Chapter 261 I’ve Been Putting Up with Him for a Long Time
Chapter 261 I’ve Been Putting Up with Him for a Long Time
Ian witnessed Yvonne being taken away and immediately called Catherine.
"Boss, Yvonne was tied up and dragged into a car by Frederick's people. She was completely bound when they took her—Yvonne's lost all dignity."
Catherine let out a scornful laugh.
She had known all along that Frederick was up to no good, but she hadn't expected him to turn on Yvonne so quickly.
He had just gotten his hands on Yvonne's assets, and without even giving her one night's grace period, the tape and ropes were already in use.
Still, this worked in her favor. She had been worried about finding someone to share Yvonne's wrath, and Frederick had volunteered himself. It saved her the trouble of stirring up conflict between them.
"She deserves it," she commented coolly. "Keep Yvonne safe from the shadows. Don't let him actually kill her—she's only valuable alive."
Ian promptly agreed, then asked, "Boss, should we get back the money Frederick took from Yvonne? After all, it's the Montgomery family's assets."
Catherine set down her coffee cup and leaned back in her chair, her gaze falling on the latest financial analysis report for the Aldridge Group on her computer screen.
The Aldridge Group's debt ratio had soared to an alarming number. Several core subsidiaries were teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. The only question wasn't whether they'd collapse, but when.
She tapped the Aldridge Group's stock chart on the screen with her fingertip. That green downward line had already hit rock bottom and was still stubbornly heading toward the basement.
"No need," she withdrew her finger.
"If he wants to use that money to invest in the company, let him. Money obtained through crooked means will eventually be lost the same way. The point is, he's been jumping around too long. I originally thought he was a spent force and letting him jump around a few more days wouldn't matter, but I didn't expect him to disgust me to my face. The Aldridge family is just like the Thornton family—not a single good person among them. The Aldridge Group is about to collapse. Since he's so unwilling to accept it, let him use that money to bury himself completely."
Ian on the other end of the line was silent for two seconds, then respectfully replied, "Understood."
Having worked for Catherine for so long, he knew his boss's style too well.
It wasn't that she didn't care about the money—she cared more about making the person who took it pay ten times the price.
Frederick thought he'd gotten a great deal, not realizing that every cent he clutched in his hand had already been marked with a price high enough to ensure he'd never recover.
Catherine hung up on Ian, and before she could put down her phone, the screen lit up again.
The caller ID showed Lanny.
She pressed the answer button, and Lanny's report immediately came through.
"Boss, I've identified the buyer you asked me to investigate. This person deals in cross-border minerals and distressed asset acquisitions. On the surface, it's a legitimate investment company, but they actually specialize in taking shady minerals and valuable assets and making money off the price difference. I checked his financial records—four years ago, around the time William had his accident, he did have a large payment. The timing was about two months after William's incident. Then, less than half a year later, he had an even larger sum come in, several times the amount he paid out. I've organized all his suspicious transactions and related account information from these years and sent them to your email."
Catherine put the phone on speaker and set it down, her fingers flying across the keyboard to open Lanny's email.
The screen filled with dense rows of bank statements, transfer records, offshore account information, and several highlighted contract copies.
She scanned through them quickly, her expression growing colder.
All the evidence pointed to the same conclusion.
This buyer was the middleman who had helped Tobias and Brandon cash out the gold mine back then.
She immediately forwarded the financial records to Randal.
Randal replied almost instantly: [Yes, that's right. That's the price I paid him back then, but the person who signed the contract with me was a woman, not the man in the photo. That woman said the gold mine was private property left by her family, and she was selling everything because she was immigrating abroad.]
Catherine opened the materials Lanny had sent and carefully searched through the buyer's connections.
Though the man was married, he had been keeping several mistresses long-term. One of them, who looked to be in her thirties or forties and well-maintained, closely matched the description of the elegant, well-dressed woman Randal had mentioned.
She sent the photo to Randal for final confirmation.
Randal quickly replied: [That's her. She looks like she's had a nose job, but I'm absolutely certain.]
Catherine picked up her phone and called Ian.
"Ian, the buyer's identity has been confirmed. Four years ago, he was the middleman helping Tobias and Brandon move stolen goods, and now he's taken Frederick's deal—he's been doing the same business all these years. He must have the original transaction records and financial records from back then. Go watch this person immediately. Find a time when he's alone and take control of him. Remember, don't let him have any contact with the outside world until he gives up the evidence."
……
Meanwhile, Yvonne had been thrown into an abandoned residential complex in a remote suburb.
The area had been emptied years ago due to demolition, but because the developer had run off, it still hadn't been fully torn down. Frederick found a relatively intact building and threw Yvonne into the basement.
As soon as the door closed, two servants stood guard on either side outside.
Since arriving, Yvonne had been making a constant fuss.
The servants initially ignored her, but after half an hour when the noise still hadn't died down, one of them looked through the small window in the door.
Yvonne was slumped against the wall, her hair a mess covering her face, tape still wrapped around her mouth, only able to make muffled sounds from her throat.
The servant closed the window expressionlessly and leaned back against the wall.
"Save your energy. You can scream yourself hoarse and no one will hear you. This place has been abandoned for years—who comes here except wild dogs?"
The whimpering behind the door stopped for a moment, then turned into more violent banging on the door.
Yvonne had finally managed to rub half the tape off her mouth against the door frame and immediately spoke urgently, "Let me out! I have money! How much do you want? I'll give it to you! As long as you let me go, I'll give you any amount!"
The servants outside the door laughed scornfully.
One of them, arms crossed and leaning against the wall, spoke with undisguised contempt, "You still have money? All your valuable things are in Mr. Aldridge's hands now. Even that broken manor has a transfer contract signed. What are you going to give us? Empty promises?"
The other servant gleefully chimed in, "Even if you did have a few pennies hidden away, we wouldn't care. Mr. Aldridge is about to invest that money into the company. The company will be saved, and he'll take care of us. Keep your little favors to yourself."
The banging on the door suddenly stopped.