Chapter 442 He Must Have a Purpose
The man's sudden outburst made everyone around him quickly back away.
Only Katniss stood there, watching the man who seemed to have lost his mind, unable to move.
Her shoulder was suddenly bumped by the panicked crowd, and she was knocked backward as she came to her senses.
Samuel, quick on his feet, caught Katniss and swiftly pulled her to a safer distance.
The situation was serious. The company's security gathered everyone in a safe area, and even the police were called in.
"Don't hurt him. Give him whatever compensation he wants," Katniss turned to Samuel, her tone almost resolute. "We need to find Kurt for him and give him an explanation."
Samuel frowned, unable to help himself. "The police will handle this properly. You need to stay calm. He's not as simple as you think. He managed to get explosives and bring them here. Someone is backing him."
Seeing the man acting crazed, Katniss felt a fleeting sense of familiarity, as if she were looking at herself.
Gradually calming down, she regained her composure. "You mean someone is orchestrating this from behind the scenes?"
"Of course," Samuel said, glancing at the man now in a standoff with the police. "Don't worry, he won't detonate the bomb. He has a purpose; we just don't know who he's targeting."
Most of the crowd, faces filled with fear, had run far away.
The police seemed to have reached some sort of agreement with the man, who then tossed the bomb aside and followed them.
The commotion lasted for about ten minutes but left a significant impact on White Corporation.
Various media outlets reported on the crisis at White Corporation, not distinguishing who was at fault, and all the blame was placed on the company.
As a result, White Corporation's stock took a hit.
To mitigate the negative impact of this sudden incident, Katniss worked late into the night, not returning home until after eleven.
Passing by the hospital on her way back, she didn't go in but parked her car by the roadside.
Getting out of the car, she leaned against it and looked up at a particular hospital room.
The light was dim, but it was the only hope and light in her heart.
Tristan had only been asleep for a short while, but she felt as if it had been so long that she couldn't remember what it was like to have him by her side all the time.
She lowered her head, unable to hide the sadness in her eyes.
The sudden ringing of her phone was especially clear in the quiet night. She quickly answered it and got back into the car. "Mom, I'm on my way home now."
Rupert had heard some things about Tristan and had tried several times to visit Katniss, but the store was busy.
That was one reason. The other was that Jessica was about to give birth and was emotionally unstable, often arguing with him over trivial matters.
When it came to Katniss, it was even worse, so Rupert had been holding back, only sending a few messages to check on her.
Katniss's replies were always brief, telling him to wait for good news and that she would inform him immediately if there were any updates on Tristan.
The more she said this, the more worried Rupert became. Unable to help himself, he closed the store late at night and drank alone.
He ended up drinking too much and was found by the police, who contacted Jessica to take him home.
Looking at Rupert passed out on the bed, Jessica was furious. "Get a grip. I'm your wife. Why are you so worried about a sister who has nothing to do with you?"
"Don't say so much. I'll get some water to clean him up. You keep an eye on him."
Ember, feeling sorry for Rupert, knew she had to take good care of him since she could only rely on him in the future.
Jessica rolled her eyes at Ember and used her foot to push Rupert further onto the bed.
Soon, Ember brought some water and wiped Rupert's body. "Jessica, keep an eye on him tonight. Don't..."
"You sleep with him. I'm pregnant and can't afford to lose sleep." Jessica interrupted Ember, grabbed a pillow, and left the room.
Seeing this, Ember wanted to say something but held back, staying in the room to take care of Rupert.
Fortunately, Rupert was fine throughout the night. Around five in the morning, Ember's phone suddenly rang, startling her. She quickly went to her room to answer it.
"I told you not to call me anymore. I don't know where your daughter is. I don't know! I left with the girl after the divorce. I don't know where she is now!"
She hung up the phone.
Turning around, she saw Jessica, who had been woken up, and was startled. "I'm sorry, I forgot you were sleeping here. I'll..."
"Wait," Jessica interrupted. "Who called you?"
"Just..." Ember stammered, "Katniss was probably stolen and sold back then. I don't know how that family contacted me."
But Ember didn't dare admit it. It was illegal, and if she revealed the truth, how could she continue to benefit from Katniss?
Jessica's eyes lit up with an idea. "Didn't you ask who they were?"
"I didn't dare ask too much," Ember said, intending to deny everything.
Jessica stood up and grabbed Ember's phone. "Let me see who called."
The caller ID showed it was from the northernmost part of the country, a place known for extreme poverty and wealth.
"When Katniss was brought to you, did she have anything on her?"
"Yes," Ember said without hesitation. "She had a gold ornament, but I don't remember what it was. The seller took it."
Thirty years ago, buying gold for a few-month-old baby usually meant the family was wealthy.
Jessica's eyes brightened. "Then her family must be rich. If they contact you again about Katniss, tell them they have the wrong person, but you have a relative who bought a child. Ask them for money and say you can't contact that relative anymore."
"You're quick-witted. I didn't even think of that," Ember said, feeling a mix of excitement and fear. "But what exactly should we say? What if they find out?"
"Forget it. Give me your phone for a few days. I'll handle it," Jessica said, putting the phone in her pocket and going to wake Rupert.
In the cold winter morning, it was still dark outside at nearly six o'clock.
Katniss rarely got up this early, but today was an exception. She was woken by a call from Ryan; there was trouble at Zenith Group.
She had no choice but to get up and head over.
If yesterday, Katniss thought the man at White Corporation was a random incident, today she realized someone might be targeting her.
The other party was well-prepared, taking advantage of her distraction to steal Zenith Group's core technology.
With only seven days left until Zenith Group's new product launch, if the technology were leaked, Zenith Group would be at a disadvantage, losing its first battle since its establishment.
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