Chapter 596
Charlotte’s words nearly confirmed that Rowan had accepted a bribe.
Rowan instinctively glanced at Orion, who narrowed his eyes coldly, his gaze filled with scrutiny and intimidation. Rowan’s legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the floor, his face pale as he weakly tried to defend himself. “It’s not like that, Mr. Riley. Don’t listen to her nonsense…”
“Nonsense? I don’t think so,” Orion said, lifting his hand and tossing the 4-million-dollar check Charlotte had given him onto Rowan’s face.
Rowan flinched violently, his reputation no longer a concern as he grabbed Orion’s trouser leg, pleading. “Mr. Riley, please, just this once, let me go. I’ll return the money and swear it will never happen again.”
Seeing this, Charlotte realized, even with her limited understanding, that Orion was not the person she had thought him to be.
She had inadvertently set Rowan up.
Feeling frustrated, Charlotte quickly sought a way to remedy the situation. “Mr. Riley, Mr. Turner didn’t receive a bribe. He was actually a friend of my grandfather’s. That money was a gift from me as his junior, not a bribe.”
“Really?” Rowan quickly nodded. “We know each other. Her grandfather was my medical professor. Before I joined the Medicines Control Agency, I worked under her grandfather at First Hospital.”
“A gift?” Orion laughed, pointing at the check lying on the floor. “So, is this also a gift?”
Both Charlotte and Rowan fell into a rigid silence.
Rowan cursed Charlotte and her entire family inwardly. ‘If it weren’t for that fool Charlotte, I wouldn’t be in this mess.’
Seeing that he couldn’t clear the accusation about accepting money, Rowan tried to find another way to muddle the issue. His mind raced as he sought a solution.
Suddenly, an idea struck him.
He decided to take a desperate approach and told Orion. Mr. Riley, I admit I was indeed confused today and made a mistake by accepting the money. But I swear this is truly the first time I’ve accepted a bribe. I’m returning the money to her right now.”
As he spoke, Rowan used his phone to transfer the exact amount Charlotte had given him back to her.
After doing this, he added, “But… Mr. Riley, Herbathrive did violate regulations, and that has nothing to do with whether or not I took the money. Although I accepted her money, the matter was handled impartially. Please believe me.” Rowan’s two aides quickly stepped in to support his claims. Of course, many others chose to remain silent. They had been oppressed by Rowan for so long that they were eager to see this parasite exposed.
Seeing this, Charlotte chimed in, “Mr. Riley, Mr. Turner really isn’t lying. If you don’t believe it, you can go check the storage room yourself. There are many things inside that are not in compliance, and there are some weeds I’ve never seen before. I suspect Herbathrive has been engaging in illegal activities, selling these weeds as valuable herbs.” Orion frowned in displeasure. “Herbathrive has a long-standing reputation. They wouldn’t do something like that.” Charlotte and Elton exchanged a glance. It seemed Orion might be leaning toward defending Herbathrive.
Elton stepped forward with a cold sneer. “Mr. Riley, what do you mean by that? Are you concluding Herbathrive’s innocence without even inspecting the evidence? Isn’t that a bit biased? As the head of the Medicines Control Agency, is this how you conduct your investigations?”
Charlotte smirked. “With your approach, if you still think Mr. Turner is at fault… I’d say the real problem is with you.” “What do you mean by that?” Orion shot back. “Are you suggesting I’m deliberately covering up for Herbathrive?” Charlotte shrugged. “We don’t know that for sure. What we do know is that the evidence of Herbathrive’s violations is right here in the storage room, yet you’re turning a blind eye.” Orion’s expression darkened quickly.
He was about to counter Charlotte’s claims and clear Herbathrive when Melody’s voice suddenly interrupted. “Mr. Riley, this storage room belongs to Mr. Herbert personally and has nothing to do with Herbathrive. You can check Herbathrive’s accounts or ask Mr. Herbert himself. Even if it’s a private storage room, it can withstand scrutiny. If you feel uncomfortable, you’re welcome to take a look yourself.” Orion hesitated for a moment, then called over a trusted subordinate. “Go check Herbathrive’s accounts to see if the contents of this storage room belong to them or to Mr. Herbert personally. Also, find out if anyone knows who the storage room belongs to.”
“Understood,” the subordinate nodded and asked, “Where is the accounting office?”
Since Nana, who managed the accounts, was not present, there was only one accountant left. David volunteered. “I’ll take you there.”
The two quickly left the backyard.
Melody then realized she hadn’t seen Nana around and asked Felix, who had come in with her, “Where’s Nana?”
“Humph.” Felix’s white beard quivered with anger. “She ran off with her mother. You picked two ungrateful people.”
Melody frowned slightly, finding it hard to believe she had misjudged Nana.
But this was not the time to worry about Nana. Melody took the lead and approached the storage room door, making a gesture for Orion to enter.
Orion nodded slightly and stepped inside.
Charlotte and the others quickly followed.
As Charlotte passed Melody, her face was full of defiance, as if to say, “You’re in big trouble.”
Melody, with a half-smile, was the last to enter the room.
As soon as she stepped in, she saw the glass shards that Charlotte had kicked against the wall and the withered herb.
When she noticed that the flowers on the herb had completely turned from white to a dead yellow, her face immediately hardened with a frosty expression. She demanded in a stern voice, “Who broke this?”
Charlotte, hearing this, was dismissive. She didn’t think much of the withered herb and scoffed. “It’s just a weed. It got broken, so what? I’ll pay you for it.”
“Pay?” Melody asked sharply. “Do you think you can afford it?”
Charlotte, as if hearing a huge joke, casually responded, Do you think I can’t pay for a mere flower? I could give you a thousand of these flowers if you want.”
“A thousand flowers?” Melody met Charlotte’s gaze, and her initial anger suddenly dissipated. She smiled meaningfully and asked, “Are you sure you can provide a thousand of these flowers?”
“Of course. It’s just a flower. How much could it possibly be worth?” Charlotte replied confidently.
“Very well.” Melody nodded deeply, picking up the withered herb from the floor.
She raised her voice and said, “In that case, let everyone here be a witness that Ms. Wallrich has voluntarily offered to compensate me with a thousand flowers. I hope you all can help if she tries to go back on her word.”