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

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 arealready working on getting you out as soon as possible,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “However, the FBI does not operate onhunches. 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 thoseseemingly insignificant documents you dismissed as ‘hearsay’ — they all paint a very clear picture, Mr. Lockhart.”

“lam paying you for these things. Can you not make it go away? | am innocent. | have nothing to do with smuggling and thoseother things that they accused me of doing!” Lawrence gritted his teeth. He was not upset about these accusations as he wasalmost 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 acomplex web of shell companies, suspicious money transfers, and shipments arriving from known smuggling routes. It’s a webthat, 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 thechair.

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

“The burden of proof lies with the prosecution,” Mr. Thompson acknowledged. “Our job is to poke holes in their case, to raisedoubts. But right now, Mr. Lockhart, the evidence is stacked against you. Our best hope lies in convincing the judge that the caseis 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 compellingnarrative 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 | had nothing to do with it!” Lawrence said. Hemade sure to get rid of any evidence that included Mrs. Phelps who stumbled upon their operation by accident. Everything hasbeen 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’vepresented 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! | have been framed, | tellyou! Framed by Sofia, that ungrateful little-” Lawrence took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself down. “Tell me about thecompany...” he had been in this place for hours now. Moreover, the shareholders saw his arrests. He was certain that this wouldhave 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. Itwas not a coincidence that Dr. Mulach was arrested by the FBI just a few months ago. The one behind everything must beAlexander Beaumont.

“Miss Lockhart is currently not doing anything. However, we need to focus on more pressing matters.” Atty Smith said.13

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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 areswarming 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 newschannel — the thought was sickening.

“The shareholders?” he croaked, his voice barely a whisper. “What are they saying?”35)

“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 accusationsanymore. 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 wascertain of it.

“The media tried to get a hold of her during the funeral, but Mr. Beaumont seemed to have increased all security personnel andthe media were thrown out. | 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?

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

“Also... | 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 inthe industry. “And | want it to last for a week...” at least.

“Yes, sir.” Mr. Thompson said. “Il am already working on the specifics. Right now... we are going to wait for the agent in charge totake 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 astark contrast to the storm raging inside Lawrence. He felt like a general who had just lost a crucial battle, his meticulouslyplanned 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'lldecide whether to hold you overnight or release you on bail.”

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

Mr. Thompson hesitated. “The amount will depend on the severity of the charges. But considering the nature of theaccusations...” he trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished. “However, smuggling charges are usually bailable so we do nothave to worry about that.”

Lawrence's scoff died in his throat.

“Next

“Mr. Thompson continued, “we'll fight for your release. We'll need to see the evidence the FBI has against you and start2/3

Chapter 86

building a defense strategy,

Lawrence nodded curtly, a sliver of hope flickering within him. Lawyers. Strategies. Maybe, just maybe, they could weasel himout of this mess.

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“As for the media firestorm,” Atty. Smith chimed in, “We’re working on a damage control plan. We can’t erase your arrest, but wecan try to manage the narrative.”

“How?” Lawrence asked, desperate for any crumb of good news.

Atty. Smith pursed her lips. “We're exploring options. Perhaps a pre-emptive press conference announcing your full cooperationwith the investigation. Or a strategic leak about a new philanthropic venture by LH Group to distract the public.”

Lawrence grimaced. A press conference? Philanthropic ventures Those were all bandages on a gaping wound. But in theabsence of better options, he would not object.

Just then, the metallic clang of the door opening pierced the tense silence. A familiar FBI agent stood there.“Mr. Lockhart,” he said, his voice flat. “Time for booking. Please follow me.”

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Chapter 87*BANG*

Lawrence tossed aside the folders given to him by Mr. Thompson. “What is this?” Since prosecutors were legally obligated toprovide copies of all evidence, including witness statements, financial records, documents seized during the investigation, andphysical evidence, Lawrence and his team of lawyers were able to review a list of what they would present in court.

“You're telling me that Mr. Oh... made a deal? He made a deal?”

“Mr. Lockhart,” Mr. Thompson began, his voice calm despite the storm brewing, “the evidence is clear. Mr. Oh has cut a deal withthe prosecution. He’s agreed to testify against you in exchange for leniency in his own sentencing.”

Lawrence shoved the papers away with a disgusted flick of his wrist. The folders tumbled to the floor, spewing documents like aburst pifiata. “That sniveling coward!” he spat. “He knew everything! Everything! We practically built the damn companytogether!”

“Apparently, Mr. Oh’s loyalty has its limits,” Attorney Smith said.

Lawrence let out a humorless bark of a laugh. “Loyalty? What loyalty? That weasel was swimming in the same pool of money asme! Now he’s spilling it all just to save his own skin!”

He paced the room like a caged lion. Mr. Oh’s betrayal was a fresh wound on top of the gaping hole in his carefully constructedworld. “This changes everything! We need to re-strategize. We can’t trust anyone!” Lawrence exclaimed. He never expected thatguy to just immediately give him up! What a coward!

What he didn’t know was the fact that Mr. Oh was currently receiving his visitor at that moment. Mr. Oh glanced at AlexanderBeaumont, his gaze complicated.

“You promised to protect my family. Lawrence is probably going to kill them to stop me from talking. | need you to do it as soonas possible,” Mr. Oh said.

“| already took care of that,” Alexander smirked. Mr. Oh nodded, his shoulders a little slumped. His gaze then landed on thewoman sitting next to Alexander. Sofia Lockhart.

For years, he had underestimated the woman and thought she was not capable of what her grandmother could do. He waswrong.Oh. So wrong.

Until now, Mr. Oh could still recall what happened just a few days ago. To be exact, this happened before Eulanda’s demise. Asalways, Mr. Oh was late for dinner.

He had just finished doing a lot of things for Lawrence. It was already ten in the evening when he pulled up outside his house. Tohis surprise, however, his wife was still enjoying some wine with none other than Sofia Lockhart.

The moment he saw Sofia laughing with his wife, Mr. Oh froze, his eyes wide.Who would have thought that she would dare come into his house and even to his family?

“Honey, I’ve been calling you,” his wife, Kenny, smiled as she walked towards him, a half-filled wine glass in her hand. “I tried totell you that Miss Lockhart came to visit for some important files.” Kenny widened her eyes on him as if she was trying to tell himsomething. “Did you know that she designed that bag that you gifted me on our anniversary? How come you failed to mentionthis to me? | have been telling you that | like that bag so much!”

“l-You know that | have been busy,” Mr. Oh said. To be honest, he doesn’t know what Sofia is currently doing here; however, heknows that it wouldn’t be anything good. “I Miss Lockhart, | didn’t know you would come to my humble