Chapter 252

Chapter 252

Hearing those words, Gerald and Amanda exchanged a covert glance mid-air, their taut nerves instantly relaxing as they both breathed silent sighs of relief.

Two hours later, at the Martinez family's private hospital.

Under Amanda and Gerald's covert manipulation, a fresh DNA report proving Amanda's biological relationship to Augustus was respectfully delivered into Augustus's hands.

"Wonderful... wonderful!" Augustus gazed at the report through tears, pulling Amanda into his embrace and sobbing uncontrollably. "Delilah, I've finally found your child! Thank God!"

Amanda leaned against Augustus's shoulder, her lips curling into a triumphant, venomous smile.

Sophia, what do you have to fight me with now?

From today forward, I am Rivera family!

"Uncle, I'm not bitter. As long as I can be by your side, I can swallow any grievance," Amanda's voice choked with emotion, her performance flawless.

"Dear child, your uncle will never let you suffer even the slightest injustice again!" Augustus wiped away his tears, gesturing grandly with unquestionable authority. "From today on, you'll move into the Rivera estate! Your room has been prepared long ago. From now on, the Rivera family is your backing!"

Amanda's heart soared with joy, though she maintained an expression of grateful surprise, thanking him repeatedly.

That very afternoon, Amanda swaggered into the Rivera family's most heavily fortified estate.

Augustus's affection for this "recovered" niece was boundless. He arranged the most luxurious suite for her, assigned over a dozen servants and four personal bodyguards, ostensibly to "take excellent care of Amanda's needs and ensure she comes to no harm."

However, Amanda and Gerald completely failed to realize that this seemingly meticulous care was actually airtight surveillance.

From the moment Amanda stepped into the estate, her every movement, every phone call, every person she met fell entirely under Augustus's control.

With the snake-luring act complete, Augustus returned to his CEO office.

He settled into his expansive leather chair, his clouded eyes showing none of the excitement and affection from the recognition scene—only the cold calculation and decisive ruthlessness of someone long accustomed to power.

"Joe," Augustus pressed the intercom, his voice ice-cold. "Begin the operation."

Over the following days, a silent earthquake shook Rivera Group's foundations.

Gerald was swamped managing several core projects, shuttling endlessly between business dinners and conference rooms.

He believed this was his golden opportunity to completely control the Rivera family, unaware that Augustus was using his distraction to raise the blade of internal purification.

"Mr. Terry Foster has been suspended pending investigation for suspected embezzlement."

"Finance Director Xavier submitted his resignation yesterday—apparently there were issues with the books, and the chairman personally called him in for a talk."

"Several supervisors from the Southern Development Division have all been transferred to subsidiary branches..."

When these reports gradually reached Gerald's ears, he was reviewing documents in his office.

His pen froze mid-stroke, the sharp tip gouging a stark black line across the paper.

Gerald's pupils contracted sharply as intense uneasiness surged through him.

These people were all pawns he'd painstakingly planted in Rivera Group's core departments over the past two years! How could it be such a coincidence that Augustus had swept them all away at this critical juncture?

Had the old man discovered something?

Gerald couldn't sit still.

He immediately canceled his afternoon meetings, composed his expression, and knocked on the CEO office door.

"Dad," Gerald entered carrying a cup of coffee, his face wearing a warm, concerned smile. "You haven't been well lately, yet you're still worrying about company affairs. Please don't overwork yourself."

Augustus was reading reports through his reading glasses. Looking up, he wearily rubbed his temples. "Gerald's here. Sigh, I can't help but worry. Though I'm overjoyed to have found my sister's daughter, the company situation is still a tangled mess."

Gerald placed the cup on the desk, sighing with apparent casualness. "I heard Terry and Xavier have left the company? They were all veteran employees. With so many sudden departures, the staff are bound to feel unsettled. Dad, has something happened?"

Augustus set down his report and gave Gerald a penetrating look.

That glance seemed to pierce straight through to the soul, making Gerald's spine stiffen.

But quickly, Augustus withdrew his gaze, snorting coldly with frustration and disappointment. "Veteran employees? It's precisely because they relied on their seniority that they dared embezzle under my nose! That old Zhang—his hands weren't clean. If not for the years he served me, I would have had him prosecuted long ago!"

Augustus paused, his tone softening slightly as he looked at Gerald with paternal gravity. "Gerald, you're taking over those core projects now, precisely when you need reliable people. Keeping these parasites in the company would only invite future trouble. Dad is clearing them out now to pave the way for you. Go ahead and act boldly—hire whoever you need. Dad will absolutely support you."

The explanation was watertight, even radiating a father's unreserved trust and cultivation of his son.

Gerald's tense nerves relaxed slightly.

So that was it.

The old man was clearing obstacles and smoothing his path to succession!

"Dad, I understand your thoughtful intentions," Gerald's eyes flashed with apparent gratitude as he bowed respectfully. "I won't disappoint your expectations—I'll make these projects absolutely successful."

"Go on then, don't overwork yourself," Augustus waved affectionately.

Gerald turned and left the CEO office, his moved expression instantly vanishing.

He strode quickly back to his own office, shut the door, and exhaled a long breath.

Augustus's explanation was reasonable and logical, leaving no room for criticism. Yet Gerald's naturally suspicious nature couldn't shake a lingering unease that coiled in his mind like smoke.

It was all too smooth.

Amanda's recognition had been too smooth, his assumption of core projects too smooth, even the reasons for removing his confidants were perfectly unassailable.

Gerald walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing down at the bustling city below, unconsciously fingering his cufflinks.

That creeping sensation of being secretly watched by a venomous snake felt like an invisible net tightening around him.

Was Augustus really so easy to deceive?