Chapter 760 A Promising Lead
Despite their strained relationship, Christina ensured Azure’s dignity was upheld by organizing a solemn funeral. She left no opportunity for criticism from the distant relatives of the Gibson family, who might seek to find fault in her actions.
After the funeral, those relatives departed in disappointment, realizing that they could not extract any additional benefits from Christina and Timothy.
Christina then sent Timothy home.
Before leaving, Timothy held her hand and said in a serious tone, “It’s been a tiring day for you, Christina. Thank you for everything you did. Go ahead and do whatever you desire. Don’t worry about me.”
Not only did he regain control of Gibson Corporation, but he also got his daughter back. Though the truth from fifteen years ago remained undisclosed, he was already satisfied with what he had and did not dare to ask for more.
Christina clasped Timothy’s slender hand and offered him a warm smile. “Thank you for your understanding. The promise I made to you will soon be realized. Just have faith and wait for the good
news.
Timothy bobbed his head in response. “You should go home now. Take care of yourself.”
After bidding Timothy farewell, Christina got into a car and went to the hospital.
After getting off the car, Lyle walked up to Christina and whispered, “Mrs. Hadley, I’ve uncovered the relationship between Old Mr. Stone and Winston.”
Christina calmly stepped into the elevator and said, “Tell me more.”
With no one around, Lyle felt relieved and no longer spoke cautiously. “Old Mr. Stone was Winston’s business partner during his early entrepreneurial days fifteen years ago. Back then, the Stone family was heavily involved in real estate development along the coast. To gain favor with Old Mr. Stone, Winston intentionally sold construction materials to the Stone Group at remarkably low prices. However, coincidentally, the Stone Group failed to secure a bid for a coastal development project. This outcome created the perception that the Gibsons and the Hadleys had conspired to oppress and defeat Stone Group.
Christina pondered, recalling information about the development of Stone Group. Confused, she asked, “Is Nigel aware of the friendship between Old Mr. Stone and Winston?”
Lyle responded, “No, Nigel has no knowledge of that. Even Yerek was kept in the dark about it. After Stone Group’s failure to win the coastal project, their capability started to decline. In order to preserve what remained of the company, Old Mr. Stone redirected their development plans overseas. His partnership with Winston lasted for less than half a month, and the funds used to procure those construction materials came from a personal account. Eventually, those materials were sold to Nigel.”
To seek confirmation, Christina asked with a hint of astonishment, “So, the construction materials Nigel used to build the coastal mansions came from Barnaby?”
Lyle confirmed with certainty. “That’s right. In fact, it was Winston who introduced Nigel to Old Mr. Stone.
As they discussed, Lyle shared his speculation openly. “It’s possible that Winston stumbled upon the knowledge that Nigel was Old Mr. Stone’s illegitimate child. Then, he intentionally introduced Nigel to
Old Mr. Stone, hoping to exploit the situation for his own gain.”
Winston’s ascent to success was largely attributed to the support he received from Nigel. He also skillfully utilized the familial bond between Barnaby and Nigel to his advantage. As Nigel’s influence and power grew, Winston reaped numerous benefits from their a*sociation.
While Nigel may have regarded Winston as a tool, unbeknownst to him, Winston was merely using Nigel as a stepping stone.
Christina knitted her brows as realization dawned upon her.
In other words, after Nigel and Winston had a falling out, Barnaby found out about how Winston had secretly set Nigel up.
Infuriated, Barnaby decided to teach Winston a lesson on behalf of Nigel. Meanwhile, Winston, who was betrayed and left with nothing, harbored a desire for revenge. He intended to use the evidence he had kept from fifteen years ago to accuse Barnaby and Nigel of their actions.
However, never in his wildest dreams did he anticipate that Emilia would be the one to steal the evidence from him.
That explained the confrontation between Barnaby and Winston at the funeral today. In his desperation, would Winston use the evidence as leverage to threaten Barnaby and obtain advantages from him?
The elevator doors opened, interrupting Christina’s train of thought.
She quickened her pace and walked out of the elevator. However, after taking a few steps forward, she suddenly turned around and looked at Lyle. “Where’s Winston?”
“I’ll investigate,” Lyle responded. He turned around, walked to a corner, and made a call to inquire about Winston’s whereabouts. Meanwhile, Christina proceeded directly to Nathaniel’s ward.
Nathaniel was sitting on the bed, attending to work emails. When he saw Christina enter, he casually closed his laptop and set it aside on the nearby table.
“Did everything go smoothly today?” Nathaniel grasped her freezing red hands and placed them under the covers to warm them up.
“The funeral went smoothly,” Christina replied. “Both Barnaby and Winston attended the session, but I didn’t allow Barnaby to enter the memorial hall. The journalists I had arranged in advance performed well, and I believe we can make the Stone family a trending topic tonight without having to wait until
tomorrow.
“That media company was specifically hired to serve the Hadley family. If you ever need their a*sistance again in the future, feel free to order them around.” Nathaniel lifted a corner of the blanket and patted the empty space beside him, signaling for Christina to lie down next to him.
The bed had ample space, easily accommodating two people at once.
Christina did not hesitate. She removed her shoes and socks and climbed up next to Nathaniel.
Nathaniel adjusted the temperature in the ward, increased the warmth, and grabbed another blanket to cover Christina’s body. “You’ve had a busy day, and I’m sure you’re tired. Take a rest now, and I’ll wake you up for dinner later.”
Christina’s mind was racing with thoughts, leaving her wide awake. “I don’t feel sleepy at all. How about we
have a chat?”
Nathaniel was more than happy to do so. “What would you like to talk about?”
Christina shared the details of the unusual conversation she witnessed between Barnaby and Winston at the funeral with Nathaniel. Nathaniel’s expression grew serious as he responded, “Considering Barnaby’s way of doing things, it seems Winston might be in for a rough time.”
Just as Christina finished speaking, Lyle entered the room. He caught sight of Nathaniel and Christina cuddling, and his expression turned awkward as he stood hesitantly by the door, unsure of what to do.
Nathaniel and Christina, on the other hand, appeared completely at ease in each other’s company.
“Lyle, have you found any information about Winston?” Christina took the initiative to ask him.
Lyle walked further into the room. “Yes, after leaving Mrs. Lazuli’s funeral, he got into Old Mr. Stone’s car. According to Winston’s neighbor, he hasn’t returned home since he left this morning, but he did hire some workers to clean up his place. And there’s one more thing. Emilia was spotted outside Mrs. Lazuli’s funeral. Witnesses saw her getting out of Old Mr. Stone’s car, and she has been missing ever since, just like Winston.”
Upon hearing that, Christina could not help but imagine the worst-case scenario-Emilia and Winston might have encountered some unforeseen circumstances.
“We need to deploy more people to find out their whereabouts,” Christina said, her concern growing for the safety of the evidence they held.
Lyle nodded and left to carry out the orders. As he left, Christina grew even more restless.
Nathaniel comforted her. “While we may have lost Winston and Emilia as our key leads, there are still other avenues we can explore. For example, Sheridan could be a promising lead that could lead us to a breakthrough.”
