Chapter 174: Pledge of Allegiance

Chapter 174: Pledge of Allegiance

Tony quickly set down the apple he'd been peeling.

"Mr. Wilson, whatever you need—just say the word."

"Here's the thing." Oliver glanced at Amelia as he spoke. "Amelia has a document at the company that I need you to retrieve for me. I can't trust anyone else with this."

Tony looked deeply moved by the trust. He patted his chest firmly.

"Mr. Wilson, rest assured—I'll bring that document back safe and sound."

Oliver nodded approvingly.

Amelia smiled slightly. "Tony, you really are something. You've earned my father's complete trust in such a short time."

Tony scratched his head with a modest grin. "It's just my job. I haven't done anything special—Mr. Wilson is simply too kind."

Amelia's smile lingered as she glanced at Oliver in his hospital bed.

Father and daughter exchanged another meaningful look.

Soon after, Amelia left the hospital with Tony accompanying her back to the office.

On the drive over, Amelia took the wheel while Tony sat in the passenger seat.

"Have those men come looking for you again since that day?" Amelia asked, her tone seemingly full of concern.

Tony looked flattered. "Ms. Wilson, you've already done so much for me. Please, let me handle the rest myself."

Amelia's voice remained gentle. "You saved my life. If it weren't for you, I'd be the one injured. A debt of gratitude must be repaid tenfold."

Tony gave an embarrassed smile, then rubbed his fingers across his cheek self-consciously.

"Ms. Wilson, honestly, I didn't save you expecting anything in return. You and Mr. Wilson are both wonderful people. Working for you is an honor—you really don't need to do anything more for me."

Amelia smiled. "You're truly the first person I've met who does things completely without expecting anything back."

Tony's grin grew even more earnest.

When they arrived at Wilson Corporation, Tony followed Amelia into the office.

Just then, Vincent showed up again.

"Ms. Wilson, there's something I'd like to discuss with you. Is now a good time?"

After leaving yesterday, he'd been unable to sit still. With Amelia holding evidence of his crimes, what if she suddenly decided to report him? He'd be facing prison time.

Amelia ignored Vincent entirely. "Mr. Woods, I have urgent matters to attend to right now. When I have time, we'll talk."

But Vincent couldn't possibly wait.

"Ms. Wilson, whatever mistakes I made—they're all on me. Just give me one chance, please?" His tone was practically begging.

Amelia glanced at Tony, then appeared to consider for a moment.

"If you really want to talk, go wait in the conference room. I have something important to handle first, so I can't receive you just yet."

Her tone was ice-cold.

Yet Vincent felt as though he'd been granted a reprieve. He practically scurried off to the conference room.

Next, Amelia entered her office and emerged with a document.

"This confidential file contains the company's latest cloud encryption program. While transporting it to the hospital, under no circumstances can you let anyone see it or allow anyone to touch it." Her instructions were meticulous.

Tony responded with utmost seriousness. "Ms. Wilson, you have my word."

His tone was full of solemn promise.

Amelia nodded, then sent Tony on his way with the document.

Hannah approached just then, watching Tony's retreating figure. While others might not understand what that document represented, as Amelia's confidante, she knew perfectly well.

"Ms. Wilson, isn't that the duplicate copy Dennis took before?"

The original core data from the cloud program's initial development.

Of course, after Dennis leaked it, everything had since been changed.

Still, handing this file to Tony suddenly left Hannah puzzled.

"Hannah, starting today, have someone tail Tony—and everyone around him."

"Understood."

Hannah nodded.

She quickly realized that Ms. Wilson must already suspect Tony was behind the confidential leak.

Hannah understood immediately. Her execution was always flawless.

Amelia then headed straight to the conference room.

Vincent was waiting inside.

The moment Amelia entered, he jumped up from the sofa excitedly.

"Ms. Wilson, let's talk this through properly. There's nothing we can't resolve, right?"

Amelia regarded him coldly. "Is there something between us that needs resolving?"

Vincent broke into a cold sweat. "You're holding evidence against me. Honestly, I'm terrified you'll get upset one day and hand it over to the authorities. I'd spend the rest of my life behind bars."

More importantly, he seemed to have outlived his usefulness.

The person pulling his strings had completely stopped responding to him.

He wasn't stupid—he needed to find a new patron immediately.

That was the only way to protect his interests going forward.

Amelia listened quietly. "What are you trying to say?"

"I can tell you who I've been working for all this time—who ordered me to do all this. I'm just hoping you'll show mercy and let me off the hook." Vincent's attitude was sincere.

Amelia smiled without warmth. "Why don't you lay out your bargaining chips first? If I find them valuable enough, maybe I'll consider sparing you."

Vincent spoke eagerly. "Albert. I've been working for him this whole time. He may seem distant from the board, but he has people planted throughout the company. This entire scheme was his idea."

Amelia's expression didn't change, as though everything was exactly as she'd expected.

Vincent froze slightly. It seemed as though Amelia had known all along.

Amelia raised an eyebrow. "And?"

If Amelia had known from the start, it would prove her methods were extraordinarily shrewd.

If she hadn't known, then she was truly remarkable—hearing this revelation without the slightest reaction.

"Ms. Wilson, isn't this shocking enough?" Vincent asked incredulously.

Amelia scoffed. "From the moment you showed up at the company with that contract, I knew exactly who was behind you. Vincent, you worked for Albert. Once he learned I had dirt on you, he abandoned you without a second thought. You're afraid of becoming a useless pawn and being discarded, aren't you? And betraying Albert—that's your way of proving your loyalty to me, isn't it?"

Cold sweat poured down Vincent's face.

It had to be said—everything seemed to be within Amelia's grasp.