Chapter 361: Huge Clue

Samuel Sterling, the CFO of Sterling Group, finally spoke up. His voice was measured, but his frustration was obvious.

“If only the news about the scandal involving Riley and Jessica hadn’t exploded, perhaps we could have still been able to suppress the media coverage and stop people from talking so much about Sterling Tech. But now, the story has spread far beyond what we can control.”

Samuel’s words made the atmosphere even more gloomy. Everyone understood what he meant. The legal dispute with Creswell was already serious enough to put the family in the public eye. Now it got worse with the scandal involving Riley and Jessica. The family business was now really under public scrutiny. It made it nearly impossible for the family to handle it quietly, let alone discreetly.

Zoey turned toward Riley, her expression sharpening.

“Riley, you are such a disgusting mess,” she said. “How could you get involved in a scandal with Jessica? Did you even know she was your uncle’s ex-girlfriend—”

“Zoey, stop talking about it!” Hannah interrupted Zoey before she could say anything further.

Hannah immediately looked toward Zachary with concern, as though she had suddenly remembered that he was sitting right there. The mention of Jessica had clearly touched a sensitive subject within the family, and she didn’t want the discussion to become even more uncomfortable. ℴℴ𝗺

Cornered by the conversation, Riley shot Zoey an annoyed look.

“Aunty, someone has framed me!” he said coldly. His voice was suddenly more forceful than before. “I had no idea Jessica had entered my room. I believe someone orchestrated it. Someone tried to mess with my life…”

His unexpected words caused everyone in the room to react.

Hannah’s eyes widened. “What?”

Kennedy straightened in his chair, his stern expression shifting into one of confusion. “What do you mean, Riley?”

William stared at his son in astonishment. Until that moment, he had believed that Riley had simply made a terrible mistake and was now facing the consequences of it.

“So, are you saying you’re not in a romantic relationship with Jessica Simmons?” William asked.

“Yes! That’s what I’m saying…” Riley answered firmly, without even a hint of hesitation.

His answer only created more confusion.

“But she already announced to the media that the two of you are in a relationship…?” William asked, his voice filled with disbelief. “How could she say that if you weren’t together?”

“We are not,” Riley answered without hesitation. “Her management forced her to admit it to save her career. I didn’t have a choice either, so I let her…”

“You are so foolish!” William was simply speechless at what he had just heard.

Riley gave a short, bitter chuckle at his father’s unfinished words. He looked down briefly, as though trying to collect his thoughts, before lifting his eyes again. His gaze shifted from William toward Zachary, and for a brief moment, he looked directly at his uncle.

“Dad, please believe me. I never had such a relationship with Jessica,” Riley said firmly. “But that night, someone drugged us…”

The room fell into a stunned silence. Riley’s words had suddenly introduced an entirely different possibility, one that could change everything they thought they knew about the scandal.

Zachary’s expression remained controlled, but his eyes became noticeably more focused as he studied his nephew.

Then, suddenly, Riley looked toward Zachary and casually said, “Uncle Zach, you don’t seem surprised to hear what I just said. Did you already know about it?”

His question immediately caught everyone off guard. Once again, all eyes turned toward Zachary, waiting for him to explain himself.

“Zach, you already knew someone messed with Riley?” Zoey asked impatiently, clearly confused by his calm reaction.

Zachary’s gaze remained fixed on Riley as he answered evenly, “I don’t know.”

Riley frowned. His uncle’s expression had not changed at all. There was no surprise, concern, or even curiosity in his eyes, which only made Riley more suspicious.

“Then why don’t you look surprised?” Riley asked. “You seem rather relaxed about everything I’ve just said.”

Zachary ignored him and turned his attention toward Kennedy instead. His expression remained calm, and his voice carried no emotion as he spoke.

“Dad, I didn’t have time to discuss Riley’s lovey-dovey life. I dropped everything to come here because you called us to discuss company business. If you have nothing more to say, I’ll excuse myself now.”

Riley’s expression changed immediately.

“I’m not involved with your ex, Uncle—”

His words trailed off when Zachary suddenly turned his sharp gaze toward him. The look in his eyes was enough to make Riley stop speaking. Zachary didn’t say a word, but his expression clearly warned him not to continue. For a moment, Riley felt as though his uncle was silently telling him that if he said another word, he would regret it.

Riley swallowed the rest of his sentence and looked away.

Kennedy, who had been observing the exchange, nodded in agreement with Zachary. He had no intention of allowing the discussion to turn into another argument, especially when the purpose of the meeting had already been settled.

“What Zach said is true,” Kennedy said firmly. “The matter I called you all here to discuss was only Sterling Tech. Everything has been settled now, so there is no reason to keep you here any longer. You all have work to do. You can return to your offices.”

Kennedy dismissed them and stood from his chair.

Zachary and the others also stood and began making their way toward the door. Riley followed them, but his attention remained fixed on Zachary. The conversation left him with more questions than answers, and his uncle’s calm behavior still bothered him.

Just as Riley reached the doorway, his cell phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.

He slowed down and stepped slightly to the side, allowing the others to continue ahead of him. Annoyed by the interruption, he pulled out his phone, but the moment he saw the caller ID, his expression changed. The irritation disappeared, replaced by a spark of excitement.

He immediately answered the call.

“Sir, are you able to speak now?” the person on the other end asked.

“Yes,” Riley answered quickly, lowering his voice as he glanced toward the hallway. “How is it?”

“I found a huge clue.”

Riley’s eyes widened slightly. “What is it?”

“The biggest shareholder of Cresswell Tech is your uncle, Zachary Sterling.”