American Tax Officer

Chapter 642: Chapter 323: Stealing Your Home_2
 

“That’s Tony Aldrich and Theodore Xavier from the board of Freemasonry Group, along with the CFO and department heads… so many people being taken out by the FBI, this is serious!”

“The FBI investigation team just got to New York and took away over a dozen senior members of the Freemasonry Group in one fell swoop, they must have something solid to be so bold!”

“So many people taken by the FBI, it’s like a ‘raid’.”

Inside an office at the top floor of the Freemasonry Group building, the sound of a glass being smashed resonated at that moment.

The man at the center of the room was Murdoch, his face an ashen hue of iron, and across from him, his secretary revealed a trace of terror but still steeled herself to say, “Sir… Sir, Gavin was very assertive just now and looked very confident. Plus, taking away so many of our executives, this might…”

What she wanted to say was, the FBI must have had some leverage, otherwise they wouldn’t dare to make such a big move, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud at the end.

Actually, it wasn’t necessary for her to say anything; as Murdoch had been a crafty old fox in business for decades, he was very clear, would the FBI team dare to come directly to their headquarters without holding any cards?

And taking so many top executives in the full view of the whole world?

What exactly had David found on them and what had he given to that lapdog Gavin?

While Murdoch was riddled with worry, the office door was knocked and pushed open, and another secretary of his came in, her expression flustered as she said, “Sir, due to the impact of the recent incidents, the stock market has plunged since the opening bell. At this rate… conservatively, there might be a drop of more than 20 percent.”

To hear that a group’s market capitalization might drop by a conservative estimate of 20 percent sounded almost like an exaggeration, but Murdoch knew, given the current circumstances, it might not be an exaggeration at all.

Keep in mind, during the last 9/11 wiretapping scandal, their group’s stock had fallen 15 percent.

And now this issue had resurfaced, and what’s key is that the FBI had just taken away so many of the group’s high-level executives, which would definitely lead to serious lack of market confidence in their group.

No, something had to be done!

After considerable thought, Murdoch said, “Call a press conference, let me… oh no, have Marion speak, to stabilize the market.”

As the founder of the Freemasonry Group and with many years of built-up prestige, as long as he stood up, the market would surely regain some confidence in their group.

But then he realized a problem, he didn’t know what David had given to the FBI.

If the FBI indeed got a hold of any evidence on their group, his speech at the press conference could potentially put him in a passive situation later on.

So to be safe, he decided to find a ‘scapegoat’ after all.

Soon, the press conference of the Freemasonry Group was formally convened.

Marion, a board member who hadn’t been taken away for investigation, stepped forward and assured the nation, claiming that the Freemasonry Group had not engaged in any illegal activities nor any 9/11 wiretapping behavior.

Afterward, the Freemasonry Group, leveraging its powerful media channels, really did lead many people to believe in their innocence, regaining some of the stock market’s confidence.

Of course, despite this, within this single day, Freemasonry Group’s market value still fell by more than 8 percent.

That night, Murdoch suffered through sleepless hours.

And when it came to the next morning, he arrived early at the office.

Because, according to legal provisions, without evidence or other circumstances, the FBI couldn’t detain suspects for more than 24 hours.

So if today, those high-level executives who were taken away yesterday were released, it would mean the FBI was just posturing and lacked actual evidence; then he could breathe a sigh of relief.

Time ticked by, second by second, until it was 9:20 AM.

Even though Murdoch had been dominating the business world for decades, at this moment, he was tensely staring at his watch. However, in the next second, his office door was knocked on again.

When he saw that it was his secretary entering with a somewhat unsightly expression, his mood instantly sank.

“Sir, the FBI just released some information. It shows that during the time of 9/11, we indeed established a ‘Surveillance Department.’ Here are the details for you to review.”

While speaking, he placed a tablet in front of Murdoch.

After carefully reviewing the content, Murdoch’s face turned sour, as it truly contained some confidential information related to their group.

However, he quickly composed himself and spoke out with conviction, “What can this information prove? And the department we established is not what he calls a ‘Surveillance Department.’ It’s just a department for collecting news-related content!”

“That may not serve as direct evidence, but it is quite coincidental with the time of 9/11. It will surely fuel the imagination of those who are already skeptical of us…”

“Knock, knock, knock…”

In the middle of the conversation, the door was knocked on again. The person who entered reported, “Sir, the latest news is that the FBI has obtained some key information. They have applied to the court for an extension of the detention period for our senior executives, and it has been approved.”

“Damn it, what exactly are they trying to do!”

Murdoch cursed aloud but also faintly sensed that something was amiss.

The FBI had first taken away a large number of their senior executives and had remained silent ever since, until today. Just when it was almost time for their release, they suddenly published a document and extended the detention of their executives—and the court had approved it so quickly.

How did this all seem to be linked?

“Beep, beep, beep…”@@novelbin@@

The ringing of the phone brought Murdoch back to his senses. Glancing at his cell phone, he saw it was Soros calling. Hesitating for a moment, he still answered, “I’m very busy right now. Speak directly, Soros.”

“Murdoch, something’s not right. My company has detected that ‘someone’ is planning to bottom-fish several of your subsidiaries following the stock market crash of your company.”

“What did you just say!”

Murdoch was shocked.

Soros, as a big shark in the stock market, and his hedge fund in Wall Street were indeed renowned. If he had detected this, it was likely no mistake.

Could all the incidents that had been voiced earlier be in coordination with the stock market?

“Although I still don’t know who these people in the stock market are, one thing is for sure, it definitely has something to do with David. You need to be careful, lest you lose control over the news corporation, and that outcome would be very serious.”

But Murdoch didn’t really need a reminder from Soros; at this moment, he was already feeling a chill in his limbs, with cold sweat streaming down.

The reason he had such a high status within the Freemasonry Group was entirely because he controlled a core propaganda tool of the group.

If he lost that control, his status would definitely plummet.

But that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was that he already had a bold suspicion in his mind.

That was David getting the FBI to target him, resulting in arrests, the publication of documents, the extension of detentions, and now so much activity in the stock market. It was very likely that it wasn’t just a simple act of revenge against their group. There was also the possibility that he wanted to take control of this public opinion tool.

Once this tool fell into David’s hands, then this scoundrel could use it to attack, undermine, and smear the image of Jewish people, and they would be left with no choice but to stand and take the hits!

Murdoch dared not think further. He immediately bellowed, “Forget those who are detained for now. Tell all departments, all companies, to tighten their controls, so no one can take the opportunity to ‘clean us out’!”