The Consortium's Heir

Chapter 257

Following the navigation system’s direction, Darius drove Bridget and Erin to the location of the banquet.

Sometime later, Erin finished fixing her makeup in the backseat.

She felt awful for letting Darius, her boss, drive them all to the event, so she cleared her throat twice to speak.

"Mr.Reid, based on my investigation, the banquet will occur at a location that the Gillettes are familiar with—Remnard Estate, their family home.According to tradition, their family gathers in that estate for significant events throughout the year.Earlier, when we encountered Thomas Gillette, I searched for photos of the Gillette family’s events online and did not see him in any of them.Thus, I firmly believe that man has ulterior motives.Not to mention, it’s quite an uncanny coincidence that he’s showing up now.The Gillettes have always been arrogant.The family’s focus isn't on their money.Instead, the Gillettes are more concerned with whoever poses a potential threat to them.It’s always been this way, so they’ve never encountered any trouble.Therefore, I believe that Thomas is a foe."

Pin-drop silence ensued in the car as Darius did not respond to her.

Erin inhaled deeply, gathering whatever courage she had left to say, "But what shocks me is when I investigated the Gillette family’s affairs again, I learned that majority of their business shares are indeed under Thomas’ name.Such a transfer of share ownership should’ve been revealed in the news.Plus, the legal procedures would take some time, so things shouldn’t be as it is now."

Darius continued to drive stoically.

Being in the backseat, Erin had no way of discerning Darius’ expression.She gulped, anxious as she did not know whether her words had upset him.

Ultimately, she, too, fell gravely silent. NôvelDrama.Org content rights.

Meanwhile, Bridget was in the front passenger seat and wanted to help Erin.

She bit her lower lip, hesitating momentarily before speaking up.

"I just discovered that the Gillette family’s security guard was a classmate of mine back in school.He accumulated numerous injuries after working as a bodyguard for the Reid family for many years, so he got himself a job as the Gillettes’ security guard.I’ve learned a lot about the family from him.For starters, Thomas Gillette used to be a bodyguard, and Gillette isn’t really his last name—he doesn’t have one.Wilson Gillette, the patriarch of the Gillettes, only took Thomas seriously after the latter participated in a perilous and undisclosed mission for the family.Because of that, Wilson took in Thomas as a son.Some time passed before this got announced to the family’s friends.The Gillettes even held a grand party to celebrate this."

A frown marred Erin’s face just then.She knew Bridget was only saying that out of good intent.

Yet, she could not suppress the bitterness in her heart, so she interjected, "But these things didn’t come up during my investigation.So, if the family did throw a grand party as your friend said, I would’ve found information about it."

While speaking, she shot several cautious and worried glances at Bridget.

Hesitation lingered in her tone as she did not want to upset the latter.

In the front seat, Bridget did not seem bothered.

Instead, she flashed a more amiable smile.

"I reacted the same when my friend told me all of that.That’s why he sent me all the photos from the celebration.I'll text them to you after this.Also, I can tell you this with the utmost seriousness—you couldn't find any information about the party because it was a secret.The Gillettes invited their closest friends and family but not the media, nor did they publicize it.Although it’s possible to find some mentions of the event in media platforms, those will soon vanish under the family’s orders."

Everyone in the car, except for Erin, narrowed their eyes curiously.

Erin was the only one who voiced her thoughts.

"I'd like to know if this happened before or after Hank Gillette’s death."

Realizing that Erin was onto something, Bridget’s eyes lit up.She then turned to look at Erin, who sat in the backseat, and said, "The party happened after.However, Wilson took Thomas in as a son before Hank’s death."

Erin nodded while staring into the distance, deep in thought.She no longer looked as miserable as before.

Instead, she stated, "I think I know why that’s the case.Because the Gillettes are a large family, many of their younger members are eligible heirs to their family company.However, Wilson endured many hardships and founded the company alone.In other words, the wealth and assets of the Gillette Group have nothing to do with the other Gillette family members—those things belong to Wilson.But he has no heir now that his son is dead.Hence, according to the laws of inheritance, all his wealth would go to his family."

She paused for a breath, then added, "Wilson’s getting old, so it won’t be long before he retires.When that happens, there’s no guarantee the heir to the Gillette family business and wealth will continue to treat Wilson well.In short, Wilson is looking out for his future.He initially took Thomas in because he

wanted a backup family member to rely on in case things went wrong.But when his biological son, Hank, died, his plans changed entirely.That’s why Thomas’ succession is Wilson’s best shot at safeguarding his wealth."

Anod came from Darius.He continued to drive calmly before finally uttering, "What you’ve said sounds reasonable.However, there aren't any facts to prove them.We should stay alert and examine what happens next to confirm those suspicions."

In the backseat, Erin nodded obediently before taking a long inhale.