Chapter 147 Her Benefactor
Olivia froze on the spot.
She hadn't expected Andrew to ask that question at all.
They'd barely exchanged a few words all evening—how had he noticed she was in a bad mood???
"How... did you figure it out?"
Olivia couldn't help but ask curiously.
Andrew replied casually, "During the video call just now, there was a shadow behind your eyes. It was obvious at a glance... Did something happen? If there's anything I can help with, just say so."
Olivia suddenly understood.
So that was it.
She'd thought she'd hidden it pretty well though.
But he'd still picked up on it.
Then again, thinking about it, Andrew was a psychologist—he had his ways of reading people's emotions and thoughts. Nothing surprising about that.
As for tonight's mess...
She didn't want to go into details.
For some reason, she didn't want Andrew getting involved in her grudges with the Johnson family and the Brown family.
She didn't want that kind of thing to disturb his peace.
"It's nothing, just some issues at the company, but they can be resolved. At the earliest... they'll be handled in the next day or two."
Olivia tried to make it sound casual.
Andrew picked up on that too.
Seeing she didn't want to talk about it, he didn't press further. "If that's the case, then good. No need to be unhappy over small matters."
Olivia smiled and said sincerely, "After watching such beautiful fireworks, I'm not unhappy anymore. I'm in a really good mood now. Thank you, Mr. Hamilton!"
This Christmas was special for her.
She'd escaped a terrible marriage, her career and life were getting a fresh start, and there was Bianca's recovery from autism.
Setting aside the Sophia and Michael situation, there were quite a few good things.
Especially meeting Andrew!
He was undoubtedly a benefactor to both her and her daughter!
With that thought, the last bit of unpleasantness in her heart completely disappeared.
After that, she chatted with Andrew a bit longer and watched more fireworks until someone came to get him, ending the call early.
After putting away her phone, she went to keep Bianca company, finishing off the remaining sparklers together before bringing the still-excited Bianca back inside.
That night, as she fell asleep, her dreams were filled with brilliant night skies and, beneath the darkness, that elegant and distinguished figure.
The next day, just after the new year, the trending topics online were still dominated by the previous night's TV programs and related news.
At that moment, a striking scandal suddenly burst onto the top of the trending list.
#The Many Crimes of the Brown Group.
Perhaps because this trending topic was different from the others, it immediately caught many people's attention.
Many clicked in and saw explosive revelations.
The Brown Group had been evading taxes for years, their products had repeatedly violated regulations when going to market, and materials were substandard.
A few years ago, when investing in a resort project, they used illegal means to drive out villagers, causing an elderly villager to become paralyzed from the waist down. To this day, he could only lie in bed. And because the villager had no descendants, he now relied entirely on help from other villagers and government subsidies to get by.
When the Brown Group set up a charity foundation a few years ago, that money was actually embezzled...
Several consecutive revelations, all with evidence attached, directly caused an uproar among netizens.
During the Christmas period, many netizens were on holiday with plenty of free time. They woke up to see this explosive news.
Whether it was tax evasion, causing someone's paralysis, or embezzling charity funds—these were all things ordinary people couldn't tolerate.
After repeatedly verifying the authenticity of the news, netizens started cursing.
[All businessmen are ruthless, but this ruthless is rare. Bullying a lonely elderly person—don't your consciences hurt? Causing someone to be paralyzed and not giving compensation, but instead paying to cover it up. What kind of trash is this Brown Group? Why hasn't it gone bankrupt?]
[Everyone, guess which company the Brown Group is—you'd never expect they're regular trending topic guests!]
[The Brown family from Emerald City? The one with all those connections to the top family, the Johnson family?]
[No wonder. Like father, like daughter. The Brown Group is ruthless, and the daughter they raised is a homewrecker who steals people's drug formulas and makes harmful medicines... Damn, this Brown family is basically a cancer on society, right?]
[Can the relevant authorities please investigate? How much dirty money have they made? One revelation might be dismissed as rumor, but this many things in a row shows the Brown Group really has problems.]
[This is already confirmed, right? Hurry up and arrest everyone from the Brown Group...]
Just as the internet was exploding, several more media influencers popped up with more revelations.
[You all don't know yet, do you? Sophia Brown has been released! Stealing formulas, stealing someone else's trade secrets, and she can walk away clean—she's got some skills.]
[She has backing. The Johnson Group's CEO is her old flame. With a little pull, she got out.]
[According to insiders, the reason Sophia could get off this time is because the Johnson Group's legal team stepped in, and ultimately all the charges were taken by that 'spy.' Supposedly, the 'spy' has secretly liked Sophia for a long time and was willing to commit crimes for her.]
[I'm disgusted. Never mind the spy, but the Johnson Group CEO with his status—what kind of woman couldn't he have? Yet he likes a thief, likes her to that crazy degree?]
[I want to know too—what exactly is so charming about that Sophia? From everything she's done, her character is clearly problematic. What kind of taste does Mr. Johnson have?]
[I used to think he was so handsome, but now I just want to say... what kind of blind man is this?]
[The Johnson Group probably isn't any good either. They're so close to the Brown Group—who knows if they're also some kind of ruthless company... I suggest the relevant authorities investigate them too!]
"..."
...
Silverbrook Manor.
Early in the morning, Michael was still asleep when he was jolted awake by his phone ringing loudly.
He frowned, answering with obvious displeasure. Robert said anxiously, "Mr. Johnson, something's happened."
"What happened?"
Michael asked, his tone laced with impatience.
Robert didn't waste words. "This morning, someone exposed the Brown family's scandals and provided solid evidence of some of the Brown Group's criminal activities over the years. Now public opinion is out of control and it's affecting the Johnson Group... I'm heading your way now. You need to get up and look!"
Michael was instantly awake, immediately checking the news.
Robert had already organized the whole situation and sent it to his WeChat.
After scrolling through everything, Michael's face had darkened completely...
He remembered yesterday's phone call with Olivia, her words still ringing in his ears: "Enjoy this peaceful night while you can."
He hadn't taken it seriously at the time.