Chapter 2744: A Stack of Self-Surrender Documents

“How are they supposed to get married with things like this? The wedding’s probably off, right? Over there the James Group is in utter chaos. I heard a few shareholders who lost money nearly smashed down their front doors.”

“So doesn’t that mean the James Group is leaderless now?”

“Just a complete mess. Outsiders don’t dare step in, Kieran Janus is still in custody, and old James is gravely ill. I heard his daughter just gave birth, and his wife doesn’t get involved in anything. You could say it’s as bad as it gets.”

“That really is unlucky. How did it end up like this? Wait, isn’t Kieran Janus’s son-in-law supposed to be very capable? Hasn’t he been taking over projects all along?”

“That I don’t know. Word is that son-in-law just had his eye on their money and status. Now that the James Group has collapsed, you don’t think he’ll run?”

“That would be heartless, though it’s the same as Kieran Janus—both of them only care about the woman’s money and status.”

“Pretty Boys like that, when you get down to it, are only in it for the money. If they say they’re going to run, they run.”

“You can’t put it quite like that. Didn’t Kieran Janus’s daughter just have a baby? Now that they have a child, can that son-in-law really run?”

“What’s a kid worth? People can get divorced even after getting married.”

Several people sat in a corner of the teahouse chattering away, arguing back and forth. They were clearly fascinated by what had happened in Old York’s financial circle, talking about it with great relish.

They were so caught up in their talk that Sylvan Cheney, sitting by the window, could hear every word.

Rumors are, in the end, only rumors.

He curved his lips slightly and reached for the teacup in front of him.

The tea in the cup had already gone cold. He took a sip; the clear, faintly bitter flavor spread across the tip of his tongue. Time moved very slowly like this.

He could no longer remember when he had last lived at such a slow pace.

His work rhythm had always been fast, and during this period he didn’t have to do anything at all.

This kind of idle time, just sitting in a teahouse drinking tea, was something he never would have imagined before.

There was still a trace of white mist lingering in the morning air; once the sun came out, the mist gradually dispersed and vanished without a trace.

Outside the teahouse were tall buildings, the bustling city of Old York.

He picked up the documents on the table—evidence of the funds he had once embezzled from the James Group. He would take these with him when he turned himself in.

Back when he was doing the amusement park Project B in Cakago, he had been absolutely certain the park would make a profit. All he needed to do was get the project built and then use the profits to fill the hole in the James Group’s accounts, and no one would ever know.

Once the project was completed and making money, he would resign from the James Group and leave the Janus Family.

That had been his plan then: to repay the Janus Family’s kindness and build his own career, so that everyone would come out a winner.

So at that time he had his own calculations and private thoughts; he just hadn’t told anyone.

But he hadn’t expected that Kieran Janus, that old fox, wasn’t easy prey either. He intercepted his email and thereby spotted something, then followed the trail and dug deeper.

That was his mistake, and he paid the price for it.

But he was not someone who meekly accepted his fate. The night Kieran Janus called him in for a late-night talk, he sensed what Kieran and his daughter had in mind—especially Kieran, who seized on his mistake and exploited it ruthlessly, even using it to threaten him.

He decided to play along and went with Kieran’s plan.

The Janus Family fell, and he also paid the price he ought to pay.

This stack of confession documents was enough to put him behind bars for twenty years.

And all of this was something he had long since taken into account. He felt very little regret.

Sylvan Cheney let his eyes fall closed for a moment; in their depths was a faint, shallow weariness.