Chapter 142 The Last Laugh
"Your schemes, Vivian—Alexander saw through them all from the very beginning."
Robert's calm declaration sent a chill through the room. I watched on the monitor as he turned to Vivian, whose face had gone deathly pale. The tension was palpable even through the surveillance feed.
"The items in the bookshelf's third-level cabinet—shall I retrieve them?" Robert asked, his gaze fixed on Vivian.
Vivian's eyes darted toward the surveillance camera, panic flashing across her face. "That's impossible!" Her voice cracked slightly, betraying her growing fear.
Everyone in the study followed Robert and Vivian's gaze, suddenly understanding what was happening. The atmosphere in the room tensed as the truth began to unravel.
"Emma is the youngest Master's graduate from NYU's Computer Security program," Amelia said slowly, her voice steady and proud. "And Alexander is a Sterling. Checking their own home surveillance system would be child's play for them."
Robert didn't give Vivian another chance to speak. He walked to the bookshelf with deliberate steps, opened the cabinet, and pulled out a hard drive. Vivian suddenly burst into hysterical laughter, the sound borderline manic.
"So what if you found it? This is just a backup! I've already sent all of Sterling Group's confidential files to another email address. If I go down, Sterling Group goes down with me!" Her eyes gleamed with a desperate triumph.
Robert plugged the hard drive into the computer and opened several files, examining them closely. From our monitoring position, Bill and I could see his shoulders visibly relax.
"What's that?" Daniel asked Robert, concern evident in his voice.
"Alexander was smart enough to anticipate this. These aren't Sterling Group's confidential files at all—they're just financial news articles from The Wall Street Journal published over the past year."
"What?! News articles?" Vivian rushed to the computer, staring at the screen in disbelief. Her hands trembled as she scrolled through the documents.
Without careful examination, the files did look like legitimate corporate documents. Robert, who read financial news daily, could easily recognize them for what they were.
"You tricked me!" Vivian suddenly pointed at the masked hacker, her finger shaking with rage.
"How did I trick you?" The hacker looked genuinely confused, sweat beading on his forehead. "I transferred and backed up everything on Alexander's computer as you asked. These are exactly what was on his system! I can't read this stuff—I was just following instructions."
"As I said," Robert stated coldly, "Alexander knew what you were planning from the moment you started plotting."
Robert took out his phone and dialed a number. Bill and I turned to look at Alexander, who was still sitting on the balcony, his silhouette outlined against the evening sky.
Alexander answered the call immediately. I couldn't hear what he said, but Robert's expression on the monitor changed dramatically. He remained silent for a long time before ending the call.
A few moments later, several people entered the study. I recognized them as Sterling Group's legal team.
They spoke briefly to Vivian, who slumped in defeat and signed a series of documents. Her hands moved mechanically, as if she'd already given up.
Alexander walked back inside from the balcony, positioning himself behind me as we continued watching the monitors.
Before Vivian was escorted out of the room, she paused and turned to Robert. "I just need to know one thing." Her voice had lost its earlier venom, replaced by a hollow resignation.
"I never loved you," Robert answered before she could finish her question. "If you hadn't drugged me that night, I would never have touched you. I married you only for the sake of your reputation, to take responsibility for your virtue."
His brutal honesty left Vivian speechless as she was led away, her shoulders slumped in final defeat.
---
"Alexander, did you acquire Robert's company for Sterling Group?" Bill asked, clearly surprised by this information that even he wasn't aware of.
"Robert will always be a member of the Sterling family," Alexander replied calmly, his voice betraying no emotion.
Bill and I exchanged glances. We had clearly heard the contents of the contracts Vivian had been forced to sign.
The first was Sterling Group's acquisition of Robert's company.
The second was the divorce agreement between Robert and Vivian, leaving her with nothing.
The third was a Sterling Group share transfer agreement—Alexander had given Robert 6% of the company's shares, making him the second-largest shareholder.
"Alexander, does this mean Robert is returning to Sterling Group starting today?" I sought confirmation, still processing the implications of what had just happened.
"Yes. Sterling Group has always been the Sterling family's enterprise; I can't monopolize it. Robert left originally because of Vivian. Today I helped him get rid of Vivian and facilitated his return to the group." Alexander's tone was matter-of-fact.
"What would you have done if Robert had chosen to side with Vivian instead of you?" Bill asked the question that had been on my mind, his voice cautious.
"I would have sent them both to prison," Alexander replied without hesitation. "For the rest of their lives."
I could see in Alexander's eyes that he was relieved he hadn't been forced to take that path.
---
"The rain has finally stopped. Can we leave this place tomorrow?" I asked, eager to escape the hotel where we'd been confined for three whole days.
"Probably not tomorrow," Alexander replied, taking my hand and leading me to the balcony. Looking down, we could see that although the rain had stopped, the streets remained heavily flooded.
"How is there still so much water?" I asked, noting a bus parked on the street with half its body submerged in murky water.
"After three consecutive days of torrential rain, it's a miracle this little island hasn't been completely submerged," Alexander shook his head, his expression grim.
"Alexander, where are we going next?" I looked up at him.
"Is there somewhere you'd like to go?" He wrapped his arm around me.
"I want to go to Mexico," I replied thoughtfully.
"Mexico?" Alexander gave me a puzzled look, his eyebrow arching in surprise.
"Yes, I have some business there I'd like to check on—I want to see what they're actually doing." I met his gaze steadily.
I had conducted several arms deals with clients in Mexico through darknet. I knew these clients' businesses weren't exactly legal, but I wanted to see firsthand what they were involved in. If American safety was at risk, I would immediately terminate cooperation with these individuals.
"Alright, Mexico it is," Alexander agreed after a moment's consideration. "I'll have more bodyguards sent from New York to meet us there."
"That won't be necessary. I'll have Isabella bring people to assist us," I shook my head. "Besides, we're just checking things out. Not like we're planning to do anything."
"Fine," Alexander conceded, not pressing the issue further.