CHAPTER 149: CHAPTER 149: HE’S JUST A SCAPEGOAT

Sophie Sheffield and Clara Sterling finished eating and returned to Prospect Hill Villa together.

Silas Sheffield called again.

"Have you picked her up?" The man’s voice was cool with a trace of warmth.

He only spoke like this to Clara Sterling.

"Yes." Clara Sterling replied.

Silas Sheffield asked, "Have you eaten?"

Sophie Sheffield, who was close enough to hear the voice on the phone, laughed and said, "Don’t worry, bro, I just supervised Clara’s meal. When are you getting back?"

Upon hearing Sophie Sheffield’s voice, Silas replied, "In three days, I have a flight on the 6th at 8 AM, I’ll be back by around 8 PM."

Clara Sterling’s heart filled with joy. Luckily, it was just a three-day business trip, "I’ll be waiting for your return."

Silas Sheffield, still not at ease, reminded her again, "Yes, take good care of yourself these days."

"Okay."

Sophie Sheffield smiled and said to Clara Sterling’s phone, "Rest assured, I’m already in Veridian. Before you return, I’ll take good care of Clara."

...

"Miss, President Sheffield personally posted on X to clarify, and those exposés have been deleted. Should we continue posting?" The man speaking paused and advised, "Now that President Sheffield and Julian Hawthorne are investigating the leakers, if we continue posting, we are likely to be found out by them."

Thea Tate did not answer immediately.

Her brows were tightly furrowed, her fists clenched, eyes full of gloom and hatred.

What exactly is so good about Clara Sterling, making everyone love her so much?

It was hard enough for her to catch Clara Sterling and Julian Hawthorne meeting alone, just when Silas Sheffield was away on a business trip. She found someone to release the exposé, hitting the hot search list.

She planned it knowing Silas Sheffield would be in Arctica, out of touch for ten hours, hoping to stir up trouble during that time.

Now that Silas Sheffield has stepped in, if she continues causing trouble, she’ll undoubtedly be discovered by him. If Silas and Julian teamed up, even being the Tate Family’s daughter wouldn’t let her walk away unscathed.

"Forget it." Thea’s eyes were cold, "Let’s not bother about the hot search for now. Did you find the person I asked for?"

"Found."

"What did he say?"

"He agreed, following your instructions, he bought a lottery ticket. The money will be given to him as lottery winnings."

Thea tapped her fingers lightly on the table, a cold smile played on her lips, "Good, let’s leave it at that."

...

Very soon, the people from the Sheffield side traced the exposé to the perpetrator.

Silas Sheffield looked at the email sent by his subordinate, his dark eyes cold and deep, "Him again?"

Zachary Lynch stood by reporting, "Jonah Shaw, previously fired, harbored resentment against your wife. The anniversary announcement video went viral, and when he finally saw your wife and Julian Hawthorne meeting alone, he seized the opportunity to make a big fuss."

Jonah Shaw indeed had the motive to do this.

But Silas Sheffield wasn’t easy to fool.

He furrowed his brow in thought.

Jonah Shaw was both stupid and malicious. Previously in the company, he made the foolish move of altering contracts to frame Clara, and later teamed up with Quinn Hughes to slander Clara, so him doing such a thing was not surprising.

But Jonah Shaw already had two lawsuits against him.

The defamation case against Clara had been judged, where he posted an apology on social media and paid a compensation for defamation.

The company’s contract dispute was still awaiting a court hearing, and the company demanded that Jonah Shaw compensate for the over five million loss sustained.

Jonah Shaw, now overwhelmed with his issues, had no leisure to cause such chaos.

It seemed that Jonah Shaw was yet again made a scapegoat by some people concerning this hot search.

Silas Sheffield ordered in a deep voice, "Retrieve surveillance footage from the café and the street outside on the day of the incident."

Similar to what Silas Sheffield found, Julian Hawthorne’s investigation led to discovering Jonah Shaw as the leaker.

Jonah Shaw, bearing a grudge against Clara Sterling, happened to see him drinking coffee with Clara, took photos, sought out some influential marketing accounts to leak the news, and even created several sock-puppet accounts to stir up the situation himself.

After seeing the information obtained, Julian Hawthorne didn’t believe it either, "Keep a close eye on him, he’s just a scapegoat."

"Understood, young master."

...

"Thea, I’ve done everything you asked. The surveillance data in and out of the store that day has been completely destroyed and cannot be recovered."

"You’ve done well." Thea Tate reclined in her study chair while on the phone, a smile playing on her lips, in a good mood, "This way, they won’t find any evidence."

The man chuckled, "I helped you with such a big favor this time, how will you thank me?"

"Your gift has already been sent."

The man’s tone turned somber, "You know what I want is never these things."

Thea Tate chuckled, "Once I’m done with this busy period, I’ll come to Freedonia to see you."

Upon hearing this, the man’s mood lifted again, "Alright, I’ll wait for you."

After hanging up, Thea Tate leisurely reclined in her chair, a triumphant smile flickered in her eyes.

Silas Sheffield could think of retrieving surveillance, but how could she not think of it?

She contacted Sean Quill, who was in Freedonia, right after Silas Sheffield released his clarification statement.

Sean Quill, a top hacker, was one of her ex-boyfriends when she was studying abroad in Freedonia.

For him, remotely hacking into the surveillance system was a piece of cake.

Even though the hot search was removed and all those related entries on X were scrubbed clean by Silas Sheffield’s people, the internet never forgets. The influence of this exposé and the netizens’ impression of Clara Sterling couldn’t be entirely erased.

Most importantly, this incident intensified Mrs. Sheffield’s dislike for Clara Sterling, cementing her desire for Silas Sheffield and Clara Sterling to divorce.

How could that not be considered a success?

...

Sophie Sheffield accompanied Clara Sterling in Veridian for three days. She only returned to Crestwood on the day Silas Sheffield came back.

Clara Sterling went to the airport to pick him up, wearing a face mask and a baseball cap to avoid being recognized.

Upon seeing Silas Sheffield, her eyes welled up, unable to hold back her tears.

Counting the day he left and today, they had only been apart for five days.

But those five days felt interminably long to her.

She thought of him day and night.

Silas Sheffield walked out from the VIP exit and immediately spotted the familiar figure waiting at the exit.

Even though she was meticulously wrapped up, he recognized her at first glance.

The man strode over, naturally wrapping Clara Sterling into his embrace with a long arm, "Have you been waiting long, Mrs. Sheffield?"

Clara buried her head deeply in the man’s chest, feeling the warmth of his embrace.

The faint scent of crisp cedar lingered; Clara Sterling closed her eyes, her tightly wound nerves over the past days finally relaxing.

"It’s been a while, Mr. Sheffield."