Yvonne Foster spoke softly: "Chad Sullivan, tell the officials—did you steal the formula for this new dye? Was it because you couldn't accept being abandoned by me that you did this? If you confess now, we can let it go, treating it as a momentary lapse. But if you stubbornly refuse, don't blame my The Foster Family for being merciless!"

Facing the current situation, Chad Sullivan carefully weighed his options, then once again looked toward the registrar and searched his memory.

That's right, he was about sixty to seventy percent confident.

"Hahahaha..." Chad Sullivan suddenly burst out laughing.

He had originally planned to secretly plot against The Foster Family first, but hadn't expected things to come to a head so soon.

...

Chapter 12: I Don't Want to Just Win—I Want to Crush!

Chad Sullivan couldn't help but glance at Charles Grant again, since he represented the will of the Black-Clad Gang's Samuel Grant.

Earlier, when Chad Sullivan was making the dye, Ethan Clark from Jinxiu Pavilion betrayed him by sending someone to notify The Foster Family to come. Charles Grant had clearly seen this, but made no move to stop it, nor did he warn Chad Sullivan.

So, at this moment, Chad Sullivan was facing three powerful forces.

The Foster Family, The Clark Family, and the Black-Clad Gang's Samuel Grant.

The smartest move now would be to admit the formula was stolen, then immediately proceed with his plan to "live off a woman" and upgrade his status. Once he had power and influence, he could take his revenge.

Because Yvonne Foster had promised the officials of Xuanwu City that if Chad Sullivan confessed, everything would be forgiven.

She cared about her reputation. If Chad Sullivan confessed, she definitely wouldn't attack him openly today, but would instead pay Samuel Grant to have him dealt with in secret. At least that way, Chad Sullivan would be safe for now.

But!

To have this bucket of filth dumped on Chad Sullivan's head, and expect him to just accept it?

Absolutely impossible—Chad Sullivan would never be so spineless.

Chad Sullivan looked at Yvonne Foster and asked, "You say I stole the new golden-yellow dye formula—what evidence do you have?"

Mr. Foster sneered, "You, Chad Sullivan, are nothing but an ignorant good-for-nothing. My The Foster Family has been in the silk and fabric business for decades and is most skilled in dyes. This golden-yellow dye formula was painstakingly developed by me and Yvonne ourselves, costing countless manpower, resources, and money over several years. We kept this secret hidden, hoping to surprise the Royal Weaving Bureau. But who would have thought that you, an ingrate, would not only steal from us and harass our maids, but even steal the dye formula that is the lifeblood of our family."

Then Mr. Foster said coldly, "Yvonne, this new formula is so important—why did you leave it in a drawer?"

Yvonne Foster replied, "I'm sorry, Father. I completely trusted Chad Sullivan before and never imagined he would do such a thing."

Then she looked at Chad Sullivan and said, "When you were at The Foster Family, if any servant bullied you, I whipped them and ordered that anyone who spoke ill of you would be thrown out. When no one paid attention to you, I didn't mind your low intelligence or dullness, and spoke with you every day. I treated you so well—why would you do this? Even if you wanted to get back at me for abandoning you, you could have just targeted me. Why harm the lifeblood of my family? Besides, if you hadn't done those disgraceful things, how would my The Foster Family have driven you out?"

At these words, the officials present looked slightly awkward.

But as for what Mr. Foster and Yvonne Foster said, half of them believed it.

The Foster Family was indeed skilled in silk and dyes, or else their silk wouldn't be exclusively supplied to the Royal Weaving Bureau. And Chad Sullivan's reputation as an uneducated fool was also well known, so they were convinced the new formula was developed by The Foster Family and stolen by Chad Sullivan.

Chad Sullivan said slowly, "You have no evidence, and neither do I. But everyone will believe the new formula was developed by your The Foster Family, and I can't defend myself."

Mr. Foster laughed to himself: "As long as you know."

This was truly satisfying—not only did he get a superb golden-yellow dye formula for nothing, but he could also justifiably throw Chad Sullivan in prison.

Immediately, Mr. Foster said coldly, "The truth is clear—arrest him! Under torture, I don't believe this fool won't confess."

"Mr. Foster, why are you in such a hurry?" Chad Sullivan laughed. "Though I can't defend myself, it's actually very easy to prove this! As it happens, to prevent exactly this situation, I deliberately held back a bit with the golden-yellow dye formula. In fact, I have an even more advanced formula in my possession."

Chad Sullivan continued, "Mr. Foster, it's very simple to prove whether I stole the dye formula from your The Foster Family. If I can produce an even better golden-yellow dye than before, wouldn't that make the truth clear?"

Yvonne Foster smiled, "You may have stolen the formula from my family, but you're not professional enough. So with a bit more care, it's entirely possible to make a better one than before."

Chad Sullivan said, "I'm not professional, but your family is, right? You claim I stole the formula from you. Why don't your The Foster Family use all your resources to make golden-yellow dye, and then compare it with mine? Let's see whose golden-yellow is more brilliant, whose dyed silk is more luxurious—then the truth will be obvious."

Chad Sullivan had indeed held something back—the golden-yellow formula he handed over earlier was from seventeenth-century China.