Female Novel
Chapter 824: Straightforward
Chapter 824: Straightforward
Ayan lifted his gaze and coldly met Rex's eyes. Indifferently, he asked, "So, are you going to say it or
not? If you're not going to, then leave. I'm busy."
Rex was taken aback by the question.
He widened his eyes and stared at Ayan without blinking, saying, "Ayan, you're giving off some vibes of
a scumbag changing his mind. I've already taken the initiative, so what else do you want from me?"
Ayan let out a soft snort. "You took the initiative, but for what purpose?"
"What purpose could I possibly have? Ayan, don't overthink it. I'm a good person," Rex replied calmly.
"You absolutely can't guess what I've found out."
Rex started teasing, hesitating to speak, and looked at Ayan. He walked to the coffee table, picked up
a cup of coffee, and said in a cold, detached voice, "I'll tell you something you absolutely can't imagine.
Preston and Eileen both came from the same orphanage. I've put in a lot of effort to investigate this
matter in Flento City. I found out that Preston was adopted from the orphanage by the Walker family.
Then I traced back to his orphanage and conducted an investigation. I also discovered information
about Eileen's parents going to adopt her. At first, I didn't think there was any connection with Eileen. It
was just that I found her parents' names familiar, so I had someone check it out. Unexpectedly, there
really was a connection with Eileen. I specifically inquired about Eileen's parents' former neighbors.
They couldn't have children, so they adopted Eileen when she was three or four years old."
"They both came from the same orphanage?"
"Yes."
Ayan narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of cold indifference flickering in his gaze. It was unclear what he
was thinking.
Seeing his lack of response, Rex asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Ayan, say something! What are
you thinking?"
Ayan calmly replied, "They have been plotting together all along. This is a secret Eileen refuses to
reveal. She considers it her trump card and doesn't want to use it so easily, otherwise, Preston would
be worthless to her."
Rex's face also turned serious. He said, "Ayan, are you implying that Eileen knows Preston's secret?
And her reason for not telling you is to hold this as a final trump card to threaten Preston?"
"More or less. But even Preston won't reveal the truth to his own cousin, Sean. We still can't be sure
about what Eileen knows."
"So?"novelbin
"So, I need you to focus and thoroughly investigate this matter."
Ayan leisurely stood up from his office chair, took slow steps towards Rex, raised his hand, and lightly
patted Rex's shoulders. A faint smile played at the corners of his mouth, carrying a deep meaning.
Rex immediately caught on and exclaimed, "Ayan, isn't this a bit unfair? After all, I'm the CEO of Ward
Group. Commanding me to do things like this, shouldn't I be compensated?"
"What do you want?"
"I want the car you just got."
"Well, look who's asking."
Rex chuckled, "Kian said you had just gotten it, and I happened to come at the right time. So, I'm taking
advantage of the situation, right?"
"While I'd love to fulfill your request, I'm sorry to say that I've already given the car to someone else."
Rex was left speechless. "Given it away? To whom?"
"Well, definitely not to you," Ayan said with a faint smile. He turned away, poured himself a drink, and
took a few sips while keeping his gaze fixed on Rex. "If you find out the truth about this, I'll double what
you want."
"What do I want?" Rex laughed. "Do you even know what I want?"
"Well, it's either a car or a person," Ayan replied casually, and Rex simply smiled without saying
anything more.
Their eyes met, and something unspoken passed between them. Just like Camille and Sienna, they
didn't always need to explain everything explicitly; a single glance was enough to understand each
other's thoughts.
Having learned from Rex that Preston and Eileen came from the same orphanage, Ayan tried not to
reveal too much on his face, but many emotions welled up inside him.
As soon as Rex left, Ayan immediately called Kian.
He explained the situation to Kian and said calmly, "I'll have Rex investigate secretly, and you can
investigate openly using my name. As soon as we make even the slightest move, Preston will surely
react. Whether or not Rex can find something useful will depend on the direction of your investigation
and whether it can uncover Preston's secrets."
Kian nodded and asked softly, "Mr. Simpson, how can I make Preston react more strongly?"
Ayan glanced at him impassively and said, "Or perhaps I should take care of it for you?"
Kian quickly explained, "No need, no need. I just have a hard time finding the right approach, so..."
"Regarding Louise's death, it's obvious that Sean is the one taking the blame. You just need to use
Sean to make Preston reveal himself. Even if Sean doesn't know what Preston is up to, I don't believe
he's completely clueless. Besides, Sean has Elijah behind him, right?"
"I understand what you mean. Preston is now facing enemies on all fronts. He pushed Sean into a
corner, and even though the police haven't caught anyone yet, they are investigating. As long as the
situation remains unclear, Sean will be carrying the blame. Preston can't ignore that. The longer Sean
goes without news, the more anxious and helpless he becomes, and that's what Preston wants. But if
Sean receives any news, can Preston remain calm?"
"I don't know if he can remain calm, but what I want is for his inner composure to turn into panic. He
has already cut ties with Austin, so he must have anticipated this day. He transferred all the projects he
was involved in to a company registered under his own name. His actions are no different from
ingratitude. So, let's make their relationship even more strained."
Ayan sneered lightly, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes. Although Preston had no direct
involvement in Camille's kidnapping, Austin's actions were certainly related to him.
Ayan picked up the annotated acquisition documents and handed them to Austin. "Give these to
Jenson. After he reads them, he'll know what to do."
Kian agreed and said, "Mr. Simpson, should I contact Sean now?"
"Yes, let's start both of these tasks simultaneously. Don't give Austin and Preston too much idle time.
We don't want them to get bored and do something detestable."
Ayan gave his indifferent instructions.
Kian nodded again and immediately began to arrange the matter.
Around three in the afternoon, news of Norman Group's alleged collaboration with prohibited
substances spread like wildfire, accompanied by undeniable evidence that left Norman Group with no
chance to respond.
Austin was already in the Norman family's car, personally driven by his secretary.
He was the first to receive the news, and when he saw the evidence that only a few knew about, he
slammed his phone forcefully against the car's center console, creating a loud collision sound. He
couldn't help but curse, "That damn Preston. How dare he conspire against me and Ayan? I trusted him
for nothing."
Jeremiah had some doubts. "Mr. Norman, could this be unrelated to Preston?"
"How is that possible? Only the three of us know about this. It couldn't be you or me, right?"
Jeremiah quickly denied, "Of course not me, Mr. Norman. You've known me for years. You know me
well."
"Then it can only be him." Austin was convinced that Preston was involved. He had introduced Preston
to the cooperative party, and nobody from Norman Group knew about the money he had earned over
the years, which was laundered through the company. Only Preston knew. Who else could it be?