Simone certainly didn''t see it that way. She scoffed, "That''s only because Joshua was helping her. Without Joshua, Ste is nothing."


    Leonard didn''t reply, instead gazing in the direction of Ste''s office. He couldn''t see anything without his binocrs, but for some reason, he felt a lump forming in his throat.


    This time, the coordination between Ste and Joshua had been wless. Ste not only had to give Joshua herplete trust and support, but she also had to remainposed and withstand the immense pressure from the Williams family and the shareholders of The Williams Group. And then there was the mole in her inner circle...


    Leonard asked, "The mole next to Ste, was it Aicken?"


    "That''s right." Simone pursed her lips, her tone dismissive. "Aicken was the secretary the Williams family ced by Ste''s side. I''ve seen him a few times; he''s good-looking. It''s not surprising he was the mole. Ste, on the other hand, was so taken by his looks that she kept him around for so long, and it ended up causing a disaster."


    Leonard shot her a t look. "If even you can figure that out, do you think Ste didn''t know?"


    Simone frowned. "Brother, are you giving Ste too much credit? If she really knew, why would she keep him? She''d have just fired him. If it weren''t for that mole, Aicken, Joshua wouldn''t have been backed into a corner like that, right?"


    Leonard didn''t expect his foolish sister to grasp the subtleties. He said ndly, "Even if she got rid of Aicken, someone else would have been ced by her side. Instead of constantly being on guard, it''s better to keep the threat where you can see it. Besides, while Aicken works for the Williams family, if used correctly, he could be your own inside man."


    Simone was confused again. "Are you saying Ste and Joshua secretly bought Aicken off?"


    Leonard was speechless for a moment before replying, "Of course not. Someone like Aicken certainly has leverage held over him by the Williams family. He couldn''t be easily swayed."


    "Then what do you mean?" Simone asked.


    "If Aicken hadn''t been steadily feeding information to the Williams family, how would Israel have ended up in this situation?" Leonard exined. "Ste and Joshua have known he was secretly passing on information. What if the


    information Aicken was, passing on was exactly what Ste and Joshua wanted the Williams family to see? Aicken was a pawn nted by the Williams family, but he was also a piece that Ste and Joshua deliberately kept on the board to lull their enemies into a false sense of security. Otherwise, how could Ste have achieved such a perfect victory?"


    Simone was stunned. "So, Aicken ended up being the key to theireback?"


    "Not the sole key, but certainly a crucial piece of the puzzle," Leonard said.


    Simone remarked, "Ste must have incredible self-control. If it were me, I couldn''t have tolerated a spy by my side for so long, pretending not to notice."


    "She didn''t just have to tolerate him," Leonard said "She had to promote him, give


    e him ess to real


    ???


    business secrets. If she had been constantly wary of Alcken, how would the Williams family have ever let down their guard? However, I suspect that everything she let Aicken see was carefully selected. If any of those secrets were leaked, the culprit would be identified instantly."


    As he said this, a faint, almost imperceptible look of admiration appeared in Leonard''s eyes. "You have to be willing to sacrifice to gain anything. She understands that


    bnce and she has the patience to endure. She truly has the makings of a great leader."