Chapter 274 It Seems It Was Right to Target Them

Chapter 274 It Seems It Was Right to Target Them

Catherine turned around, her cold gaze landing on Tobias's tear-streaked face, her brows slowly furrowing.

Beck Aldridge.

She knew this man—he was a shareholder of Aldridge Group, one of Frederick's father's cousins.

When she had Lanny organize Aldridge Group's shareholding structure, Beck was listed right after Frederick's father. His shareholding wasn't the highest, but in Aldridge Group's tangled web of connections, this man was like an inconspicuous yet omnipresent hidden thread.

Why had the Aldridge family been so determined to form a marriage alliance with the Thornton family?

On the surface, they said it was because of the elders' old friendship, but no matter how deep an old friendship runs, it wouldn't make the Aldridge family insist on marrying into the Thornton family, who weren't as well-off as them.

Catherine had felt there was something more behind this push. After investigating, she discovered that at several key points, the person desperately pushing for the marriage between the two families was none other than Beck.

Beck was known in their circles as a nice guy, unambitious, never making a show of himself, rarely even speaking at shareholder meetings.

So beneath that mild-mannered facade, he was hiding such a venomous heart.

Catherine raised a finger toward Ian.

Ian understood and hauled Tobias up from the ground again, bringing him before Catherine.

Tobias's legs were weak. Held up by Ian, he could barely stand. His face was a mess of tears and snot—where was that shrewd, calculating air he'd had when bargaining earlier?

"Why did Beck do this? What did he promise you?" Catherine asked coldly.

"He said... he said once old Mrs. Thornton died, William would definitely be heartbroken. While his spirit was broken, he'd have a way to extract a large sum of money from the Thornton family. When old Mrs. Thornton was alive, William and she were so close they were like one person, united as one—outsiders couldn't get a foot in. Beck said this family was too tightly knit, impossible to break from the outside, so it had to be torn apart from within. At first... at first he just had me find some young, pretty women to approach William, trying to drag William down, make him betray his wife."

Tobias sobbed as he spoke.

"But William didn't fall for it at all. Those women couldn't even get into his study. Beck went crazy and said if the soft approach didn't work, they'd go hard. As long as old Mrs. Thornton was gone, William would collapse. He promised me a huge sum of money, plus a director's seat in Aldridge Group's newly established overseas subsidiary... I was only sixteen then. I was blinded by what he promised. I didn't know it would turn out like this... I really didn't know..."

Catherine looked at him coldly, her lips slowly curling into a mocking smile.

Beck Aldridge, quite a character!

So this mastermind had been placing his pieces on Starlight City's grand chessboard for decades.

She'd previously decided to move against Aldridge Group simply because Frederick and his mother had foolishly walked into her line of fire, and she wasn't willing to tolerate it anymore. Now it seemed this decision was even more correct than she'd anticipated.

Seeing her silence, Tobias thought there might still be room for negotiation. He struggled to move forward, his voice full of pleading.

"Ms. Montgomery, I've told you everything! I haven't hidden a single word! Could you please, considering I've been completely honest, show some mercy? I'm not asking you to let me go, I just... just want a reduced sentence! I don't want to rot in prison my whole life, please!"

Catherine watched him quietly. After he finished, she finally spoke slowly.

"If you kill someone, you pay the price. Even if you were manipulated, you killed her with your own hands. What can you use to reduce my grandmother's life? Whatever sentence you deserve, that's what you'll get. How you're sentenced is up to the court."

With that, she immediately turned and left.

Outside the window, the night on Milan's outskirts remained thick as ink. Occasionally, light from a few streetlamps swept past the car window, casting flickering shadows on Catherine's face.

She sat leaning back in her seat with her eyes closed, but her brows never relaxed.

Charles glanced at her, reached out, and gently enclosed her hand in his palm.

After a long while, he spoke softly, "Stop thinking about it. None of those who should be caught will escape. Tobias is already in custody, Beck's been exposed—what's left is just closing the net step by step. You've already done great."

Catherine sighed softly. "I'm not worried about catching them. I just feel it's unfair to grandpa and grandma. Grandpa devoted his whole heart to the Aldridge family his entire life. When the Aldridge family was struggling financially, even though the Thornton family wasn't as well-off as the Aldridge family, grandpa lent them a large sum without hesitation, not even charging interest. Grandma treated Frederick's father like her own son, buying him things for holidays. The cook at the Aldridge family estate was someone grandma found for them. And what happened? Beck has been scheming against them for decades—scheming for their lives, their assets, the little bit of wealth they'd worked so hard to save. Grandpa and Grandma treated them like family, but they treated them like an ATM. How can there be such heartless people in this world?"

Charles lifted her hand to his lips and gently kissed her fingertips.

Catherine took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and said to Ian in the front seat, "Ian, immediately deploy people to watch Beck closely. Twenty-four-hour surveillance—absolutely cannot let him catch wind of this and run. Also, pull all his financial records from the past few decades, his network of connections, and all transaction records related to the Thornton family and Aldridge family. This man has hidden too deep. Without a thorough investigation, there might be other surprises."

Ian responded crisply.

Catherine closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat again. This time her brows finally relaxed slightly.

The next day, at the main venue of Milan International Fashion Week.

The Nova Award ceremony was held in this opera house with a hundred years of history. Top designers and fashion critics from around the world filled the hall, flashbulbs going off constantly.

For countless young designers, winning any ranking on this stage would be an honor to remember for their entire career.

The three designers from ECHO FASHION sat in the nominees' section, all looking very nervous, eyes glued to the host on stage opening an envelope.

Royce was the most dramatic, practically ready to bounce out of his seat, as if taking a life-or-death exam.

Catherine couldn't help but chuckle softly, whispering, "Alright, don't be nervous. What's meant to come will come."

Royce nodded but was still breathing rapidly.

Catherine shook her head helplessly and said nothing more.

"Second place..." The host raised his voice, and the entire venue instantly fell silent.

"ECHO FASHION!"

All three of them froze at once.