Chapter 1348

“Did Albert transfer the money?” asked Stella.

Xenia shook her head. “I don’t think so. He’s back, but he clearly looks troubled. It appears he’s reluctant to pay up. I overheard him on the phone with Sophia, and it sounded like they were discussing about shares.-

‘Shares?’ Stella pondered for a moment. ‘Could it be that Albert is exploring the idea of trading shares with Sophia to get the funds?’

She hung up the phone and frowned. “Can this recording be used against them?” she muttered.

With no response from the person beside her, she turned to find that Keegan was lost in thought. “Hey, I’m talking to you. What’s on your mind?” she nudged his arm and said.

“What did you say?” Keegan snapped back to reality and asked in a low voice.

“Why are you zoning out so early in the morning?” Stella complained before repeating herself.

After hearing her out, Keegan explained, “Recordings from wiretaps like this probably won’t hold up as direct evidence. But we can consult Ted about it later.”

Stella felt somewhat disappointed to learn that the evidence would not be admissible.

Keegan noticed this and reassured her, “Even if it can’t be used as primary evidence to press charges, this recording does validate your suspicions. Rainee’s car accident wasn’t an accident. It was a calculated murder. Our focus right now should be on gathering concrete proof.”

Stella realized that there was no need to rush. “Should we try to locate Walter?”

Keegan gently tapped his fingers on the leather seat. He considered the suggestion before he said, “Let’s give it a bit more time.”

Albert genuinely did not want to give Walter five million dollars. ‘How on earth am I going to support my son if I hand over the money? I haven’t even received a single cent from the 50 million dollars Keegan gave me,’ he thought.

Albert then weighed his options and devised a plan. He would negotiate with Sophia to sell a portion of the company’s shares to Ethan.

Sophia and Ethan had a good relationship. Even though they had only been together for a short while, the Shaw family was quite fond of the Jewell family and had a favorable impression of Sophia.

Sophia had been doing a good job in promoting Ethan’s career through her marketing articles and techniques as an influencer. Although the Jewell family could not compare to the prestigious families, their company had been performing well over the years, thanks to the support of the Kane family.

Furthermore, Albert only had a son and a daughter. If Sophia eventually tied the knot with Ethan, it was plausible that the company would be entrusted to her, given Hugo’s age.

When a person got married, they would become part of their partner’s family. Hence, Sophia’s belongings would likely be connected with the Shaws.

When news of Hylda’s affair came to light, the Shaw family learned from Sophia that Hugo was not Albert’s biological son. This revelation brought immense joy to the Shaw family because it meant that Sophia had become the sole heir of the Jewell family. As a result, the Shaws treated Sophia even better than before.

Currently, Sophia and Ethan were living together. They were deeply in love and were behaving like newlyweds.

Albert called when Sophia was goofing around with Ethan. She did not find Ethan’s looks particularly appealing, but he had a way with words and knew how to make women happy. Even though Sophia had a contractual relationship with the company, Ethan consulted her on all major company matters and introduced her as his partner.