My Four Miraculous Treasures

"Master Hughes, haven't you heard anything about it?" Zachary Price sounded genuinely taken aback. After a moment, he went on, "It has to do with that fiasco during the recent fashion show. A cleaning woman working at your Hughes Corporation-I think her name is Willow Nason-stole some designs and sold them off to Zeigler Corporation.

"I've been given the impression that she's a sly vixen, somehow seducing your grandson until he was tightly wrapped around her little finger. In order to help cover up her crime, Jasper himself set up Edith to be framed as the culprit, by ordering her to go get rid of some security footage. As she was carrying out his instructions, reporters who'd been lying in wait managed to take incriminating photos of her, which were then used against her, supposedly as proof of her guilt!"

Before making this call, Zachary had already visited his daughter, and gotten the full story from her. Now, Hughes Corporation had completed their take-over of Zeigler Corporation, which meant that those fashion designs, whoever had produced them in the first place, were now Hughes Corporation's legitimate property.

There was no longer any dispute over them, nor any further reason to fuss over whether or not they might have been stolen by anyone before.

Since Hughes Corporation had dropped any legal charges over the matter, it could easily be swept under the rug, and forgotten completely.

If Frank Hughes got personally involved, and went down to the police station to officially declare that he'd absolve Edith Price of all wrongdoing, then she'd be released immediately.

As for the matter of who had been behind the theft: Jasper had only caught Edith deleting security

footage. That was the only information that had been reported in news articles so far.

No one actually knew the exact contents of the footage she'd destroyed.

Singling out this crucial loophole, Zachary had called up Frank to make a plea for his daughter's

innocence.

He'd blame the theft on Willow Nason instead, spin a tale of seduction and intrigue, in which a lovestruck Jasper Hughes knowingly framed Edith Price for the other woman's sins.

Having been fed this version of events, Frank Hughes was now in a foul temper indeed.

From the moment that Willow Nason had set foot through his door, earlier today, Frank had instantly

recognized her as an employee of the family business. A mere cleaning lady.

Edith had shown him proof that Willow was the one who'd stolen those designs. In a fit of rage, Frank had ordered Willow to be arrested and punished to the fullest extent of the law.

Crooks were not welcome at Hughes Corporation!

But then, not only had Cindy forgiven.

him for not getting her a proper gift, she'd also urged him to leave the running of the business in Jasper's hands, or else there'd be worse trouble down the line.

And so, Frank had dropped the matter.noveldrama

But now... to think that Jasper would handle things this way! What an enormous disappointment... And this witch named Willow...! With her twisted intentions and wicked wiles, she was corrupting Jasper's principles and integrity... and reducing him to a slave of his own lust!

This woman would be Jasper's downfall! She could not be permitted to remain near him for even a

moment longer!

Fury flared in his heart, but Frank was able to rein in his emotions long enough to make a solemn promise

to a bereaved father, "Zachary, I give you my word... I'll make this right. Rest assured."

to one

"Oh, it does me good to hear those words from you, sir! My daughter Edith has been by Jasper's side for a full decade, now! In those ten years, ! have no doubt you've seen for yourself the quality of her character. All these years, keeping true to her heart, never giving up... anyone else would have moved on long ago! But she never lost patience, and just kept on waiting..." Zachary was choked with emotion, heartbroken and anguished.

Those ten years should have been the most beautiful years of Edith's life. Years of innocent joy and splendor.

She'd bet it all on one man, and it had been all for naught. Now, that man had even put her in a prison cell.

Who wouldn't grieve for her?

Frank's own heart was riven with

sorrow over the injustice that Edith had suffered. "Jasper is a fool for passing up on a perfectly good woman. I'll get her out of there and then you'd best teach her better than to hitch her cart to the wrong horse albher life. She deserves better than him."

The two men spent a while longer chatting about more pleasant things. At length, Frank ended the call.