Chapter 50 Identity Exposed

Howard and Valerie locked eyes, and a warm feeling surged through his heart. He smiled softly, the last bit of wariness he had towards Valerie melting away. He felt that this girl was so pure, deserving of his complete trust.

Meanwhile, Jasper grew increasingly suspicious that the figure he saw at the club last night was indeed Howard. Early in the morning, he rushed to the club, found the manager, and handed over a wad of cash, demanding to see the surveillance footage.

The manager quickly brought up the footage, and Jasper stared intently at the screen. The security guard noticed his intense expression and hurriedly explained, "Only these areas have surveillance."

Jasper stepped closer, pointing at a blacked-out screen, and questioned, "What's wrong with this camera?"

"It broke last night," the guard scratched his head, looking helpless. "It suddenly went out at the end of my shift, and we haven't had a chance to fix it yet..."

"Broke?" Jasper's suspicion deepened. Frustrated, he refocused on the other working screens.

Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. Jasper's eyes widened, and he shouted, "Stop!" The guard, startled, quickly complied.

Jasper stared at the screen, tapping the guard's shoulder, and coldly ordered, "Rewind fifteen seconds." The footage rewound quickly. He pointed at a spot on the screen, urgently asking, "Can you zoom in here?"

"Sure," the guard hurriedly operated the controls. As the image zoomed in, the face of the person being held became clear. Jasper let out a small sigh of relief, muttering, "It's Valerie."

Then... his gaze shifted to the person holding Valerie, his eyes narrowing. In Jasper's mind, there was an eighty percent chance that this figure was Howard! He recalled the previous suspicious encounters and the rapid cooperation between the two companies. A bold hypothesis quickly took shape in his mind.

Jasper eagerly took a photo of the surveillance footage. He then quickly dialed Hayden's number, his voice trembling with excitement, "Dad! I think Howard is faking his injury! He's perfectly fine!"

On the other end, Hayden was skeptical, scoffing, "A cripple has many inconveniences. If he were normal, he could achieve much more. Howard isn't stupid; why would he pretend to be injured?"

"I'm telling the truth!" Jasper was almost jumping with frustration. Suddenly, he remembered Valerie in Howard's arms, his eyes lighting up. He shouted, "That man was holding Valerie! If you don't believe me, we should start with Valerie. They're so close, and Howard has defied you for her multiple times. Doesn't that prove their deep relationship?"

Jasper grew more excited, feeling like a genius for uncovering this huge secret. He exclaimed, "If we expose their relationship, it will definitely impact Howard! At the very least, he won't stay silent if his girlfriend is criticized, right?"

"Enough." Hayden interrupted impatiently, his tone full of displeasure. "Stop wasting time with these wild ideas! Focus on your projects and shift the shareholders' attention from Howard to you. That's the right path. Forget the rest!"

Jasper's face turned red with anger. Just as he was about to retort, the call ended.

"Damn it!" Jasper fumed, raising his hand to smash his phone, but he stopped halfway, lowering it with a frustrated mutter, "Underestimate me, will you? I'll prove you wrong!"

In the Carter Group office, Howard had just finished handling several tricky projects. He rubbed his temples, taking a short break. Joseph walked over quickly, holding a tablet, and spoke softly, "Mr. Carter," he placed the tablet in front of Howard, lowering his voice, "Jasper spent money on surveillance, probably investigating you and Mrs. Carter."

Howard glanced at the screen, then looked away, responding indifferently. Joseph, puzzled, tilted his head and cautiously asked, "So, what are your next steps?"

"How is Valerie doing?" Howard didn't answer, instead asking, his gaze cool as he looked at Joseph. "Has she returned to Aurelia Holdings headquarters?"

Joseph shook his head honestly, replying, "According to our information, not yet. Samuel seems to have a bias against Mrs. Carter and is likely delaying the paperwork."

Howard let out a cold laugh, mocking, "Since when did Samuel have such a grudge against Valerie that he doesn't even want money?" Joseph didn't dare make a sound, silently lowering his head.

"Keep Jasper in the dark for now," Howard said after a moment of thought. "As for Valerie, I plan to come clean."

"Why do you suddenly want to tell Mrs. Carter?" Joseph's eyes widened in surprise. "Isn't there still time left in your evaluation of her?"

"She deserves it." Howard's brief response was like a heavy hammer, silencing all of Joseph's further questions.

At the Johnson Villa.

Laura locked herself in her room, seething with anger at the memory of Valerie slapping her in front of everyone. She clenched her fists, pounding the pillow in frustration, and screamed, "Damn it..."

But then she thought about her father signing the settlement agreement without her consent, and a wave of grievance washed over her. Laura's lips quivered, and she buried her face in the pillow, crying.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed with a message. She stopped sobbing, wiped away her tears, and picked up her phone. Seeing the information sent by her subordinate, Laura covered her mouth in shock.

She jumped out of bed, not even bothering to put on her slippers, and ran out of the room barefoot.

"Dad!" Laura shouted, her voice hoarse from crying. She ran from upstairs to the living room, hugging Paxton, who had just returned, and excitedly held up her phone, asking, "Howard, the president of the Carter Group?"

Paxton patted Laura's head, his cold voice tinged with helplessness and gentleness, "Yes, stay far away from him in the future."

Confirmed, Laura's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. The man she had always looked down on was actually the president of the Carter Group; and the woman she had despised, Valerie, was Mrs. Carter!