Chapter28 Media Exposure

Chapter28 Media Exposure
Talia POV
Gavin piled on. "Elders, she and I have history. Now she's using her power for personal revenge, deliberately raising supply prices for my company. Her mind isn't on the family at all. Plus she's had contact with Casa family people. Who knows if she's already betrayed the family and deliberately brought in the prosecutor's office?"
As soon as he said this, several elders close to Serafina immediately agreed. "Yes, an outsider really isn't reliable. If she's really a mole, the family's losses will be huge."
"Better kick her out quickly before she causes more trouble."
I sat there without speaking. Only after they'd argued enough did I slowly stand up, pull out a stack of reports from my document folder, and place them in the middle of the table. "Elders, don't rush to conclusions. Why not look at these first?"
The reports slid in front of several core elders. I pointed at the data on them. "These are the operating figures for the month since I took over the southern district channels and Shadow Nightclub. The southern district was in chaos before because Paolo was colluding with the Casa family. Channels were messy and profits kept dropping. After I took over, I cleaned out three distributors who were colluding with enemies, standardized supply pricing, and now monthly profits are up fifteen percent from before."
I paused, picked up the nightclub's report, and continued. "Shadow is even more obvious. I adjusted security and service, optimized pricing. This month's revenue is up over thirty percent from last month. Intelligence exchanges haven't had a single slip-up. Actually, they're smoother than before."
Several elders picked up the reports to look through them. Their expressions gradually changed.
Those who'd been agreeing with Serafina before shut their mouths and looked down without speaking.
The Grand Elder pushed up his glasses and asked gravely, "Is this data real? No padding?"
I said calmly, "If you don't believe me, Grand Elder, you can have the finance department verify it on the spot. Every transaction is recorded. You can check anytime."
"As for Serafina saying I brought the prosecutor's office here, everyone, the prosecutor's office has fake documents Gavin stole. This has nothing to do with me. In fact, I discovered Gavin was suspicious early on. I even caught him sneaking into the family archives before, I just didn't have time to report it."
As I spoke, I pulled out my phone, opened the video I'd taken before, and handed it to a nearby elder. "Look, this is what I filmed that night. What he's holding is an encrypted USB drive. I later found out he sold the stolen fake documents to the Casa family and even colluded with people in the prosecutor's office."
When the video played, the whole room went quiet.
Gavin's face instantly turned white as paper. He jumped up to argue. "You're lying! This is forged. You're deliberately framing me."
I looked at him coldly. "Whether it's forged or not, just check the archives' surveillance footage. That night's surveillance should still exist."
"Plus Casa family people came to find me before, wanting me to sell out family intelligence. I refused them. The nightclub's Enzo and several bodyguards can testify to this."
Seeing things going badly, Serafina quickly said, "Even if Gavin did wrong, that's his business. It has nothing to do with whether Talia can hold power! She's an outsider. It's too dangerous for her to control so much power!"
"Whether you can hold power depends on ability, not background." The Second Elder, who'd been silent until now, suddenly spoke. He pointed at the reports.
"I can see the data is genuine. The southern district and nightclub really are better than before. This shows Talia has ability. As for the prosecutor's office matter, anyone can see we were set up. Can't blame her."
Another elder nodded along. "I agree. Right now the family needs people. Talia brings real, tangible benefits and hasn't actually done anything wrong. Kicking her out like this would be such a waste."
More and more elders started leaning toward me. Serafina's face turned from green to white. She stamped her feet anxiously. "How can you believe her words? She's a liar."
The Grand Elder knocked on the table, cutting off her words. "Enough, stop arguing. Talia's operating data is right here. She does have achievements, and currently there's no evidence proving she betrayed the family. As for the prosecutor's office matter, we'll handle it when Jareth returns. Her authority stays for now. We'll see how she performs going forward."
Once this decision came out, Serafina and Gavin's faces completely collapsed.
Gavin clenched his fists tightly, looking at me with venom.
I breathed a sigh of relief. This round was won.
After the meeting ended, as I walked out of the conference room, the Second Elder called me over. He patted my shoulder and said quietly, "Young lady, well done. Keep it up. We old folks only recognize ability."
I nodded. "Thank you, Second Elder. I won't disappoint you."
Watching the Second Elder's departing back, I turned to Vincent. "Watch Gavin and Serafina closely. They're definitely scrambling to talk to their mole. Don't let them get away."
Vincent replied, "Don't worry, I've already arranged people to follow them."
I gripped the document folder in my hand, knowing the coming battle wouldn't be easy. But I had no retreat. Jareth was still at the prosecutor's office. There was still a mole in the family. Serafina and Gavin were watching like vultures. I had to hold on, not just for myself, but to protect everything I had now.
Just as I reached the building entrance, my phone suddenly rang. It was the lawyer. "Miss Hayes, there's news from Mr. Jareth. The prosecutor's office found problems with the documents. They're connected to the Casa family. They're preparing to release him."
My heart leaped with joy. I quickly asked, "Really? When can he get out?"
"Should be out tonight. Mr. Jareth asked me to tell you to watch Gavin. The fake documents he has are key. Don't let the Casa family silence him."