Chapter 147

I grabbed one of the documents from Royce's hand, and it clearly laid out Gerald's assets from back in the day.

Turns out, the money he invested in the company came from selling Kelly's family home and our own house. He then funneled all that cash into this construction materials company.

Later, the money he made from buying properties on Main Street was all legit earnings from this company.

Everything was written down clearly, with no issues or falsehoods.

The folks who had just been grilling Gerald were stunned. One of them, in disbelief, said, "No way, no way, I don't buy it!"

"Gerald must have abused his power. How else would he have known about the urban renewal plans for Main Street and bought up so much property just before it happened?" another person accused.

Carl cleared his throat. "Mr. Sharp's earnings over the years aren't just from his 30% share."

"I also hold 10% on behalf of Mr. Sharp. Plus, Mr. Sharp has made several other long-term investments. Is it really that surprising he has this much money?"

"Mr. Cook, just because you lack vision doesn't mean everyone else does."

The person who had defended my dad earlier now had a smirk on his face. "Serves you right."

Ralph Cook, the guy who had been accusing Gerald, suddenly stood up and glared at me and Carl. "You just wait. You'll get what's coming to you."

"Sooner or later, you'll realize Gerald had bad intentions all along, and you'll regret it!"

He turned to leave, and the others who had been badmouthing Gerald also got up to follow him.

Just then, Royce called out a few names, including Ralph and the others who had been slandering Gerald.

"Did I say you could leave?"

"What else do you want?"

"I have another set of documents for you to look at."

Royce pulled out another stack of papers and had them passed around. He seemed like a magician with an endless supply of tricks.

Royce really had thought of everything.

As everyone read the new documents, the room fell silent.

The people whose names had been called looked especially pale and incredulous.

"How did you get this?" one of them stammered.

Royce chuckled. "Mr. Cook, you've been taking kickbacks from our company for years, making your relatives or people who paid you suppliers. You've probably pocketed over ten million dollars by now."

"You've seriously violated our company's policies, and your actions are illegal. I've already called the police. They'll be here soon to take you in for questioning."

"And the rest of you involved won't escape either."

The group was stunned, collapsing into their chairs.

"How did you find out? How did you investigate this?" one of them asked.

Royce chuckled again. "If you don't want to be caught, don't do it in the first place."

"You should start thinking about how you'll handle life in prison."

Not long after, the police arrived, led by Simon.

He pointed out a few people. "Take these individuals into custody."

The shareholders' meeting ended in chaos.

Those who had been too close to Mr. Zhang were now on edge, worried that Royce might turn his attention to them next. After all, who in business doesn't have a few secrets?

As soon as the meeting ended, everyone rushed to cozy up to Royce.

But Royce waved them off.

I couldn't help but admire him. "I had no idea they were pulling these stunts. How did you figure it out?"

Royce chuckled, shedding his commanding presence from the meeting room and looking more like a smug kid. "Because I'm smart, obviously."

I rolled my eyes. "A few compliments and you're already full of yourself."

He asked, "Has Brandon left?"

I nodded. "Yeah, he took today's flight. He should be arriving in Skyview City soon."

Royce chuckled. "He's in for a rough time when he gets back."

Thinking about the current situation in Skyview City and Brandon's predicament, I couldn't help but laugh.

He was right; Brandon was in for it.

As we walked out, Carl came over to invite us to dinner.

I was about to accept when Royce declined. "No need. Ms. Sharp said she wanted to treat me to dinner alone."

Carl gave a knowing smile. "Alright, you two go ahead. I'll sit this one out."

I was taken aback, staring at Royce. "When did I say I was treating you?"

Royce chuckled. "After all the help I gave you today, you're not going to treat me to dinner?"

I had no choice but to nod. Royce was right; I owed him a meal.

If it weren't for him, I would have had a hard time handling today's situation.

And I didn't know these shareholders well enough to know where to start. It would have been tough to get out of this mess.

"Fine, where do you want to eat?"

Royce paused for a moment, then asked, "Can you cook?"

I was surprised but nodded. "I can, but I haven't cooked in a long time."

For one, we always had a housekeeper, and Brandon didn't let me cook to maintain his good husband image. And lately, I've been too focused on revenge to think about cooking.

I used to love cooking, experimenting with recipes in the kitchen. Seeing my family enjoy the food and compliment it always made me happy.

Royce nodded. "Then it's settled. You'll come to my place and cook for me."

I was so stunned that I let Royce lead me to his car and drive to his place.

This was my second time at his house, and remembering the last visit made me feel a bit awkward.

I went to his kitchen and opened the fridge, only to find it nearly empty, with just a few cans of beer and soda.

"Mr. Castillo, your fridge is pathetic. There's nothing to cook with."

Royce chuckled. "I can go shopping with you. I didn't know what you'd want to cook, so I didn't buy anything."

I nodded. That made sense. After all, you can't cook with just a few cans of beer and soda.

We went downstairs and headed to a nearby grocery store.

He pushed the cart as we went to the produce section.

For a moment, I had the illusion that we were a couple who had been together for ten years, just going about our daily routine.

Royce picked up a tomato and asked, "Can you make beef stew with tomatoes?"

I nodded, watching him put it in the cart.

He led me through the store until I bumped into someone. Royce looked back at me. "How can you be so distracted while walking?"

I snapped back to reality, realizing that this moment of relaxation wasn't my everyday life but a rare break.

After today, I'd be back to my battle with Brandon.