Free Web NovelChapter 245: Chapter 248: Liam Joyce Is Caught
"...Wh-what?"
Liam Joyce was stunned.
The law enforcement officer, dressed in a dark blue uniform, stared at him expressionlessly. His gaze was cold and severe, his voice indifferent. "Liam Joyce, we’ve received a formal complaint under a real name, alleging that multiple companies under your name have been engaging in tax evasion. Please come with us to cooperate with the investigation."
"I... I’m evading taxes?" Liam Joyce’s eyes widened in disbelief, the color draining from his face in an instant.
"No, you must have made a mistake, right? How could I possibly be evading taxes?" His lips twitched, and he forced a pale, ghastly smile. "I’m a law-abiding citizen. I would never evade taxes. You’ve definitely got the wrong person!"
The officer kept a stern face, his overly indifferent gaze making him seem almost inhuman.
"We’ll find out if there’s been a mistake once you cooperate with our investigation. Since you’re such a law-abiding citizen, you should understand that it’s your duty to cooperate with law enforcement."
"I don’t want to say this a third time, Mr. Joyce. If you please."
With that, the man shifted slightly to his right, clearing a path for Liam Joyce.
Liam Joyce looked at the officers flanking him and stubbornly held his ground.
"I didn’t evade any taxes! Do your homework before you come to arrest people!"
The man’s lips curled into a smirk as he repeated, with a hint of impatience, "Cooperating with law enforcement is the duty of every citizen, Mr. Joyce. I’d rather not resort to using force."
It was a blatant threat. Liam Joyce weighed his options and finally relented.
BANG!
He kicked away the chair by his feet, stormed out from behind his desk, and walked down the path the officers had cleared for him.
"Who reported me? On what grounds do you come to arrest me just because she says I evaded taxes?"
The man replied calmly, "As long as a complaint is filed, we have to investigate. There’s no need to be so angry, Mr. Joyce."
Liam Joyce was already livid. "You came here to arrest me with such a big show! Doesn’t that mean you already believe her and think I’m guilty of tax evasion?"
The man said, "Mr. Joyce, we in law enforcement only trust evidence. Regardless of who reported you, we will base our conclusions on the final results of the investigation. The innocent have nothing to fear. You shouldn’t be so agitated."
"I-I’m not agitated! I’m furious!" Liam Joyce clutched his phone, so angry he was shouting. "I’ve been framed! You have to clear my name!"
The man glanced at his hand and said lightly, "We won’t frame an innocent person. Please be at ease and hang up the phone, Mr. Joyce."
"..." Liam Joyce’s gaze faltered, and he reluctantly ended the call.
BEEP—
After a short, sharp tone, Liam Joyce’s voice vanished from Ethan Lockwood’s phone.
"Haaa..." Ethan Lockwood closed his eyes and exhaled a sharp, hot breath, but it did nothing to relieve the furious resentment surging within him.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
He suddenly slammed his fist on the desk several times, forcing a curse through his gritted teeth. "Fuck."
"Mr. Lockwood." Collins ran into the office, clutching his phone, his face a mask of distress. "Chief Dawson is out at a social engagement. He’s not picking up my calls."
"...Keep calling!" Ethan Lockwood growled, covering his eyes. "Call him until he picks up!"
"Yes, I’ll call right now."
With that, Collins immediately turned and ran back out of the office.
The office door hadn’t been closed properly, and a few clamoring voices slipped through the crack, scrambling to reach Ethan Lockwood’s ears.
"Collins, the front desk phones are ringing off the hook! What do we do?"
"There are a ton of reporters swarming the entrance! We can’t get them to leave!"
"What’s Mr. Lockwood thinking? It’s chaos out there, and he’s not going to come out and handle it?"
"Collins, Azure Studio has already reported them into shutting down! We need to act fast to handle this crisis..."
"Mr. Lockwood." Simon Abbott pushed open the office door and dropped a bombshell with his first words. "Yvette Fuller has gone missing."
"What?" Ethan Lockwood snapped his head up, his eyes shot with terrifying, bloodshot veins.
Simon Abbott said, "Yvette Fuller’s phone number has been disconnected, and her husband is no longer at Serenity Sanatorium."
"...No longer there?" Ethan Lockwood laughed, his voice tight with anger. "What do you mean?"
Simon Abbott cautiously watched his expression. "It means Yvette Fuller has likely already made a run for it."
"...And where could she possibly run?" Ethan Lockwood stared intently at Simon Abbott, his smile laced with clear malice. "Her husband is mentally ill, she just gave birth, and she’s all alone with no one to depend on. Where could she go?"
"..." Simon Abbott hung his head, unable to answer.
Ethan Lockwood continued, "She’s a woman who just gave birth. Without help, how could she possibly escape Aethelburg?"
"Felix Preston... I really did underestimate you."
"..."
Simon Abbott’s head sank lower and lower, not daring to respond to Ethan Lockwood.
Ethan Lockwood’s gaze turned icy, and his tone suddenly became much softer. "Simon Abbott, go find Yvette Fuller for me. Find her even if you have to dig three feet into the earth."
"How dare she betray me, Ethan Lockwood. It seems she’s tired of living the good life!"
"Mr. Lockwood, I’ll take my men and go find her right now."
Simon Abbott didn’t dare to linger. After saying that, he hurried out of the office.
"Mr. Lockwood!" Collins returned, his expression even worse than before.
"The people from the Public Security Bureau are in the conference room. They’re asking you to go over and cooperate with them."
"I know." Ethan Lockwood straightened his slightly disheveled suit and walked out from behind his desk with a steady gait.
"Keep calling Chief Dawson. Don’t stop until he answers!"
"Okay."
Ethan Lockwood continued, "He’s taken so many favors and so much money from me. If he’s useless at a critical moment like this, then let him become a statistic for asset seizure!"
A chill ran down Collins’s spine. "Yes, sir!" he replied.
...
"Bro, Liam Joyce has been taken away by the tax bureau."
Lynn Preston stood at the bedroom door, her face alight with excitement as she spoke to Felix Preston.
Felix Preston held Sandy in one arm and a baby bottle in the other, carefully feeding her.
"Is there any chance he’ll get out?"
Lynn Preston’s lips tugged into a mischievous grin. "He’s not getting out. All the evidence I sent over was stolen from his computer. Any single piece of it is enough to nail him to the wall. There’s absolutely no way he’s coming back from this."
"Good." A rare smile touched Felix Preston’s lips. "With Liam Joyce arrested, Ethan Lockwood is running out of useful people."
Lynn Preston stepped into the room and gently stroked Sandy’s cheek. "Bro, Miles Kendrick has already drafted the lawsuit. We can submit it to the court anytime."
Felix Preston replied, "No rush. Let’s let Ethan Lockwood stew in his anxiety for a few days."
"I’m not done revealing all the gifts I have for him yet."
