Chapter 13: Dangerous Confrontation
1031words
Sophia Parker's seventeenth voice message sounded on my phone, her tone filled with anxiety and panic. Since Victor Thompson invested in the South American Rare Earth Project, things had developed exactly as I predicted—initial exploration results showed the mineral deposits were far below expectations, and the project faced enormous losses.
"Are you going to reply to her?" Alexander Morgan stood behind me, looking at my phone screen.
"I'll wait a bit longer," I said calmly. "Let her suffer a little more."
Tonight was the annual Jiangcheng Chamber of Commerce gala, with business elites gathered together. This was the final step of our plan—to publicly expose Victor Thompson's business fraud and completely destroy his reputation in the business world.
"Are you ready?" Alexander Morgan adjusted my suit collar, his eyes full of concern.
"I've been prepared for this since five years ago." I took a deep breath, "Tonight, everything will come to an end."
The banquet venue was brilliantly lit, with glasses clinking all around. I entered with my arm linked with Alexander Morgan's, immediately drawing countless gazes. Claire Johnson was already waiting inside, elegantly raising her glass to us in greeting.
"Victor Thompson is here," Alexander Morgan whispered to remind me.
I turned around and saw Victor Thompson walk into the hall with a gloomy face. He was visibly haggard, with dark circles under his eyes revealing his recent stress. Sophia Parker followed closely behind him, nervously looking around, and walked urgently toward me as soon as she saw me.
"Emily Wilson, I must talk to you!" She grabbed my arm, "That mine... there's a problem!"
"What mine?" I pretended to be confused, "I don't understand what you're talking about."
"It's that report you gave me!" Sophia Parker was almost crying, "Victor Thompson invested 500 million, but now..."
"Oh, that one." I suddenly realized, "I just randomly gathered some materials for you to look at. I didn't think you would take it seriously."
Sophia's face instantly turned pale: "You... you did this on purpose?"
"Business is like warfare, isn't it?" I smiled, "This is just a small lesson."
Just then, Victor Thompson walked over, his face ashen: "Emily Wilson, did you deliberately set me up?"
"Mr. Thompson, please mind the occasion." Alexander Morgan said coldly, "This is a chamber of commerce dinner, not a place for you to lose your temper."
"You all conspired to deceive me!" Victor Thompson could no longer control his anger, his voice rising several decibels, drawing attention from the surrounding guests.
"Is Mr. Thompson referring to the rare earth project in South America?" I pretended to be surprised, "That was just my personal research, I never advised anyone to invest. If someone made a hasty decision, that's their own problem."
Victor Thompson was furious: "You clearly knew that mine was worthless!"
"Mr. Thompson, please calm down." Claire Johnson walked over at this moment, elegantly joining the conversation, "Business investments inherently come with risks, and success or failure depends on the decision-maker's judgment."
"The three of you conspired against me!" Victor Thompson had completely lost control, pointing at us and accusing loudly, "You manipulated the market and spread false information!"
His outburst attracted more attention, with the chamber of commerce chairman and several important members walking over.
"What's happening here?" the chairman of the chamber asked sternly.
"The CEO Thompson seems unsatisfied with his own investment decisions." Claire Johnson explained calmly, "But unfortunately, he's now trying to shift the responsibility to others."
"It's more than that!" Victor Thompson shouted furiously, "The three of them conspired to deceive investors! And, Emily Wilson used insider information to manipulate the market!"
"These are serious accusations." The chamber chairman frowned, "Mr. Thompson, do you have any evidence?"
"I..." Victor Thompson was at a loss for words, obviously having no evidence.
"Since Mr. Chen mentioned market manipulation," I said calmly, "I believe the members of the chamber of commerce might be more interested in this."
I took out a USB drive and handed it to the chairman of the chamber of commerce: "This contains evidence of Victor Thompson's commercial fraud over the past three years, including how he falsified financial statements, bribed officials, and evaded taxes. All evidence has been verified and can be submitted directly to regulatory authorities."
The chairman of the chamber of commerce took the USB drive with a serious expression: "I will personally look into this."
"This is slander!" Victor Thompson shouted, but his voice already lacked conviction.
"And there's this." Claire Johnson took out another document, "Victor Thompson's secret transaction records with Starlight Technologies, violating at least three business ethics principles."
Victor Thompson's face turned ashen as he turned to Sophia Parker: "You told them?"
"I... I didn't!" Sophia Parker panicked.
"Stop pretending." I sneered, "We've known about your tricks for a long time. Here's the recording of you and Victor Thompson conspiring to frame me."
I played a recording that clearly documented Sophia Parker's conversation with Victor Thompson about how she approached me and obtained information.
Sophia Parker completely broke down: "Victor Thompson, you said no one would ever know!"
"Shut up!" Victor Thompson roared, "It's all because of your incompetence, being played like a fool by Emily Wilson!"
The two turned against each other on the spot, hurling accusations, making complete fools of themselves in front of business elites. The chamber chairman signaled security to escort them out of the banquet, with the entire process being recorded by multiple media outlets.
After Victor Thompson and Sophia Parker were taken away, the venue returned to calm. I stood between Alexander Morgan and Claire Johnson, and the three of us exchanged smiles.
"Well done," Alexander Morgan said softly, his eyes full of admiration.
As I watched my former enemies leaving in disgrace, a complex emotion welled up inside me. This wasn't just the satisfaction of revenge, but a feeling of being reborn.
"It's over," I said quietly. "It's all over."
Alexander Morgan grasped my hand: "No, this is just the beginning."
His hand was warm and strong, giving me a sense of security I had never felt before. Perhaps he was right. After my revenge, my life would truly begin.
