Chapter 848: Scapegoat

Chapter 848: Scapegoat

Jeremiah knew deep down that Austin might be feeling guilty and

wanted to escape. But if Austin ran away, it would confirm the

accusations, and Jeremiah himself might also be implicated.

That's why Jeremiah didn't want that to happen. Protecting Austin

meant protecting himself.

After Jeremiah's words, Austin fell silent for a moment.

Then he instructed Jeremiah to drive to the police station. Mr. Davalos

and Mr. Moya were already waiting there. When they saw Austin, they

immediately asked, "Austin, what's going on? Why are there suddenly

so many slanderous rumors about us online? And the accusations

against you in the company's internal chat group, it must be someone

deliberately causing trouble, right?"

Mr. Davalos's face was filled with concern, and his brows furrowed with

anger and dissatisfaction towards the situation, as well as anger

towards the rumor-mongers.

After his words, Mr. Moya quickly chimed in, “There have been too

many incidents involving the Norman Group recently. After discussing,

we decided it would be best to report it to the police as soon as

possible. You've sacrificed so much for the Norman Group, let us take

responsibility for this. You still need to focus on your other projects for

the company. You don't need to worry about this; we will handle it until

the end.”

Both of them nodded, determined to take action.

Austin scanned their faces, his gaze warm yet indifferent. He calmly

said, "Uncle Davalos, Uncle Moya, it's late, and it's tiring for you both to

come to the police station. Let me handle this. You're both getting older,

and it's not good for your health to exert yourselves. I'll take care of it."

Mr. Davalos immediately objected, "How can that be? Let us handle it.

After all, we are also part of the Norman Group. We can't just push

everything onto you."

Austin looked at them with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Before he

could speak, the police arrived.

The police had already started their investigation. Although it involved

the Norman Group and the three people present, if there were any

potential legal violations, the police would thoroughly investigate. No

one would escape the consequences of the law.

The three of them underwent questioning at the police station for nearly

an hour. When they finished and left the station, it was already past 11

p.m.

They headed towards their respective cars.

When they reached Mr. Davalos and Mr. Moya's cars, Austin's steps

came to a halt. He looked at the two with a faint smile and asked, "Did

you arrange for those accusations against me?"

Austin's expression immediately turned serious. He had previously

threatened the two when the incident first came to light, forcing them to

issue statements and clear his name. In his heart, he even planned to

shift the blame onto them. He had even tried to sow discord between

them.

Now, as he saw the two showing no signs of conflict and even coming

together to report the incident to the police, he realized his

miscalculation.

Mr. Davalos and Mr. Moya stared back at Austin, their faces

expressionless. They showed no guilt or panic in response to Austin's

question. Instead, they calmly locked eyes with him and said, "Austin,

what do you mean by that? Why would we arrange for someone to

slander you? Besides, if we were the ones behind it, wouldn't reporting

it to the police be shooting ourselves in the foot?"

The words of the two didn't ease Austin's expression at all. He

continued to stare at them with a heavy look.

Mr. Davalos and Mr. Moya quickly changed the topic, "Austin, were

those words you said in the meeting room just a way to deceive us?

You didn't actually do those things, did you?"

Austin didn't answer; he simply snorted indifferently and said, "Whether

I did them or not, we are in the same boat. If something happens to me,

you won't escape either."

After saying that, Austin walked towards his car without looking back.

Mr. Davalos and Mr. Moya didn't say anything and simply exchanged a

glance before getting into their own car.

The events of this night were unpredictable. The online rumors were

spreading rapidly, and the heat surrounding them was increasing. The

Norman family was also worried and eager to contact Austin to find out

what was going on.

But Austin's phone was unreachable; he couldn't be contacted at all.

After Jeremiah dropped Austin off at his seldom-used villa, he was

dismissed. Jeremiah tried to ask how to handle the situation but was

directly scolded by Austin.

Jeremiah had no choice but to leave. No one knew what happened to

Austin afterward.

The next morning, the police arrived at the Norman Group headquarter,

requesting to see Austin. Their reason was, "We suspect that Austin,

the General Manager of the Norman Group, is involved in illegal

activities. We have sufficient evidence to prove that the accusations

against Austin are not false. We need him to come with us for

investigation.”

The police's words quickly spread throughout the company. Several

companies that were in competition with the Norman Group and had an

unfriendly relationship also joined in, insinuating that the Norman Group

was involved in illicit transactions.

If everything before was just speculation, now the police's arrival

halfway confirmed it.

The Norman family, as well as the entire Norman Group, became

anxious and fearful.

Everyone tried to contact Austin but couldn't reach him.

Since Austin was absent, Jeremiah, as his secretary and the person

closest to him, was taken away for questioning by the police.

No one knew what happened to Jeremiah after the police took him

away. All that was known was that later that morning, the police, along

with other departments, issued a search warrant for the Norman Group

and launched a citywide search for Austin.

Austin's situation became the talk of the town in Campole, and the

news also spread to Hance City and Flento City.

When Preston saw the news, he didn't react much or show any

emotions. Quintus, who was beside him, couldn't read his thoughts and

asked softly, "Mr. Baxter, fortunately, you were prepared in advance.

Otherwise, we would have been implicated by the Norman Group in

this situation.”

Quintus knew Preston's identity. He was currently Benjamin, but

previously, he was known as Preston. Since Preston now presented

himself as Benjamin to the public, Quintus addressed him as Mr.

Baxter.

Preston just let out a light sigh, his gaze warm and detached. He said,

"Why should the Norman Group implicate us? This is Austin's own

affair. What does it have to do with us? Besides, what he did has no

connection to us. I gained nothing from him, so naturally, it has nothing

to do with me."

Quintus nodded slightly, and then Preston asked, "Any news from the

Hance City police? Why hasn't Sean been found yet?"

Quintus shook his head. "The police have been all out investigating, but

it's as if Sean has vanished into thin air. There's no trace of him at the

moment."

"Have you deployed your people to investigate?" Preston interrupted

him and asked.

Quintus looked at Preston and nodded, responding, "We have already

initiated the investigation, but we haven't found any results yet."

As soon as Quintus finished speaking, his phone rang, and he glanced

at Preston before saying, "It's the person investigating Sean."

"Answer it," Preston said indifferently.

Quintus immediately answered the call and put it on speaker.

The voice on the other end of the line spoke, "Quintus, we found out

that the driver who came from Campole with Austin had dinner with

Sean last night. They were cautious not to be discovered, so they ate at

a simple street stall.”

They slowly traced it back, and after confirming it, they immediately

informed Quintus.

Quintus responded quietly on the phone, his eyes locked on Preston,

waiting for his response.

Preston didn't say anything; his face turned grim, showing extreme

displeasure.

These words were enough to prove where Sean went after leaving him.

Everything that was happening to Austin now was self-inflicted. Did he

think he could use Sean to keep him Preston in check?

Huh.

Preston looked at Quintus and said, “There's no need to continue the

investigation. Austin is not reliable for Sean."

Austin was in a precarious situation, and his whereabouts were

unknown.

Ayan and Camille also arrived in Dane City. Sophia personally drove to

the airport to pick them up, but they encountered someone familiar at

the airport.