Chapter 113

William frowned. "I've already asked Chase to look into it. We should have answers soon."

"We definitely need to investigate." Xavier looked at William, his expression serious. "This is also a test for you. The Brown Group is such a large enterprise. You'll face countless schemes and attacks in the future. If you can't even handle this small situation, how can you support the entire Brown family?"

He paused, his tone softening. "But you did well today—staying fair and protecting Ophelia. You didn't disappoint me."

William nodded. "Don't worry, Grandpa. I know what to do."

"And Ophelia." Xavier turned to look at Ophelia, his eyes full of affection. "I'm sorry you had to go through this. You just got rescued, and now you have to deal with all this mess. But I saw how you handled yourself today—brave and smart, neither humble nor arrogant."

Ophelia felt warmth in her heart and said softly, "You're too kind, Grandpa. I just didn't want William to shoulder everything alone, and I didn't want to be wrongly accused."

"Good, good." Xavier smiled, but after just a couple of laughs, he couldn't help coughing again, his face turning pale once more.

"Grandpa!" William and Ophelia both stepped forward. William touched Xavier's forehead—it wasn't hot, but it was cooler than before.

"Don't make such a fuss." Xavier waved his hand. "I'm just a bit tired. I'll be fine after some sleep. You two don't need to stay here. Ophelia needs rest, too. Just have Luca keep me company."

William wasn't reassured at all. He insisted on having a nurse stay before helping Ophelia back to the adjacent hospital room.

As soon as they sat down, Ophelia couldn't help asking, "What do you think Octavia is really after?"

"Nothing but profit." William poured her a glass of warm water. "When Finnian was in power, he definitely gave them plenty of benefits. Now that he's fallen, they're afraid of losing those benefits. They want to make a scene to see if they can get something out of me, or make me go easy on Finnian so they can continue getting benefits from him."

Ophelia nodded. "That's possible. But they're pretty bold, daring to threaten to cause trouble at Grandpa's hospital room door."

"They're betting that Grandpa just woke up and is too weak to confront them." A cold glint flashed in William's eyes. "Too bad they miscalculated. What Grandpa values most are rules and the Brown family's reputation. By making this scene, they've actually put themselves against Grandpa."

Just then, William's phone rang. It was Chase calling.

"Mr. Brown, we found out!" Chase's voice carried a hint of excitement. "The reason Octavia and the others are pleading for Finnian is that Finnian promised them that once he secured his position as heir to the Brown Group, he'd arrange a senior management position for Octavia and distribute Brown Group shares and project resources to the other branch family members!"

"Not only that, but we also discovered that after Finnian's downfall, Octavia and the others were afraid the benefits they'd gotten from Finnian would be taken back, so they wanted to pressure you into going easy on Finnian, hoping he'd still have a chance to come out later and fulfill his promises."

William gave a cold laugh. "So it really is about profit. Too bad Finnian can barely save himself now."

"There's one more thing." Chase added, "We also found out that Octavia privately contacted several media outlets, trying to leak today's events to smear Ms. Blake and you. Fortunately, we caught on early and stopped them."

"Got it." William's voice was cold as ice. "Compile all the evidence of them taking benefits from Finnian and submit it to the board. Also, announce that we're terminating all cooperation with these branch family members and freezing all Brown family-related resources under their names."

"Yes, Mr. Brown."

After hanging up, William told Ophelia what he'd learned.

Ophelia sighed. "So it really was about profit. These people, for money and power, can't even tell right from wrong anymore."

"Greed knows no bounds." William held her hand. "But don't worry. We have the evidence now. They can't cause any more trouble. I'll strengthen the management of the Brown Group going forward. I won't let this kind of thing happen again."

Ophelia leaned into his embrace, feeling much more relaxed. "With you here, I'm not afraid."

William lowered his head and kissed her forehead, his eyes gentle. "From now on, I'll protect you. I won't let you suffer these grievances again."

Over the next few days, Ophelia rested quietly in the hospital while William handed over all the evidence of Finnian's crimes to the media, completely clearing up the whole matter within that same day.

Public opinion online immediately reversed. All the previous hateful comments disappeared, replaced by sympathy for Ophelia and criticism of the Brown family members for not knowing right from wrong.

Reporters soon reached out, wanting to conduct a brief interview with Ophelia.

Ophelia agreed, but William wasn't happy about it, his brows frowning. "No way. You're still too weak. I'll handle it."

"The tourists are still waiting for an explanation." Ophelia looked at him. "I'm the person involved. It's more sincere if I come forward. Don't stop me."

"Your wound hasn't healed yet. Even talking will tire you out."

"Just a few minutes, it's fine." Ophelia was firm. "This started because of me. I can't keep hiding behind you."

William couldn't win against her, so he said sternly, "Ten minutes. If you feel unwell, stop immediately."

"Okay."

The interview began. Ophelia faced the camera, her voice soft but clear:

"This hot spring incident injured innocent tourists, and I'm very sorry. I will personally cover all medical expenses and compensation. There will be dedicated people to handle everyone's recovery. Finnian broke the law, and neither Mr. Brown nor I will cover for him. Right and wrong, justice is in people's hearts."

As soon as the interview ended, her body went limp, her face instantly turning pale, even her breathing growing shallow.

William immediately carried her back to bed, his voice tight with worry. "Are you feeling bad? I'll call the doctor."

"No need... I'm just a bit tired." Ophelia grabbed his hand, her voice weak. "I'll be fine after resting."

William sat by the bed, gently patting her back, coaxing softly, "Don't be so stubborn next time. I'm here for everything."

Once this interview was released, Ophelia's reputation soared. The entire internet praised her for being reasonable and responsible.

Not long after, the hospital room door was pushed open.

Octavia rushed in, grabbing William's arm, her face full of distress. "William, I know I was wrong! Give me back the frozen resources, or my family really won't survive!"

William coldly pulled his hand back. "What exactly did you do wrong?"

"I was tricked by Finnian!" Octavia quickly shifted blame. "He promised me positions and shares, so I got confused and caused trouble. I really didn't mean it!"

She then turned to Ophelia, lowering her stance. "Ophelia, I wronged you. Please put in a good word for me. I'll never dare do it again."

Ophelia said flatly, "When you forced me to kowtow at the hospital, you weren't saying this."

Octavia's face stiffened. "That... that was a moment of confusion!"

"You took the benefits, you caused the trouble, and now you want to walk away unscathed?" William's tone was cold and hard. "The rules are clear. There's nothing to discuss."

Seeing he wouldn't budge at all, the pleading on Octavia's face instantly turned to venom. "William, I've already begged for forgiveness, and you still want to destroy me completely?"