The Billionaire's Heir I Never Knew Was Mine

Zachary’s expression remained calm, but something inside him tightened at Zoey’s words.

Of all the people in the room, Zoey was the last person he expected to ask.

He felt amused to see that his twin sister had no idea what she was actually asking.

If she knew that he was Cresswell Tech’s biggest shareholder, she would understand that asking him to convince Kevin to drop the case was not as simple as asking a friend for a favor.

Zachary lowered his eyes for a moment, carefully hiding his thoughts. Of course, he could order Kevin to drop the lawsuit because he had enough influence with the Creswell Group to have that conversation.

But the question is, for what purpose?

He was the mastermind behind Sterling Tech’s current mess. He had arranged everything from the beginning, including tricking Riley into using a worthless idea from Cresswell Tech to bid on the military tender. He had made sure the plan looked convincing enough that no one would suspect him.

This was the price Riley had to pay for openly trying to steal his wife.

He had no intention of forgiving him.

Still, Zachary would never admit any of that in front of his family. As far as they knew, he was only Kevin’s friend. They had no idea that he was one of the biggest shareholders in Cresswell Tech, nor did they know how closely he was involved with the company. And most importantly, they had no idea the lawsuit threatening Sterling Tech was happening because of a plan he had personally set in motion.

Zachary turned to his side and smiled warmly at Zoey, keeping his expression as calm and natural as possible.

”Of course, I can ask Kevin to consider this matter,” he finally said. His tone was calm, almost casual, but his gaze soon shifted toward Riley. He studied his nephew for a few seconds before continuing, ”But before I do that, I need to ask Riley one more time...”

”Y-Yes, Uncle,” Riley quickly replied, nodding. ”You can ask me.”

”I just want to make sure of something. Did you really not use Cresswell’s idea? I mean, steal their documents...?”

Riley’s expression became tense as he answered, ”No, Uncle... I never did anything like that. Please believe me.”

Zachary nodded slowly, as if he believed Riley’s answer without question. ”I will believe you this time, Riley. Alright, I will talk to Kevin about this.”

The tension in the room immediately eased. Kennedy and the others looked relieved, and even William’s expression softened slightly. For a moment, it seemed as though Zachary’s promise had given everyone exactly what they wanted.

However, that relief lasted only a moment.

”But, Riley...” Zachary continued, his voice still calm. ”If you’re lying to me, I can guarantee that you’ll be in serious trouble. Not only you, but the company also will be in trouble!” His words were soft, but the sharpness in his eyes made Riley’s face tense.

Riley swallowed before quickly answering, ”Trust me, Uncle. I’m telling the truth.”

Zachary held his gaze for another second before smiling and leaning back casually in his seat. ”That’s good to hear.”

No one said anything for a moment.

The tension had not completely disappeared, even though Zachary had already agreed to speak with Kevin. Everyone in the study understood that a serious legal issue still hung over Sterling Tech. If Cresswell decided to continue with the lawsuit, the family would have to deal with the consequences, whether Riley was telling the truth or not.

They discussed a few other matters before excusing themselves and returning to their office.

Zachary was almost in his car when William stopped him.

”Zach, wait a moment.”

Zachary turned fully toward his brother and saw William approach and stop a step away.

”Yes? What is it, Will!?”

”Thanks for helping Riley,” William said sincerely.

”I’m not done yet. No need to thank me too early.”

”I know. That’s why we still need to be prepared, just in case Kevin Richardson refuses to stop this.” William paused to let out a heavy sigh before continuing, ”Can you ask your lawyer to help us?”

For a second, Zachary could only laugh inwardly.

’Bro, did you know my lawyer actually works for Cresswell? What the hell are you asking me for?’

Of course, Zachary could never say that out loud. Instead, he kept his expression neutral as he replied, ”I’m sorry, but you should use the company’s lawyer for that. My lawyer won’t be involved in this.”

William frowned, displeased to hear Zachary’s refusal. ”Why?”

Zachary silently took a deep breath. He knew he had to choose his words carefully. He could not simply tell William that asking Aaron Powell to defend Sterling Tech would put him in an impossible position. Aaron’s firm already had a business relationship with Cresswell, and he was not about to ask Aaron to take a case against one of his firm’s existing business connections.

”Well, if you check Aaron Powell’s details, you’ll see that his firm has a business relationship with Cresswell,” Zachary explained calmly. ”It would be difficult for him to represent Sterling Tech in this matter. It could also create a conflict of interest.”

William’s expression fell slightly. He had clearly been hoping Zachary would help more directly. ”I understand,” he said eventually, although his disappointment was obvious.

Zachary only gave him a small nod. ”You should speak with the company’s legal team. They’ll be in a better position to handle this.”

For a few more seconds, William did not wait for another question. And Zachary didn’t linger there.

Hurriedly, he excused himself and walked toward his car. Once he reached it, he told his driver to return to Sterling Capital. He then got into the back seat and took out his phone.

The moment the door closed, his calm expression changed slightly.

He immediately made a call. The phone rang only a few times before Kevin Richardson answered.

”Zach, you finally called me,” Kevin greeted him in a friendly, cheerful voice. ”I was starting to think you’d forgotten about me.”

Zachary chuckled softly. ”Sorry. There was a sudden meeting at home.” He paused to lean back against the seat and took a deep breath before asking, ”How are things going on your end?”

”Well, everything’s ready,” Kevin replied. ”I’m just waiting for your final word. Should we proceed with the lawsuit or not?”