Chapter 340: A Competitor’s 10-Year Plan

Chapter 340: Chapter 340: A Competitor’s 10-Year Plan

"Tell me about it. But if they weren’t entertaining those thoughts in the first place, no one could have used it against them.

To put it bluntly, their intentions were crooked from the start. You can’t really blame anyone else." Heath Hale shrugged, his tone tinged with sarcasm.

Evan Keller recalled the entire incident and nodded in agreement. "That’s true. If they hadn’t been so self-serving from the beginning, no one could have exploited that.

Alright, I know what to do."

Evan Keller waved the written confession at Heath Hale, then pushed open the door and walked into the interrogation room.

Unlike the pleasant expression he had when facing the Wizard, Evan Keller’s face was grim as he looked at Milton Thorne sitting opposite him.

"Milton Thorne, you deceived and abducted a minor, and you even attempted to murder him. The evidence is conclusive. What do you have to say for yourself?" Evan Keller tossed the notebook and the confession onto the table, leaning forward with both hands on its surface, staring intently at Milton Thorne.

"Abduction? Officer, what you’re saying is completely baseless. I just paid him to stay at my house for one night.

To put him at ease, I even had someone pay his mother’s medical bills.

As for murder? That’s even more absurd. Isn’t Leo Bell perfectly fine right now?" Milton Thorne stuck to his story that his actions were benevolent, refusing to admit to any of the crimes Evan Keller had just listed.

Staring at the still-defiant Milton Thorne, Evan Keller reached out and pointed to a passage in the confession. "Is that so? Because your butler seems to tell a different story."

He read the passage from Butler Taylor’s statement aloud.

"My masters, the Thorne Family, are superstitious about feng shui. Every year, they hire someone to come assess their home. They also participate in various high-profile charity events. Except for the first year, when the donated goods were genuine, from the second year on, they began cutting corners. Halfway to their destination, all but the top layer of supplies would be replaced with expired goods.

The Thorne Family also had shills at the donation sites who, after receiving the goods, would cooperate with the media to lavishly praise the Thornes’ philanthropy.

Today’s ritual was also an act of desperation by the Thorne father and son. They listened to some charlatan and found Leo Bell, whose so-called birth date and time were a perfect match for Warren Thorne, to perform a ’life swap’—transferring Leo Bell’s health and lifespan to the terminally ill Warren Thorne."

Milton Thorne, who had been quite confident, stared wide-eyed after hearing what Evan Keller read.

’How could Butler Taylor have told them everything?’

’No, I can’t admit it!’

’The industry our family is in is too competitive. There are too many people competing on quality and price. Without other eye-catching achievements, it’s easy to be crushed by our peers.’

’If these cops make this public, the Thorne Family will be ruined!’

"Your police department can’t just erase all the charity work the Thorne Family has done in the past based on one person’s statement!

We won’t believe a single word of these baseless, unsubstantiated slanders!" Milton Thorne stared at Evan Keller, grinding out the words through clenched teeth.

Evan Keller seemed to have anticipated what Milton Thorne would say. He flipped a page of the confession and continued, "Evidence? Of course we have evidence. Butler Taylor was highly trusted by you and handled the Thorne Family’s charitable donations. He kept all the records.

I wonder if you’re aware, Mr. Thorne... that Butler Taylor appears to have been sent by one of your competitors."

’What?’

Milton Thorne looked up in disbelief, staring at Evan Keller standing before him.

’Butler Taylor... was sent by a competitor? Hasn’t he worked for our family for years?’

Forgetting everything else, Milton Thorne snatched Butler Taylor’s statement that Evan Keller had placed on the table and began flipping through it, page by page.

A scheme targeting the Thorne Family unfolded before his eyes.

Ten years ago, the Thorne Family’s products, known for their high quality and affordable prices, had captured a significant share of the local market. The rest of the market belonged to their competitor, the Miller Family.

Gradually, the Miller Family grew dissatisfied with the status quo. They wanted more.

But taking down the Thorne Family was no easy task. While competing with the Thornes, they also had to prevent others from swooping in to get a piece of the pie.

After careful consideration, the head of the Miller Family chose Butler Taylor, whose education they had been sponsoring. They gave him a sum of money and had him apply for the butler position at the Thorne estate, while also brainwashing the Thorne father and son into marketing their own reputation.

As a rival, the head of the Miller Family knew exactly what kind of person Warren Thorne was: greedy and petty, but he also reveled in the adoration of others.

Using other people’s success stories as examples, Butler Taylor successfully persuaded Warren Thorne to get involved in philanthropy to build up his public image.

The first year, Warren Thorne invested a large sum of money and successfully established his image as a passionate philanthropist, reaping the benefits that came with it.

Starting in the second year, Warren Thorne didn’t want to give up the advantages this image brought, but he also didn’t want to keep spending so much money. So, he took Butler Taylor’s advice and began to cut corners.

To prevent anyone from exposing him, he would pay off people at the donation sites each time, having them sing his praises online.

This way, he could spend the least amount of money for the greatest return.

Meanwhile, Butler Taylor diligently collected evidence of Warren Thorne’s fraudulent charity work and handed it over to the Miller Family, waiting for the moment when the Thorne Family’s influence was at its peak to release it all.

Aside from their initial loyal customers, most of the Thorne Family’s clients were attracted by Warren Thorne’s philanthropic persona, thinking that the more they patronized the business, the more people would benefit down the line.

If Warren Thorne’s fake philanthropist persona were to be exposed, the resulting public backlash would be enough to bring down the entire Thorne Family.

Their market share would be devoured by the ever-watchful Miller Family.

Moreover, Butler Taylor also revealed that the Miller Family was secretly engaged in their own charity work while also expanding their business to other provinces.

Once the Thorne Family’s scandal broke, the Miller Family would arrange for reporters to leak the news of their own secret charity work. Then, their reputation for quietly doing good deeds without seeking fame or fortune would become widely known.

At that point, not only their business within the province, but also their ventures in other provinces, would see a huge boost.

Even regarding the case with Leo Bell, Butler Taylor knew about all the Thornes’ plans and had preserved key evidence.

No matter how much Milton Thorne might try to argue, this evidence was more than enough to nail them.

After reading Butler Taylor’s confession, Milton Thorne’s legs gave out, and he collapsed back into the chair.

"Impossible... this is impossible... This was all their plan?" Milton Thorne covered his face in disbelief.

But he also understood that once this information was made public, their family’s business was truly done for. ℯℯ𝑙.

Just then, there was a knock on the interrogation room door.

Officer Lee walked in, handed a file to Evan Keller, and said,

"Captain Keller, we just got word from the hospital. Warren Thorne is dead."