Chapter 240

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Chapter 240 Troy’s Surprise Move

Chad’s intense gaze remained locked onto her, refusing to let go.

Charlie averted her eyes. She passed by Chad and carried on as though nothing had happened.

Chad suddenly gripped her wrist as they crossed paths. His expression was as dark as coal. He whispered, “Charlie.”

Liam’s presence stung Chad again.

Watching her converse and giggle with Liam brought an indescribable unease, like drowning in the ocean and leaving behind a lasting bitterness.

There was no longer a place for him in her heart.

Charlie paused. Her expression was calm as she said, “Let’s talk later. I’m busy with work right

now.”

Chad watched her for a while before finally letting go and said, “You go on. I’ll let you get back to

work.”

Chad returned backstage to find her when the awards ceremony officially began, but Charlie had already vanished without a trace.

He clenched his fists and returned to his seat in silence.

The man beside him nodded toward Liam, who was singing on stage. “Is that him?”

Chad’s expression grew even darker as he nodded subtly.

The man scanned at Liam and stroked his chin as he commented, “He does bear some resemblance to you.”

He wasn’t talking about appearance. Instead, it was the aura he projected. He had a polished and sophisticated demeanor, like a well–read classic gentleman.

Chad stared intensely at Liam on stage. His eyes grew even more ominous.

Meanwhile, Blake, as the victim, appeared at the mediation session with Erik and Robert.

Imogen chose not to attend and instructed Erik not to mention her, fearing a confrontation with Blake.

She was in the youth center with Grace to work on some artwork when she received Erik’s message about the failed mediation.

The supplier had rejected the compensation terms proposed by the Hale family.

The next step would either be a second round of conciliation or proceeding with a lawsuit, awaiting a judge’s decision.

Robert mentioned to Imogen that Blake had proposed a compensation package, which included a refund of all material costs and a tenfold reimbursement. Additionally, there were labor costs, damages to reputation, and emotional distress expenses totaling 300 thousand dollars.

Robert messaged her on Facebook: [Blake refuses to budge, and the supplier is equally adamant. They claimed that Blake was aware of the material issues and was only willing to refund material costs plus an additional 100 thousand dollars for damages. I don’t see much hope for further mediation. It looks like we’ll be heading to court.]

Imogen: [Has Erik said anything about Blake’s proposed compensation terms?]

Robert: [No, he hasn’t. It’s been Blake doing all the talking. To put it bluntly, he knows he’s in the

right. His attitude is quite arrogant. He frequently resorts to threats of legal action.] Imogen wasn’t surprised.

compass.

Blake was a kidnapper. He wasn’t someone she expected to have a good moral However, Erik’s actions caught her off guard. She had assumed he would intervene. After all, it seemed like an attempt to take advantage to demand ten times the material cost plus an additional 300 thousand dollars in compensation.

The supplier would never agree to that. They preferred to avoid a court battle and settle privately. Nonetheless, this frustrated the supplier and led to a lawsuit. The Hale family might not receive such significant compensation in court.

Blake’s approach might not be the most sensible if they were to pursue this legally and pay a hefty sum. With Robert on their side, Imogen believed that Robert could secure a favorable outcome for them if their demands were reasonable.

Imogen replied: [They want to go to court, so be it. I trust you to handle it and get as much compensation as possible.]

The case didn’t involve her directly anyway. It mainly depended on the Hale family’s approach. Suddenly, Erik sent a message to Imogen: [Do you happen to know any private investigators?]

Imogen: [Private investigators? Why are you suddenly asking about them?]

Erik explained: [Honestly, I knew the mediation would end like this. Before the mediation, I saw the person in charge on the supplier’s side talking to a man. The man said no matter what compensation we propose, they won’t agree. They’re pushing us to file a lawsuit, go through multiple court hearings, and do everything to drag it out. Even if we win, they’ll keep dragging it out until the court forces them.]

If this had dragged on, the case wouldn’t have been resolved for several years.

Erik’s response surprised Imogen.

To convince her, Erik sent a recording. It only captured part of the conversation, but it conveyed their intention.

No wonder Erik hadn’t stopped Blake. It turned out he had known in advance that the mediation. wouldn’t succeed.

Imogen listened attentively. She tried to distinguish who the person in charge on the supplier’s side was and who the instigator was.

The instigator’s identity seemed vaguely familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before but couldn’t quite recall.

Unfortunately, she still couldn’t recall.

Imogen: [That’s strange. Do you want to investigate the identity of that man?]

Erik: [I suspect the homeowner is involved with that man, too. It seems like everything is a result of that man targeting us! We can’t just sit and wait, allowing them to drag us for several years. I want to see if we can find something incriminating about them.]

Could it be that Blake genuinely didn’t know about the issues with the materials? Was he merely being targeted?

Imogen: [I don’t know any private investigators. Let me ask some friends. I’ll inform you if I find one.]

2/4

Erik: (Alright, thanks.J

Imogen opened Noah’s chat and briefly explained the situation. She then asked him to help Erik investigate without letting on that he knew anything.

Noah hadn’t replied yet.

Imogen watched Grace happily paint her face, hands, and clothes in various colors.

She sat there, patiently awaited Noah’s response, and decided to scroll through her Instagram feed.

There were many updates on Instagram.

She liked and commented as appropriate.

Imogen saw that Yann had posted a video with a thumbnail featuring a cute kitten.

She didn’t expect someone as tough as Yann to have a pet cat.

She clicked on the video, and Yann’s voice immediately filled her ears. “Meow, come here.”

Imogen froze. Her smile instantly stiffened on her face.

That voice…

She stopped in her tracks.

In the video, Yann’s voice continued to coax the cat.

She closed her eyes and quickly turned off the video.

Imogen returned to her chat with Erik, played the recording again, and listened carefully. Damn it. She had wondered why the voice of the instigator sounded so familiar. It was Yann!

Why would Yann target Erik?

Imogen could easily connect the dots and knew it was related to Troy.

He hadn’t bothered her for the past few days. Imogen thought he had finally given up. But it seemed he had a hidden move up his sleeve!

Damn!

Imogen took a deep breath and suppressed the urge to curse.

After some consideration, she sent a message to Noah: [I’m sorry, forget what I said earlier.]

There was no need for an investigation.

Noah could uncover Yann’s identity and his connection to Troy.

Imogen closed her eyes and opened a chat with Yann. She messaged him: [Mr. Cooper, it looks like you’ve been enjoying some leisure time! Have you been spending it with some cute kitties?]

Yann: [Just some free time, Ms. Forbes. Why do you ask?]

Imogen: [Do you have time? How about going out for lunch?]

At this point, Yann became cautious: (Are you offering to take me out for lunch?]

They hadn’t contacted each other since parting ways in Norway.

Imogen suddenly inviting him to lunch was highly unusual.

Imogen: [Yes]

Yann: [Why?]

Imogen: [I like you. Didn’t I say that in Norway?]

Chapter 240 Troy’s Surprise Move

Yann was taken aback at her reply.