

Ayan gave his indifferent instructions.

Kian nodded again and immediately began to arrange the matter.

Around three in the afternoon, news of Norman Group's alleged

collaboration with prohibited substances spread like wildfire,

accompanied by undeniable evidence that left Norman Group with no

chance to respond.

Austin was already in the Norman family's car, personally driven by his

secretary.

He was the first to receive the news, and when he saw the evidence

that only a few knew about, he slammed his phone forcefully against

the car's center console, creating a loud collision sound. He couldn't

help but curse, "That damn Preston. How dare he conspire against me

and Ayan? I trusted him for nothing.”

Jeremiah had some doubts. "Mr. Norman, could this be unrelated to

Preston?"

"How is that possible? Only the three of us know about this. It couldn't

be you or me, right?"

Jeremiah quickly denied, "Of course not me, Mr. Norman. You've

known me for years. You know me well."

"Then it can only be him." Austin was convinced that Preston was

involved. He had introduced Preston to the cooperative party, and

nobody from Norman Group knew about the money he had earned

over the years, which was laundered through the company. Only

Preston knew. Who else could it be?