Chapter 273 Not Your Place To Worry

“I know,” Harriet nodded lightly.

What else could she say?

For many years, she had served as the right-hand woman to Sebastian, her role largely confined to following orders with little room for personal input. At times, she even questioned if she was nothing more than a tool for Sebastian to use for his work.

Despite spending day in and day out with him due to work commitments, Sebastian had never shown the slightest hint of affection toward her over the years.

At first, Harriet thought that Sebastian was naturally aloof. However, after seeing how well he treated Madelyn, she started to feel a bit unsettled inside.

It turned out that he, too, had emotions. He could laugh, get angry, feel sad, and even become anxious.

It was just that none of it was for her sake.

But how exactly could she get Sebastian’s attention? Harriet felt incredibly frustrated.

Four hours later, at Lockhart Villa.

Madelyn and Sebastian had finally returned home. After tidying up, Madelyn started to rest to adjust her jet lag. Meanwhile, Sebastian went to the office to handle the business matters that had accumulated over the past couple of days. And so, they each busied themselves with their own tasks.

The next day, Madelyn obediently returned to school to attend her classes. As soon as she arrived, she was bombarded with questions by Jillian and Josiah.

“Madelyn, where have you been these past couple of days? You haven’t been attending classes, and when I went to your house, I couldn’t find you,” Jillian asked, filled with concern.

“I was going to call the police if you hadn’t shown up,” Josiah grumbled. He couldn’t help it; her sudden and silent disappearance had truly been distressing.

Tristan nodded his head rapidly. “That’s right. Boss was worried sick about you.”

“Tristan, what on earth are you rambling about now? Did I show any signs of worry? Is that even possible?” Josiah snapped, his pride flaring in his eyes. Seeing this, Tristan had no choice but to obediently keep quiet.

Madelyn simply chuckled, unconcerned. “It’s nothing, I just took a short trip abroad.” She then turned to Josiah. “Josiah, I have something to discuss with you. Come with me.”

After Madelyn finished speaking, she headed toward the door. Josiah paused for a moment, then decided to follow her.

After stepping outside, Madelyn decided to find a quieter spot to talk, so she led Josiah further on.

Josiah trailed behind, a hint of dissatisfaction in his demeanor. Unable to contain his curiosity, he finally blurted out, “What’s going on? Why are you being so mysterious?”

“Josiah, I’m thinking of buying some pinhole cameras to install in the company. Do you know anyone trustworthy who could sneak into my family’s company to help with the installation?”

Upon hearing those words, Josiah couldn’t help but furrow his brows. “Why would you do that?”

Typically, in a place like a company, wouldn’t ordinary cameras be sufficient? Moreover, pinhole cameras were mostly used by wrongdoers. Why would a young woman like her need them? What on earth was she thinking?

Madelyn knew she could trust Josiah, so she didn’t hold anything back and answered, “To be honest, a mole appeared in Thornton Corporation recently. Some of our key projects have been hidden away, causing quite a headache. But the security cameras in the finance department were designed for privacy, essentially under independent control, meaning anyone could switch them off at any time. Precisely because of this, we were helpless in identifying the mole when this incident occurred. That’s why I was thinking, what if we could purchase pinhole cameras and install them inside? That way, I could keep an eye on their every move in the future.”

“I see,” Josiah nodded upon hearing this, then cleverly suggested, “Actually, purchasing a pinhole camera isn’t that difficult. I have a method.”

“What method?” Madelyn asked eagerly.

Josiah said, “I remember telling you before that Tristan’s brother is a big shot in the northern underworld. He has many connections and certainly has plenty of resources at his disposal. So for this matter, we can just ask Tristan for help.”

After hearing it all, Madelyn nodded, finding the suggestion reasonable.

And so, the two of them once again found Tristan and expressed their intent to purchase pinhole cameras, although they did not disclose the reason.

Luckily, Tristan was very understanding. He knew when to ask and when not to, so he didn’t pry into the reasons. With a sense of righteousness, he simply agreed, saying “This matter can be easily handled. You can trust me with it.”

“Really? That’s fantastic!” Madelyn’s face immediately lit up with joy as she showered praises on him, “Tristan, you’re truly a good friend. I didn’t make this friendship for nothing.”

With a playful grin, Tristan cheekily responded, “Of course. How could I possibly refuse something my sister-in-law asked of me? Isn’t that right, Boss?” As he spoke, Tristan deliberately nudged Josiah.

Josiah rolled his eyes, nearly choking him on the spot out of exasperation.

In the afternoon.

After school, Madelyn tidied up and went straight back to Thornton Corporation. Once she had sorted out some of the miscellaneous tasks at hand, she confidently headed to the finance department.

Ian, who was essentially her father’s right-hand man, was seated at the front row of the finance department’s workstations at that time. When Madelyn arrived at the finance department, she went straight to him and asked, “Ian, how did the accounts from last time turn out? Did they match up?”

Upon hearing this, Ian shook his head in disappointment. “No news yet, Ms. Thornton. I’m afraid only the person involved would know about the matter of that account.”

The person he was referring to was the finance manager and none other than Eunice’s uncle – Zachary Zimmer.

To be honest, Zachary didn’t have much capability to begin with. It was Regina’s personal support that landed him the position of finance manager. Unexpectedly, this ungrateful wretch had the audacity to harm the company. How could Madelyn possibly stand by and do nothing?

With that thought in mind, Madelyn headed straight for Zachary’s office.

Upon seeing Zachary, she politely greeted him before getting straight to the point, “Mr. Zimmer, there’s an issue with the company’s accounts lately. One of the project’s bills just doesn’t add up. Do you know what the problem might be?”

Zachary was a middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and large eyes. He sat in his seat, dressed in a suit, looking quite formidable on the surface. However, his cunning eyes gave away his true nature entirely.

At that moment, Zachary glanced at Madelyn, dismissing her with a wave of disdain. “This matter is not for you to worry about. You’ve only just returned after being gone for two days. I think it’s best if you take some time to rest, Ms. Thornton.”

The tone of his voice was thick with mockery.

Madelyn’s face darkened in an instant. “Mr. Zimmer, what are you implying?

“You’re the chairman’s daughter, so I wouldn’t dare imply anything. I just want you to know that before you judge others, it’s best to take a look at yourself first," Zachary replied with a cold scoff.