Joseph shrugged it off and took a sip of tea delightfully.
Adam looked at him. "Don't underestimate him. Ever since he took over, the company's net worth has grown over fifteen billion dollars."
"He's a business genius, yes, but nothing else. Otherwise, he would've stopped us from gaining power." Joseph still thought nothing of Nicholas.
Adam didn't argue with that. Joseph had a point. If Nicholas were that powerful, he would've made sure they could never gain power.
Joseph took Adam's silence as agreement. He took another sip of tea and continued leisurely, "Don't think too much about it. We're still his elders. Even if he demands an explanation, he won't do anything to us. He's still rather young, but he's going to be trouble in a few years."
Despite his nonchalance, Joseph still was concerned about the doctored accounts. If Remus were to find out, things would be bad for them. "Still, take care of this. Dragging it out won't be good for us."
"I'd like to, but this is a big hole to patch, and I still think something's wrong. Let's just see what happens." Adam's eyes glinted with slyness, and he sneered. "And you're right. We're still his elders. He won't dare to do anything to us."
Nicholas had no idea of this conversation, and he had indeed stopped all investigations regarding the account. At the same time, he asked Edward to tell everyone to stop talking about the matter. However, it wasn't the end. Nicholas was just keeping it in until it was time to unleash his wrath.
Even so, Tobias still caught wind of the matter. During the weekly family dinner, Tobias brought that matter up. "Is something the matter with the branch's accounts from abroad?"
"Yes." Nicholas nodded.
Tobias and Remus exchanged a solemn look. They knew what Adam and Joseph had been doing all these years, but they never cracked down on them because they were family.
"What seems to be the matter?" asked Remus.
"Investigation is still pending, but the results should be out tomorrow," said Nicholas. He would keep the truth a secret until he had all the details.
Kieran, who was beside Nicholas, couldn't stay calm. "What investigation? We know what happened. Great Uncle Adam and Joseph have gone too far. They don't show any respect to Nicholas. They—"
"Kieran Sawyer!" Nicholas' face fell.
Kieran met Nicholas' gaze, and he shrunk a little. "Fine, I'll shut up. Don't give me that look." He poked his food and muttered, "Dad and Grandpa are going to find out anyway."
And they did. Even with the scarce clues, Tobias and Remus knew what was going on, judging from how Adam and Joseph had been managing the branch abroad.
Remus' gaze turned sharp. I see my brothers are trying to start a coup. "If they start anything, crack down on them." Remus looked at Nicholas. "I'll deal with the aftermath."
Nicholas nodded. "I know."
Well, this is tense. Stefania changed the topic. "I heard you were down with something." She looked at Tessa. "What is it?"
Remus looked at Tessa with concern as well. "Getting better?"
"Yes. I caught a cold, that's all. I should be fine once I finish my medication."
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