Chapter 349 Quibble
"I just can't stand how well their business is doing. It makes me so jealous. I admit, I was the one who spray-painted their shop. But their desserts really did make me sick once. I tried to talk to them about it, but they ignored me, so I..."
Before she could finish, Anna cut in, "That's a lie! Our desserts have never had any issues. You didn't get sick because of our desserts!"
Bella chimed in, "Exactly. We always follow food safety regulations to the letter. Our desserts are top quality."
"Officer, she's making this up. If our desserts really had a problem, why didn't she ever come to us? She's just trying to smear us," Anna accused Charlotte angrily.
The officer turned to Charlotte, "Tell the truth."
Charlotte, under the officer's sharp gaze, nervously twisted the hem of her shirt, her eyes darting around as she tried to defend herself.
She took a deep breath and said, "I used to work at their shop, but I quit after a short time. I found out they were running a shady business. They charge a lot for their desserts and drinks, but use the cheapest, worst ingredients. I couldn't stand it and decided to leave."
She paused, watching the officer's reaction, then continued, "The place was filthy, with rats and roaches everywhere. How could anyone feel safe eating food made in such conditions? I couldn't tolerate their irresponsible behavior towards customers, so I decided to expose the truth. I used the delivery platform and got my friends to leave bad reviews to boycott their shop. But my actions seemed to anger them, especially Bella. She even came to my place to threaten me."
Charlotte's words carried a tone of determination and defiance, as if she were genuinely concerned about public food safety and consumer rights.
The officer looked at her with a mix of seriousness and skepticism, "Charlotte, we will investigate your claims. However, organizing bad reviews and spray-painting their shop is illegal. And you said Bella threatened you. Can you explain that?"
Charlotte hesitated, her eyes flickering, but she finally mustered the courage to continue, "Yes, I did organize the bad reviews because I felt their shady business would harm more people. As for Bella threatening me, that happened after I left multiple bad reviews. She came with some friends, speaking very aggressively, and threatened me to stop or face consequences. I was scared and felt I had no choice but to take extreme measures to expose the truth."
Before she could finish, Anna and Bella both shouted, "You're lying! We never threatened you!"
Anna's face turned red with anger. "You'll do anything to ruin us!"
As Charlotte continued her impassioned speech, Anna's expression shifted from anger to a cold, steely look. Her fists clenched tightly, and it seemed she might explode at any moment if Bella hadn't been holding her back.
When Charlotte finally finished, Bella took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice calm. "May I speak now?"
Her eyes showed a mix of sarcasm and frustration, clearly fed up with Charlotte's lies.
With a nod from the officer, Bella took another deep breath and began, "Some of what Charlotte said is true. She did organize her friends to leave malicious reviews, and we have evidence of that. She also worked at our shop for a while."
Bella paused, her sharp gaze fixed on Charlotte, then continued, "But her reason for leaving is a lie. The truth is, Charlotte had a terrible work attitude, often failing to complete her tasks and trying to get others to do her work. We talked to her multiple times, hoping she'd improve, but she ignored us. We had no choice but to fire her."
Before Bella could finish, Charlotte jumped up, "Shut up! You're lying! You fired me because you didn't like me!"
Charlotte's shrill voice drew the attention of everyone around. The officer shouted, "Quiet! Let her finish."
He turned to Bella, "Please continue."
Bella nodded and went on, "When we fired Charlotte, we paid her what she was owed, not deducting for the desserts and drinks she consumed daily, only for her frequent tardiness. She was unhappy and caused a scene before leaving. Then she started spreading false claims about our shop on social media and the delivery platform, trying to tarnish our reputation."
"At first, we didn't pay much attention, thinking the truth would come out eventually. But her actions escalated, leading to malicious reviews and now spray-painting our door, which cost us over ten thousand dollars to replace. I demand compensation, and if she continues to slander our shop, I will sue."
After taking notes, the officer gave Charlotte a stern look. "Do you have anything else to say? Is what Bella said true? Should I call your friends to verify the facts?"
Charlotte panicked at the officer's words. Since Bella's visit, her friends had started distancing themselves, not wanting to get involved or face trouble for helping her.
Realizing the spray-painting was her impulsive act alone, Charlotte felt a wave of fear. If the officer called her friends, they would surely betray her to save themselves.
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