Chapter 251

Chapter 251

A few seconds later, another message from Gideon came through.

[About the Alvin situation—I'm sure you've heard things, and I'd like to explain in person. My meeting with him was because he wanted to invest in a medical project through my foundation.]

[I had no idea he was in competition with the York Group. That was my oversight, and I'm sorry for any trouble it caused you.]

Katniss stared at those lines, her fingertip tracing slowly along the edge of her phone.

His explanation sounded perfectly reasonable. But something inside her—a quiet, persistent voice—told her it wasn't that simple.

Maybe Cedric's words had planted a seed of doubt. Or maybe, deep down, she'd already sensed that the coincidences were piling up too neatly.

She thought about it for a long time before finally typing a reply.

[Mr. Obelon, I think it's best if we keep our distance for a while. I have some personal matters to sort out. Let's talk again later.]

Silence on the other end. A few seconds passed. Then a single word came back: [Okay.]

No pushback. No prying. No excessive concern. Clean, restrained, perfectly composed.

But it was precisely that restraint that deepened the strange feeling in Katniss's chest.

Wouldn't someone with nothing to hide try harder to explain? To clear their name?

Or was his stepping back a calculated move in itself—a strategy of retreat to advance?

Katniss lowered her gaze and let out a soft sigh.

She didn't know anymore. She'd become almost numb to her own inability to tell what was real and what wasn't.

---

Meanwhile, in Cedric's office, an investigation report lay quietly on his desk.

He'd spent the entire afternoon reading it. Three times over.

The report showed that the money flowing out of Lillian's account had passed through several complex transfers before a portion landed in Gideon's foundation.

But further tracing revealed that the very next day, that money had been rerouted under a different name to a company registered offshore.

The actual controller of that consulting firm had no direct connection to Gideon whatsoever. Instead, the trail led back to a senior executive at Luminary Enterprises Ltd., tangled in a web of hidden ties.

In other words, the money looked like it had been deliberately laundered through Gideon's foundation before funneling into Luminary Enterprises Ltd.'s pockets.

Gideon's foundation had likely been used as nothing more than a pass-through. He might not have even known.

Cedric leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping lightly against the desk, his brow furrowed deep.

If this report was accurate, then his suspicions about Gideon—at least regarding any deliberate collusion with Luminary Enterprises Ltd.—didn't hold up.

And everything he'd said to Katniss—accusing her of leaking confidential project details to Gideon, claiming the two of them had conspired against him—all of it crumbled.

The realization hit him like a jolt to the chest. A flash of something close to horror.

He remembered the way Katniss had looked at him that night. Calm as still water. Nothing left in her eyes but bone-deep exhaustion.

She'd said: "You suspect me of betraying you, of having an affair with Gideon, and now you even suspect me of selling out the company. I told you I didn't. You didn't believe me. I showed you proof. You still didn't believe me."

He'd thought she was making excuses. Putting on an act.

But now...

Cedric closed his eyes and pressed hard against the bridge of his nose.

He'd been wrong. He'd wronged her. And he'd used the cruelest words imaginable to wound the one person who had stayed by his side through his darkest days.

A wave of helplessness crashed over him, so heavy it left him paralyzed. He had no idea what to do.

Apologize? Would an apology even matter?

Those words were already out there. He couldn't take them back. And the way Katniss looked at him had already changed completely.

From anger, to disappointment, to calm.

She'd stopped caring.

Cedric dragged a hand down his face and sat there for a long moment before opening his eyes.

He hesitated for a few seconds, then picked up his phone and opened his contacts. His gaze settled on Katniss's name.

His finger hovered over the call button.

It never came down.

He set the phone back on the desk.

He didn't know what to say.

'I'm sorry' wasn't enough. Those two words were far too small.

All he could do was wait.

Wait for the day Katniss was willing to hear him out.

---

The day before Lillian's formal arrest, Cedric pulled some strings and secured a visit with her.

The detention center's visitation room was bathed in harsh fluorescent light. The air reeked of disinfectant and rust.

Lillian wore a detention uniform. Her hair had been cut short. Her face was bare, even more gaunt than the last time he'd seen her.

But her eyes were still sharp. When she spotted Cedric, the corner of her mouth curled into a mocking smirk.

"Well, well. Mr. York graces me with his presence. What a rare honor."

She sat down, her cuffed hands clanking against the metal table with a crisp, cold sound. "What's this—here to see me off on my final ride?"

Cedric sat in his wheelchair on the other side of that narrow iron table, watching her with ice in his eyes.

He didn't waste time. He slid a file folder across to her. "Open it."

Lillian raised an eyebrow and wrestled the folder open with her restrained hands.

Inside were bank transaction screenshots. Communication records.

Her expression didn't change. She studied them for a moment, then snapped the folder shut and leaned back in her chair.

"So? What are you trying to prove?"

"The listening device was yours. The money transfer was yours."

Cedric's voice was cold. Emotionless.

"Is someone behind you? Give me a name, and I'll consider helping reduce your sentence."

Lillian was silent for a few seconds. Then she laughed.

The sound was quiet but carried an eerie, spine-chilling desolation.

She laughed for a long time before stopping. Her eyes still held traces of amusement as she looked at Cedric and spoke, each word deliberate.

"Cedric, you think you've won? You don't know anything."

His pupils contracted slightly, but his expression remained unreadable. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means—"

Lillian leaned forward, her cuffed hands braced against the table, her voice dropping low, as if sharing a secret.

"You think putting me in here means no one's standing in your way anymore? That's adorably naive."

Cedric stared at her. Said nothing.

Lillian studied the controlled calm on his face, seeming to find it entertaining. She laughed again.

"What, you don't believe me? Then tell me this—where do you think I got that listening device?"

"I'm a disgraced heiress. My family's house has been seized. Where would someone like me get access to military-grade nano surveillance equipment?"

Cedric's finger tapped once against the armrest of his wheelchair, then froze. Behind his eyes, a storm of thoughts churned.