Chapter 489 Damian in Great Peril
KM Tower, President's Office.
Nathan stood sweating profusely in front of Damian, his blue suit jacket darkened by sweat. He kept his mouth shut in fear, and after two hours, his mind was still blank.
Damian finished his call with the relevant department and looked at the trembling Victor, "What are you standing there for? Go with the expert team to inspect the site and find out the cause of the explosion!"
Nathan Hearst looked ashen, his voice trembling, "Mr. Hearst, I really didn't know this would happen. The entire project has been strictly following regulations since day one..."
"Get out!"
At a time like this, instead of actively finding the cause and taking responsibility, he was complaining and shirking responsibility. It was simply courting death!
Nathan dared not argue any further and hurriedly left the office.
Damian signaled to the PR department, "The negative news is already known all over the internet. Any explanation from us might be seen as an excuse by the public. Contact all major official media outlets immediately. We'll hold a press conference in an hour. Victor, as the main person in charge of this project, you will attend and answer questions. The PR department will help you prepare the speech."
Victor was already burning with anger inside. He had finally gained his grandfather's trust and taken over a project that should have been Damian's responsibility, only for an explosion to occur at a critical moment. The site had two deaths and nine injuries, the main building frame had collapsed, and the news had already caught the attention of the entire society. He was terrified and knew he couldn't escape this disaster.
"Yes." Victor nodded, clenching his fists in agreement.
The PR manager also expressed full cooperation, "Mr. Hearst, I've arranged for Horizon Herald and Global Gazette, the media we've been working with for years. They should know how to write."
Damian said, "Give me a copy of the speech before the press conference starts."
He didn't even trust him with the speech?
Victor's face burned, feeling like he had been slapped.
The PR department nodded nervously, "Yes, Mr. Hearst."
KM had weathered many storms over the years, facing countless challenges, but this was the first time they had encountered an accident of this scale.
Unlike previous carcinogenic issues, this accident involved a project directly overseen by KM headquarters and had immediately caught the attention of the entire internet. Changing public perception would be extremely difficult.
Next, Damian called for meetings with the crisis management center, marketing department, quality control, engineering, finance, sales, advertising, design, procurement, and more than a dozen other departments. Damian spent the entire day in the office handling various urgent documents and phone calls.
At 10 PM, Damian personally attended a meeting with several department heads.
The meeting lasted until after 1 AM. Damian walked out of the restaurant, stood in the night, and lit a cigarette.
A strand of hair fell to his brow, covering the intense emotions in his eyes.
Thomas approached and whispered, "Mr. Hearst, Victor's apology video and the PR department's article had some effect, but without any big news recently, the public will keep holding on to this. If public opinion turns against KM, the consequences will be even more severe."
Damian's face showed fatigue, but his voice was exceptionally clear, "Have the PR department contact the media and buy some big news to lower the heat of this incident temporarily."
"The PR department is looking, but there aren't any particularly explosive news among the current celebrities."
Damian remained expressionless, "Contact Christian and have him provide some exclusive information."
Thomas immediately understood, "Okay, I'll contact Mr. Young right away."
Meanwhile.
Christian received Thomas's call while at a vacation villa in Celestria, lying in the arms of a rising female star and drinking. He was annoyed at being disturbed, "Thomas, how do you work for Mr. Hearst? If you have something, contact my assistant. Don't you know the rules?"
Thomas, scolded, didn't dare to argue and could only apologize, "I'm sorry, Mr. Young. It's an urgent matter. Have you seen the news? About the explosion at the KM construction site..."
"Explosion?"
Christian, engrossed in the female star's embrace, hadn't been following domestic news. He opened it and was shocked, pushing the woman away, wrapping himself in a bathrobe, and striding out of the bedroom, "Mr. Hearst asked you to call me. What do you need?"
"Buy some news."
Christian hesitated, "KM is already top-tier. Once the topic is hyped, the media will be eager to hold on. To suppress the heat, it needs a huge secret. Let me think..."
Celebrity gossip is eye-catching, but it can't compare to the excitement of a company as wealthy as KM.
"How about this, have Mr. Hearst start a romance, show his face, nothing too much, just holding hands and hugging. It will definitely overshadow all negative news and make the front page tomorrow!"
Thomas felt a chill on his face, terrified inside, "Mr. Young, please don't joke."
Damian, hearing their conversation, frowned and took the phone, "Christian."
Christian's expression turned serious, "Mr. Hearst, I'm not joking. To cover such a big hole, you need a big enough stone! Even if I bring out all my top-tier artists, it won't be enough! Anyway, you and Ashley are still entangled. Why not just go public?"
Damian said, "She's gone."
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like."
Christian was still in a daze. How could Ashley leave without completing her goal of returning to the country?
Damian said, "Handle the news. Delay it as much as possible. Before the truth is found, the company needs to stabilize the stock price."
Christian felt like he had missed many shocking secrets during his short week-long vacation. Ashley's departure was undoubtedly the most unbelievable, "I'll think of something!"
When the US stock market opened, KM Group's stock plummeted by 0.2%. In just 24 hours, negative news about KM dominated all social networks.
After scolding Victor and Nathan, Anthony repeatedly urged Damian, "Make sure to find out the cause of the accident and give an explanation to the shareholders and consumers!"
"Yes, Grandpa."
But the matter was far from over. The high-end large apartment complex KM Group was building had already pre-sold 85% due to its location, amenities, and layout, bringing in the first and second phase of the first stage of construction funds. After the incident, homeowners demanded refunds and compensation for all their financial losses.
KM's legal team worked around the clock to appease them one by one, and Dante faced a new challenge in his career.
Christian reluctantly released news about a top male artist from his entertainment company visiting a gay bar, slightly cooling down the situation for KM. But as homeowners continued their relentless pursuit of rights, the news surged back to the top of trending topics.
The PR department spent a significant amount of workforce and resources to remove the keywords from the trending list barely, but tens of thousands of shareholders still weren't buying it.
As KM's stock price continued to fall, Damian received another piece of news.
Thomas held a document from the board secretary's office, "Mr. Hearst, someone is maliciously shorting our stock, and over a hundred accounts are simultaneously absorbing retail stocks in large quantities. The funds are enormous, and there's no sign of stopping."
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