Chapter 53

Chris was dumbfounded when Edward accused him. He never imagined Edward would do this. He hadn't done anything, yet somehow found himself implicated.

"Tell me honestly, did you have anything to do with my father's death?" Edward glared and shouted.

"No! It had nothing to do with me! I don't know anything!" Chris shook his head in fear, cold sweat dripping down his forehead.

"You don't know, or you don't want to tell?" Edward narrowed his eyes menacingly.

"Mr. Spanner, I really have no idea! This is all a misunderstanding!" Chris pleaded, his whole body begging for mercy. He knew Edward was settling a personal grudge, but he couldn't speak.

"Huh! It seems you won't talk without pressure. Come, beat him up!" Edward ordered, and two officers immediately moved to do so.

"Wait!" James stopped them. "Do you know who he is? He's Chris Nolan of Nolan Pharmaceuticals! He's also close to Mr. Anderson! If you dare touch a hair on his head, Mr. Anderson won't let it slide!"

"There! Uncle Travis, you heard him. This guy is connected to Hunter Anderson! He must be one of the murderers!" Edward's excitement grew, as if Chris had just confessed.

"So you're Hunter's accomplice who killed my brother?" Travis glared at Chris.

Two main suspects existed: Hunter Anderson and Dahlia Nicholson. This man was connected to both, so his involvement seemed obvious.

"No! It wasn't me!" Chris, startled, quickly shook his head. "I have nothing to do with Mr. Anderson! I don't know anything at all. This whole thing is a misunderstanding from start to finish!"

"Chris, why are you afraid of them? You have Mr. Anderson to help you. They wouldn't dare touch you!" James declared proudly.

"Shut the f*** up!" Terrified, Chris slapped James across the face. Mr. Anderson was nothing! This guy commanded thousands of troops. Who could stop him if he went mad?

"Chris Why did you hit me?" James clutched his face in pain. "Didn't you call Mr. Anderson to save my sister when Sir Spanner was harassing her? Did I say something wrong?"

"F*** you! How dare you talk nonsense! Shut up!"

Chris was close to tears, sweat beading on his forehead. Was this guy an idiot? Couldn't he see the situation?

"We have a witness and physical evidence! I'd like to see you explain yourself!" Edward gloated. He'd only wanted to take advantage of the situation; he hadn't expected results.

"Edward, this guy is lying! I didn't do anything. It was a complete coincidence that Mr. Anderson showed up that day! They willingly gave me all the credit!" Chris had no choice but to tell the truth as the situation spiraled.

"Huh? Didn't you help my sister?" James was confused.

"In your dreams!" Chris retorted angrily. "Who am I to ask Mr. Anderson for favors? Use your brain! If I had that kind of power, I wouldn't be bankrupt!"

"What? Bankrupt?" The Nicholson family was shocked, speechless for a moment.

"At this point, I won't bother hiding anymore. Dustin was right. Nolan Pharmaceuticals is under investigation, and we're going bankrupt. Now, it's just an empty shell!"

Chris no longer cared. He'd do anything to separate himself from the Nicholons.

"You're not joking, are you? You said the company was going public. How could it go bankrupt?" Florence was dumbfounded.

"Going public? That's bullshit! I said that to fool you all! It doesn't exist! I wouldn't even think of you if dividends existed! Stop dreaming!" Chris's expression was grim. He was spilling everything, desperate to sever ties with the Nicholons and save himself.

"You mean you've been lying to us?" Florence was shocked and disbelieving.

"That's right! I just wanted to grab some money and run away. Who knew you'd be dumb enough to believe it!" Chris sneered.

"You monster! How could you cheat us out of our money? Pay us back!" Florence shrieked, lunging at Chris. That was her retirement money; she'd invested everything for the bonus. It was all for nothing. Her world had collapsed.

"You sly wolf! We trusted you! How could you cheat us? You're an animal! Give us back the money!" The others protested, but armed guards restrained them. Only Florence managed to scratch Chris's face.

"The money's gone! I transferred all the funds overseas. Just give up!" Chris confessed. His words were like knives, stabbing them. They had never felt more regret. If they'd known, they wouldn't have been so greedy.

"Why would you do this?" Dahlia frowned, confused. She never suspected Chris's capital increase was a scam. Dustin had been kind, warning her about Nolan Pharmaceuticals' bankruptcy, but no one believed him. This was a huge betrayal.

"Why? For money, of course! Money buys women. You should all know that!" Chris snickered.

"So the partnership with the Harmon family had nothing to do with you either?" Dahlia asked hesitantly.

"That's right!" Chris admitted plainly. "My dad never contacted the Harmons. They made the decision themselves. I just took advantage of the situation! The funny thing is, you all believed me without question!"

Dahlia was dumbfounded. Everything was a misunderstanding. Chris hadn't helped her at all and had cheated her. Worst of all, he'd taken credit and kept her in the dark. His ambition was boundless.

The question remained: if not Chris, who had helped her?