Mr. Chairman’s Devious Wife by Brey Mitchylle novel Chapter 86

Chapter 86

“Why cannot you take me out of this place?” Lawrence hissed at Mr. Thompson, the legal head of LH GROUP. Next to Mr. Thompson was another lawyer that is working with him. He glared at the two. “What they have were all hearsay!”

Mr. Thompson held Lawrence’s gaze with a steely glint in his eyes. “We understand your frustration, Mr. Lockhart. We are already working on getting you out as soon as possible,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “However, the FBI does not operate on hunches. They have evidence, and unfortunately, it’s quite damning.”

Atty. Arian Smith, the other lawyer that he hired, chimed in. “The witness testimonies, financial records, and even those seemingly insignificant documents you dismissed as ‘hearsay’ – they all paint a very clear picture, Mr. Lockhart.”

“I am paying you for these things. Can you not make it go away? I am innocent. I have nothing to do with smuggling and those other things that they accused me of doing!” Lawrence gritted his teeth. He was not upset about these accusations as he was almost positive that they had nothing against him. What he was angry about was seeing Sofia’s face when they arrested him. “Those things were just pictures anyone can paint! Lies and exaggerations to bring me down!”

Mr. Thompson leaned forward, his voice dropping to a low murmur. “The picture they’ve painted, Mr. Lockhart, involves a complex web of shell companies, suspicious money transfers, and shipments arriving from known smuggling routes. It’s a web that, unfortunately, seems to lead directly back to you.”

Lawrence’s face flushed a deep crimson, his bluster fading. The color drained from his knuckles as he gripped the armrest of the chair.

“There’s no way they can prove I knew anything about this!” he sputtered, but the defiance in his voice lacked its earlier conviction.

“The burden of proof lies with the prosecution,” Mr. Thompson acknowledged. “Our job is to poke holes in their case, to raise doubts. But right now, Mr. Lockhart, the evidence is stacked against you. Our best hope lies in convincing the judge that the case is weak enough to be thrown out before trial.

He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. “However, if the case goes to trial, and they manage to present a compelling narrative with all this evidence…well, let’s just say the future for LH Group, and for you, Mr. Lockhart, wouldn’t be pretty.”

“What do you mean compelling evidence? They can’t have any evidence since I had nothing to do with it!” Lawrence said. He made sure to get rid of any evidence that included Mrs. Phelps who stumbled upon their operation by accident. Everything has been taken care of.

“The evidence-”

“What evidence are you talking about!?”

“We understand your anger, Mr. Lockhart. But anger won’t help us here. We need to focus on the facts, and the facts they’ve presented paint a very different picture.” Mr. Thompson said.

“What facts?” Lawrence roared, his voice laced with desperation. They are pulling things out of thin air! I have been framed, I tell you! Framed by Sofia, that ungrateful little-” Lawrence took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself down. “Tell me about the company…” he had been in this place for hours now. Moreover, the shareholders saw his arrests. He was certain that this would have certain effects on his relationship with them! “What about Sofia? Did she do anything?”

No. His current concern was not Sofia but that smirking man who stood behind him during his arrest. Alexander Beaumont. It was not a coincidence that Dr. Mulach was arrested by the FBI just a few months ago. The one behind everything must be Alexander Beaumont.

“Miss Lockhart is currently not doing anything. However, we need to focus on more pressing matters.” Atty Smith said.

13

1/3

Ox

GOWLAN

Gowlan Bible

Google Play

INSTALL

хө

Chapter 86

Lawrence glared at her. “More pressing? What could be more pressing than this…. this lie they’ve concocted?”

Mr. Thompson sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. “The news of our arrest has become a media frenzy. News vans are swarming the building, reporters are camped outside, and the shareholders are in an uproar.”

Lawrence’s face went pale. He had not considered the public fallout. Images of him in handcuffs, plastered across every news channel – the thought was sickening.

“The shareholders?” he croaked, his voice barely a whisper. “What are they saying?”

+5

“Panic, mostly,” Mr. Thompson said grimly. “The stock price is plummeting. Investors are pulling out. It’s a full-blown crisis, Mr. Lockhart.”

Lawrence sank back in his chair, the bravado he had displayed earlier completely gone. This was not just about the accusations anymore. His carefully crafted image, his power, his entire empire it was all crumbling around him.

–

“This was all Sofia’s work!” he rasped. “This must be that little witch’s scheme!” She must be laughing at home now. He was certain of it.

“The media tried to get a hold of her during the funeral, but Mr. Beaumont seemed to have increased all security personnel and the media were thrown out. I tried to see her, but Mr. Beaumont is currently doing everything to stop anyone from seeing her. Apparently, she was mourning for her grandmother’s death.”

Grandmother…

Lawrence frowned.

Was it possible that it was Eulanda who did this instead?

“I want you to find out everything about the evidence that they were talking about,” Lawrence said. “And do everything that you can to take me out of this place. Do you understand me?” Lawrence hissed. First and foremost, he needed to get out of this hell hole. He will take care of Sofia once he is out.

“Also… I need something to cover up the news.” The news about his arrest was not good. He needed some diversion— something that the PR of the company could easily solve. Covering up a scandal with another scandal has been normalized in the industry. “And I want it to last for a week…” at least.

“Yes, sir.” Mr. Thompson said. “I am already working on the specifics. Right now… we are going to wait for the agent in charge to take you to bookings and then here’s what’s going to happen next…”

Lawrence listened with a dull ache in his head as Mr. Thompson outlined the next steps. The lawyer’s calm demeanor was a stark contrast to the storm raging inside Lawrence. He felt like a general who had just lost a crucial battle, his meticulously planned campaign falling apart at the seams.

“First things first,” Mr. Thompson said, “the FBI will take fingerprints, and photos, and get your basic information. Then, they’ll decide whether to hold you overnight or release you on bail.”

“Bail?” Lawrence scoffed. “Of course, I will get bail! How much?”