Chapter29 United Front

Chapter29 United Front
Third-person POV
Gavin paced back and forth in his apartment. The cigarette butts in the ashtray had piled into a small mountain.
He kept pulling out his phone to check. The screen showed no messages from Aron, no latest updates from the prosecutor's office, only bank collection notices popping up one after another, making him irritated.
"Why no news yet? That bastard Jareth can't really get away clean, can he?" he muttered to himself.
Thinking about Talia's smug face when she presented those beautiful reports at the family meeting, thinking about the elders' questioning looks at him, he ground his teeth in hatred.
When he'd abandoned Talia, he never imagined this woman would have such a day.
She should have been trampled under his feet like garbage. But now she wielded real power over the southern district channels and the nightclub. Even family elders had to show her some respect. And him?
His company was on the verge of bankruptcy, drowning in debt. He had to watch Serafina's moods, even rely on Casa family people to survive.
With a creak, the apartment door was suddenly pushed open. Serafina stormed in carrying her purse, her face extremely ugly.
As soon as she entered, she violently threw her purse on the coffee table. Bang! Things like lipstick and phone rolled out.
"Useless trash!" Serafina stood with hands on hips, roaring. "Those old fools were all taken in by Talia's damn numbers! I told them she's an outsider, told them she brought the prosecutor's office trouble, and they just stared at those profits, even saying they judge by ability, not background!"
Gavin's last shred of hope fell away. He anxiously grabbed at his hair. "So what do we do now? If Jareth gets out of the prosecutor's office, won't everything we did be for nothing? He'll definitely investigate the archives. Then our getting the documents and our dealings with the Casa family will all be exposed!"
"How should I know what to do?" Serafina paced irritably. "That bitch Talia was already guarding against us. She even filmed video of you at the archives. If I hadn't told the elders she forged it, you'd already be arrested by family people."
Gavin felt a chill down his back. He'd thought stealing the documents was completely secret. He never imagined Talia had known all along.
This woman was getting harder and harder to deal with. With Jareth protecting her, power in her hands, and family elders helping speak for her, if they didn't find a way to pull her down, they'd both die at her hands sooner or later.
"Can't wait. Absolutely can't wait for Jareth to get out!" Gavin hurried outside, pulled out his phone, quickly found Aron's number and dialed.
The phone rang twice before being answered. Aron's voice came through the receiver. "What is it?"
Gavin said, "Mr. Aron, please think of something. No one in the family believes us. Those elders are blinded by Talia's performance numbers. They won't listen to us at all. That bitch Talia is even threatening us with video. If this continues, once Jareth gets out, we're finished."
Silence on the other end. Gavin's heart jumped to his throat, afraid Aron would abandon him.
If even Aron gave up on him, he really would just have to wait for bankruptcy, wait for Jareth to deal with him.
Aron laughed coldly. "What are you panicking about? Since you can't take her down from inside the family, attack from outside. You think just the prosecutor's investigation is enough? Too naive."
Gavin froze, quickly asking, "Attack from outside? How? Mr. Aron, tell me quick. As long as I can take down Talia and save my company, I'll do anything you say!"
Aron said methodically, "Simple. Find someone among Camorra family's partners. Doesn't need to be too smart. Find someone simple-minded, easily bought, who has some grudge against the Camorra family. Have him leak news about 'Camorra family account chaos and suspected illegal transactions' to the media."
Gavin frowned, puzzled. "Will that work? The prosecutor's office is already investigating. What good does media exposure do?"
Aron said dismissively, "Why wouldn't it work? The prosecutor's investigation hasn't concluded yet. The public is already interested in these big families' 'gray dealings.' You get the media to expose it, add some embellishment, once public opinion rises, the Camorra family won't be able to clear their name even if they jumped in the Yellow River."
He paused, then continued. "Then partners will break contracts due to public pressure. Stock prices will fall even harder. Ordinary people will curse them as heartless rich. Family leadership will probably push Talia out as a scapegoat to calm things down. After all, she's an outsider. Sacrificing her is most cost-effective. And Jareth? He'll be busy handling public opinion, busy explaining to partners, busy dealing with the company's mess. He won't have time to bother with you. For you, isn't that the best opportunity?"
Gavin's eyes lit up. Aron's words instantly enlightened him. Right, why hadn't he thought of using public opinion?
Talia relied on family power and performance to secure her position, right? As long as they destroyed the Camorra family's reputation and made the public despise them, Talia as the "outsider in power" would naturally become a target. Then he wouldn't need to lift a finger. Family leadership would eliminate her to protect themselves.
Gavin said excitedly, "I understand! I'll find someone right away! Mr. Aron, thank you. If this works, I'll repay you properly!"
Aron said coldly, "No need for thanks. Just remember, if you mess this up, not only will you lose your company, but Jareth will know about your and Serafina's dealings with the Casa family."
Gavin quickly said, "I'll handle it well. Absolutely won't disappoint you!"
After hanging up, Gavin immediately went through his contacts, his mind racing through people who'd worked with the Camorra family and had grudges against him or Talia.
Soon, a name jumped out. Zane.
Zane was a building materials boss who'd wanted to partner with the Camorra family on southern district supply channels. He'd pulled lots of strings to reach him and given plenty of benefits.
He'd already agreed to help make connections, but after Talia took over the southern district channels, she directly refused the partnership on grounds of "insufficient qualifications and reputation problems," making him lose face with Zane. Zane had held a grudge against Talia and the Camorra family ever since.
"That's him!" Gavin slapped his thigh, went inside to grab his car keys, and headed out.