I Only Wanted Luxury Shopping, and Accidentally Saved the Whole Family Chapter 12

I Only Wanted Luxury Shopping, and Accidentally Saved the Whole Family Chapter 12

The living room fell into dead silence once more, broken only by the soft hum of the central AC.

Veronica darted to the coffee table and snatched up the report. She pulled a high-powered magnifying glass from her bag, staring intensely at the edge I had just pointed out.

Sloane leaned in close beside her, both of their breaths hitching sharply.

The muscles in Asher’s face twitched slightly. Still, he forced that same sickly sweet, fake smile.

“What an extraordinary imagination you have, Mrs. Kensington,” he said, adjusting his tie to cover his inner panic. “You manage to spin a whole narrative out of a minor printing defect. As for that mudslide, it’s utter nonsense.”

He turned back to Conrad, his tone turning forceful again. “Mr. Kensington, I’ve run out of patience for these games. Since you refuse to sign, I’ll see you in court.”

He turned to leave.

Veronica snapped her head up. Her hands trembled, shaking the document along with them.

“Wait!” Veronica’s voice strained into a sharp, high pitch. She stared at Asher, a wild spark flashing in her eyes. “It really is photoshopped!”

She turned to Conrad, her voice quivering. “Dad, that jagged outline really is a leftover artifact from Photoshop! And that mudslide Willow mentioned—I’ll check it right now!”

Sloane had already unlocked her phone, her fingers flying across the screen.

A few seconds later, she gasped loudly.

“I found it!” Sloane turned her screen toward the family. “On the fourteenth of last month, a massive mudslide hit the Neptune-2 mining area, submerging half of the site. There’s no way anyone could issue a new geological report under those conditions!”

Conrad’s eyes flew open, a spark of hope reigniting in his cloudy gaze. He glared at Asher. “Mr. Locke, how do you explain this?”

Asher froze on the spot, his back to us. His shoulders went rigid.

Slowly, he turned around, every trace of his fake smile gone—replaced by the dark, vicious scowl of a man caught red-handed.

“So what if there’s a problem with the report?” He dropped his disguise entirely, letting out a cold sneer. “The ownership of those three gold mines is indisputably held by the institution behind me. And it’s a cold, hard fact that we drained the Kensington Group’s cash flow.”

He pointed a finger at Conrad. “Without the seal and without capital, the Kensington Group goes bankrupt tomorrow all the same. If you know what’s good for you, sign the paper. Otherwise, I’ll make sure none of you ever set foot in Boston again.”

Ezra stepped forward, shielding everyone behind his back. “Mr. Locke, you dare threaten us?”

“Threaten?” Asher acted as if he had heard a joke. “I’m just stating facts.”

He glared viciously at me. “Willow, right? You think knowing a thing or two about Photoshop and fake watches can save the Kensingtons? Naive. You know nothing about how capital actually works.”

He pulled out his phone, ready to order his men to trigger the Kensington Group’s debt default.

Watching him flustered and furious, I sighed. I picked up my cooling coffee and took a slow sip.

“Mr. Locke,” I said casually. “You just said those three gold mines belong to the institution behind you. Which institution would that be?”

Asher paused, looking at me suspiciously. “What’s it to you?”

“Nothing.” I set the coffee cup down and pulled my phone from the pocket of my silk robe. “I just want to verify whether you’ve paid me royalties for running around using my name to scam people.”

I unlocked the screen, pulled up my contacts, and dialed an encrypted number—my trust manager, Richard.

It connected almost instantly. A male voice with a heavy Swiss accent came through the speaker.

“Boss, what do you need?”

I pressed speakerphone and set the phone on the coffee table.

“Richard,” I said lazily. “Whose name is on the titles for Neptune-2, Neptune-3, and Sunset Valley right now?”

The voice on the other end answered with utmost respect. “They are under your name, of course, Ms. Frost. Absolute controlling interest in all three gold mines belongs entirely to your private offshore trust. Would you like me to fax over the proof of ownership?”