?Chapter 713:


    The giarism usations against Maia at the Lark Fashionunch hadpletely backfired. Instead of destroying her reputation, the controversy had elevated her fame to new heights. She’d not only restored her public image but finally cleared her name of the theft scandal that had haunted her for four years. Nothing had prepared Kolton for this reversal.


    Maia’s resilience far exceeded his calctions. A bitter taste of defeat settled on his tongue, an unfamiliar sensation for someone who preferred controlling events from behind the scenes. The carefully orchestrated n had crumbled in his hands.


    Her calmposure during the live broadcast troubled him most. That unppable confidence suggested that someone had been quietly supporting her efforts.


    Kolton’s expression hardened as he reached for his phone, dialing Shiloh’s number with sharp, precise movements.


    “Tell me exactly what happened with today’s prison interview.” His voice was devoid of warmth. The suppressed fury within him was on the brink of bursting out.


    Shiloh’s sharp intake of breath crackled through the phone as cold sweat broke across his forehead. Zoey had warned him this confrontation wasing, though he hadn’t expected Kolton to call so quickly.


    Drawing a steadying breath, Shiloh chose his words carefully. “Mr. Cooper, please don’t be upset. I’ve only been here a year, and there were things I simply didn’t know. As soon as this happened, I started investigating the prison guards’ backgrounds. What I found exins everything — most of them have connections to the Ward Group. The Ward family orchestrated this entire interview behind the scenes.”


    “Useless! I back you up, not for you to just be a freeloader!” Kolton’s fist—


    Kolton’s fist struck the mahogany desk, the solid wood resonating with the force of his frustration.


    However, Shiloh’s words, coupled with the footage the covert guards captured at the venue showing Vince chasing Maia, basically corroborated each other. It was clear that Vince had intervened in the matter behind the scenes.


    Shiloh’s frantic apologies streamed through the phone, but Kolton’s patience had evaporated. He cut through the rambling with razor-sharp precision.


    “Enough! Do youprehend the devastation this interview has brought upon the Cooper Group? The entire inte is in an uproar, using us of smearing Maia just to take back Aurora Apparel Company.”


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    Rage coursed through Kolton’s veins as his knuckles whitened around the phone. His voice turned ice-cold andmanding.


    “You have three days to eliminate every thread of Ward family influence within that prison. Burn out theirworkpletely.”


    After a calcted pause, his tone dropped to something far more dangerous as he added, “Remember this, the prison serves a vital purpose for the Cooper Group. Failure isn’t an option. I need you to seize absolute control over every aspect of that facility. Are we clear? Don’t disappoint me again.”


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