Chapter 309: Such Grand Plans

Chapter 309: Such Grand Plans

Nate flipped through the gold-embossed folder in his hands, jaw clenched so tight his teeth ground together. The hatred he felt for his sister's killer was about to erupt.

Sophia noticed his emotional state spiraling and immediately nudged Michael with her elbow.

He caught on instantly, rising to drape an arm around Nate's shoulders and guide him to the sofa. "Easy there. We've uncovered more valuable intel. Everything's moving in the right direction. The truth will come out eventually."

Nate closed his eyes, forcing down the turbulent emotions, and exhaled slowly.

"I'll make some coffee." Sophia stood and headed toward the kitchen. Nate clearly needed caffeine too.

"Wait." Nate stopped her abruptly, as if reading her mind. "Don't bother. Let's analyze Jane's psychological profile first."

This was Nate's specialty. After years of studying human nature, he could extract plenty from Jane's annotations on the project files.

Hearing this, Sophia returned to her seat.

Nate studied the manic handwriting and the tone of the text carefully, his eyes darkening behind his glasses. "Extreme. Radical. Severe psychological distortion. She mentions in her manifesto that her ultimate goal is 'absolute loyalty,' which means she's almost certainly suffered a devastating betrayal."

"Then why would she let us find these files?" Sophia asked, confused. Wasn't this basically handing them evidence on a silver platter?

"Because she's insane." Nate's answer was blunt. Sensing their bewildered stares, he elaborated. "She wants to play God, the puppet master. She has absolute confidence in her plan. She wants you to know her conspiracy, yet forces you to watch helplessly as you walk straight into her trap."

Sophia's pupils trembled violently. "...Psychological warfare."

John was the perfect example. They'd watched him suffer from the serum's effects, then Jane delivered more serum, making them inject it into John with their own hands.

The process itself was a form of conditioning.

The air in the living room froze.

Michael suddenly laughed coldly. "Jane's got it all figured out, doesn't she? But does she really think we clawed our way to the top of the business world by being pushovers?"

They had absolute social influence, countless connections, and most importantly, the mental fortitude forged since childhood.

Let someone manipulate them? Not a chance.

They would fight back. And they had both the standing and the power to do so.

Michael's words snapped Andrew out of his thoughts. He stroked the blood amber beads on his wrist, voice low. "Jane's lab is in Eldoria. We'll have the exact address within three days."

"I'll contact Detective Captain Graves and hand over what we've got. While I'm at it, I'll swing by the Department of Defense for coffee with my uncle." Michael smiled, his gaze landing on Sophia with unmistakable affection, as if offering her reassurance.

Sophia's lips curved knowingly, her mood lightening. "Then I'll go deal with my little PR crisis."

"There's one thing that worries me," Nate interjected suddenly, his expression complicated as he adjusted his glasses. "If Jane gets diagnosed with a mental illness, will the law even give her a proper sentence?"

"That's not your concern. Marcus handles the legal battles." Sophia smiled faintly, signaling him to relax. "But I do have a task for you."

Nate raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

"The White family had a psychologist named Finnegan Castillo. He left their employment two months ago, and I can't track him down. See if you can find out what he's up to now."

"Finnegan?" Nate frowned, searching his memory. "Wasn't he a psychology professor at the university?"

"Yeah. Got fired over a misconduct scandal, then the White family hired him as their private therapist at a premium rate."

"Why are you looking into him?"

Sophia's fingers drummed against her thigh, a sly smile playing on her lips. "To test a theory."

 

10:30 AM, Vertex Innovations Group Conference Room

The projector screen displayed Carter's live interview.

He wore a crisp new suit, hair slicked back perfectly, speaking confidently into the camera.

"Sophia was a regular at our establishment, always requesting staff who'd just turned legal age..."

It was absurd—everyone in Emerald City knew Sophia and Michael had been inseparable for years—but the old adage held true: fame breeds envy.

Plenty of people jealous of Vertex Innovations Group and resentful of Sophia seized the opportunity to buy trending spots and launch vicious attacks online. By the time the rumors made their rounds, they'd morphed into claims like "Vertex Innovations Group CEO's scandalous private life."

On the livestream, Carter launched into a fresh round of character assassination. "Capitalists have no conscience! Sophia's always looked down on us poor relatives. She's been back with the Johnson family for five years, and she's never once visited us during holidays. She's the CEO of Vertex Innovations Group, born into wealth and privilege. People like us could never measure up!"

The comment section lit up with trolls amplifying his narrative. More and more posts accused Sophia of being a snob who valued money over family.

What good is competence if she can't even care about her own blood?

"We can't contain the trending topics anymore," the PR director said, sweat beading on his forehead. "Carter's claims are ridiculous, but his 'evidence' is airtight—forged bank transfers, edited audio recordings."

Sophia scrolled through her tablet as new exposé posts flooded in.

Accounts claiming to be "nightclub colleagues" described how Carter was forced into servicing clients. "Insiders" alleged that her Celestial Peak Hotel was a front for illegal operations.

The most damaging piece was a feature article from a major outlet: "Elite Corruption: How Vertex Innovations Group's CEO Weaponizes the Law Against Her Own Family."

She laughed coldly. Jane's handiwork was more vicious than expected.

And of course, there was no shortage of people eager to pile on.

"Document the accounts spreading this garbage and the media outlets publishing hit pieces. Send them all cease-and-desist letters." Sophia's composure made it seem as though she were a spectator rather than the target of the storm.

"Schedule a press conference for the day after tomorrow at 10 AM. But we're not issuing a statement—it's a strategic partnership signing ceremony between Vertex Innovations Group and Andrew & John Corp. Location: Celestial Peak Hotel, the very place they're accusing of shady dealings."

Before anyone could respond, the conference room door swung open. Clementine strode in, bringing a gust of cold air with her, two uniformed officers in tow.

"Ms. Johnson, these are FBI agents," she said tersely. "They need you to cooperate with an investigation into the financial transactions Carter mentioned."

Sophia smiled politely. "Happy to help. I'm quite curious what they'll turn up."