Lin Group's CEO Office
Aaron watched as Lin Group's stock price plummeted, the veins on his forehead throbbing with anger.
"Mr. Lin, the stock price has hit the limit down."
Aaron struggled to contain his fury. "What's the situation?"
"Mr. Damian scammed these people out of a billion yuan and invested it in stocks. The two stocks he bought have tanked, resulting in massive losses. Now the investors are demanding their money back, and he's unable to pay. That's why he came up with this ridiculous plan."
"Hmph." Aaron snorted coldly. Ridiculous? Not at all.
If he were truly foolish, he would have claimed it was the Qin Group, not Lin Group, behind the scam.
This was a deliberate attempt to frame Lin Group as the scapegoat.
"Inform our team to tell those people that this matter has nothing to do with Lin Group. If they have evidence, they can take it to court. Also, clarify this online as quickly as possible. We can't let this blow up further."
When Aaron got home, he saw Saira and Dalia laughing and chatting, which only fueled his anger.
"You're still laughing? How can you laugh at a time like this?"
The sudden outburst stunned both mother and daughter.
"Honey, what's wrong?" Dalia asked softly.
"What's wrong?" Aaron stared coldly at her. "Go back and ask your nephew what he's been up to. Is the Qin family determined to ruin the Lin family?"
Dalia felt both ashamed and angry at his harsh words but dared not show her anger.
After all, the Qin family depended on the Lin family.
As a daughter of the Qin family, she had to consider their interests.
"Whoever made you angry, I'll go deal with them," Dalia said, siding with him.
Aaron snorted coldly and went upstairs.
Dalia picked up the phone and went outside to find out what had happened. When she finally understood the situation, her brow furrowed deeply.
Now she knew why Aaron was so furious today.
He had cleaned up after the Qin family's younger members before, but those were trivial matters. This time, Damian's actions threatened Lin Group itself, striking at Aaron's core interests.
Dalia was at a loss, not knowing what to do. Then, she spotted Zuri coming in, and her eyes lit up. She quickly approached, her voice warm and caring. "Zuri, you're back."
"Yes," Zuri replied coolly.
This indifferent attitude made Dalia frown.
She couldn't understand why this girl was so ungrateful. Whether she ignored her or showed concern, Zuri remained the same, making Dalia uncomfortable.
"Zuri, I need your help with something. Will you help me?" Dalia asked.
"What is it?"
"I want you to tell your father that you've been trading stocks with Damian. That you're the real Stock God, and Damian was just following your lead."
"But I don't trade stocks."
"You do it secretly," Dalia said.
"Why say that?" Zuri blinked innocently at her.
Dalia took her hand, speaking softly. "You see, your father always favors Christian and wants him to inherit the company."
"But you're our child. If anyone should inherit the company, it's you, not some adopted son. If you can make a name for yourself and have more leverage, you can compete with Christian and make your father change his mind. I'm doing this for your own good."
What sweet words, what considerate words, all seemingly for her sake.
In her past life, this trick had been used many times. The first time, she naively took the blame for Saira. The second time, the same trick was used.
She knew they wanted her to take the fall again.
Back then, she had pretended not to know anything, just to win Dalia's favor and see a soft light and gentleness in her eyes.
Now, thinking back, it was so foolish.
The tenderness bought through humiliation was fleeting.
The family bond bought through humiliation was fake.
"Alright," Zuri agreed with a smile.
Dalia, seeing her agree, quickly linked arms with her and led her upstairs.
They knocked on the study door. Aaron was on the phone and hung up after a while, looking at the mother and daughter.
"What is it?"
Dalia spoke gently, "Honey, Zuri has something important to tell you. Go ahead, Zuri."
Under Dalia's urging gaze, Zuri began, "Father, I've been trading stocks with cousin Damian. I'm the real Stock God."
After she spoke, she instinctively looked at Dalia.
Aaron watched the interaction between mother and daughter, the veins on his forehead throbbing.
Did they think he was a fool?!
Aaron, enraged, picked up a nearby ashtray and threw it at Mrs. Lin.
Caught off guard, Dalia was hit on the arm and screamed in pain.
"You're a great mother, letting your daughter take the blame for your family, expecting me to pay off a billion in debt for you!" Aaron was furious.
"Honey, you've misunderstood," Dalia was seething inside.
This foolish girl couldn't even handle such a simple task.
"Zuri, quickly explain to your father," Dalia urged.
But Zuri asked in confusion, "Father, what blame? What billion in debt?"
Seeing his daughter's expression and then looking at his wife, Aaron's anger rose, pointing at Dalia, "Your wonderful mother wanted you to take the blame for Damian. He cheated people out of a billion, and now the creditors are demanding repayment."
Zuri looked shocked, incredulous as she turned to Mrs. Lin. "You wanted me to lie to Father about being the Stock God and trading stocks, all for this? How could you do this to me?"
Dalia turned pale.
"You ungrateful woman. If you're so attached to the Qin family, pack up and leave. I'll have the divorce papers ready for you tomorrow," Aaron declared.
Dalia rushed forward, grabbing his sleeve, "Honey, I'm sorry. I won't do it again."
Aaron was unmoved; he had long been fed up with the Qin family's greed.
"Honey, please forgive me just this once," she pleaded.
Zuri watched coldly.
Outside the study, Saira, who had been eavesdropping, clenched her hands tightly. If Dalia left the Lin family, her life would become much harder.
She wanted to go in and help plead but knew that her presence would only make things worse.
That day, the Lin family's servants all heard about the incident. They thought Mrs. Lin had lost her mind, risking everything for her family, even at the cost of her own daughter.
"Madam, Mrs. Qin is here. Do you want to see her?"
Dalia's face darkened, "Tell her I'm not here. Send her away."
This time, she had almost been thrown out of the house. She had no time to worry about Damian's situation anymore.
Whether he lived or died was no longer her concern.