Chapter 348
So, Marlow was yapping away, and I started piecing together who the Four were.
Basically, these guys had some serious family clout. The Four was like a badge of honor 'cause they were all killing it in their own lanes.
Fabian Walker? He was the top dog, running the show behind the scenes in Greenvale City's entertainment biz.
Yves Harrison, second in line, was the son of the Blue Ocean Ventures boss and a big-shot restaurateur. Dude opened almost a thousand joints overseas in just three years. Crazy, right?
Then there was Alaric Roberts, third on the list. His old man was the richest guy in West Hill, owning like a third of the coal mines there.
And Jericho Wolfe? His folks were bankers. He graduated from Oxford and used the ten mil his parents gave him to start the Greenvale City Commercial Development Bank.
These guys were all heavy hitters.
If Steven had truly crossed one of them, he was playing with fire. No, it was worse than that. It was like bringing a knife to a gunfight.
But would they resort to something as crude as hiring thugs? It didn't seem like their style. They were more likely to crush Skyliho Group Media with a few phone calls, leaving Steven financially ruined.
Still, maybe Steven had done something truly unforgivable. Something so bad that even Linda was kept in the dark.
I puffed on a cigarette, running through all the scenarios.
Three days flew by. The company wrapped up corrections, and nothing bad went down. I tagged along with Linda to smooth things over with different departments, but we struck out every time.
It was clear someone had already gotten to them.
We were in a new place, and we couldn't even find anyone to bribe. I was clueless about our next move.
Linda was losing weight, and it broke my heart a bit. That jerk Steven left Linda to handle all this pressure.
"Ms. Foster, aren't you gonna tell me what's up by now?"
Linda stayed quiet.
I snorted, "Fine, keep holding out. If the company can't open, we're outta here sooner or later!"
We were at a standstill when Linda suddenly said, "Actually, I don't know either. Do you believe me?"
I looked at her; she probably wasn't lying about this.
"Don't know? Didn't you ask Mr. Walton?"
She shook her head, "He didn't say."
"You know it's dangerous to stay, right?"
Linda said, "Alright, you should go back. I'm tired."
We'd already moved out of the hotel. Marlow found a fancy apartment nearby, and I lived next door to her.
"Let me massage your feet."
I didn't wait for her to agree and just took off her high heels, gently massaging her feet.
"Ms. Foster, did we piss off one of the Four?" I asked carefully.
She frowned, "Who told you that?"
"The employees are all saying it."
She bit her lip, "Nonsense."
Just then, her phone rang. It was Marlow, "Ms. Foster, something bad happened. Our company got trashed!"
I thought, 'What the hell!'
Linda jumped up but forgot one of her feet was still in my hand. She lost her balance and fell towards me.
I freaked out, worried she'd fall, and ended up being her cushion.
"Ms. Foster, you okay?"
"I'm fine. I'll be right there."
Linda hung up, "Let go of me!"
I quickly got up, nervously asking, "You alright? Any pain? Is your stomach okay?"
I reached out to touch her, but she angrily slapped my hand away, "None of your business. I'll get an abortion sooner or later!"
With that, she stormed off.
"Hey, don't forget your shoes!"
I grabbed the new sneakers I bought for her and ran after her.
When we got to the company, Marlow was already there, giving the property management an earful, "How do you guys patrol? You can't even keep our place safe!"
The property management folks were just apologizing left and right.
I trailed behind Linda. The front door was smashed to bits, glass everywhere, and the inside looked like a tornado hit it.
"What about the surveillance?"
Linda was fuming, but she had to keep it together as the boss.
"Ms. Foster!"
Marlow, looking grim, said, "The power was cut, and the cameras inside and out didn't catch anything."
Linda glared at the property management, "I need an explanation, or we're going to court. Mr. Harrison, get the legal team to draft a complaint, call the cops, secure the scene, and gather evidence. Whoever did this is gonna pay."
"Yes, Ms. Foster!"
Marlow nodded. The property manager came over, "Ms. Foster, let's not blow this out of proportion. We can work this out."
Linda snorted, "Get your general manager to talk to me."
"Please wait a moment. I'll get him right away."
Fifteen minutes later, a man came rushing over. It was Mr. Simpson.
"Don't call the cops, don't call the cops!"
He came over, out of breath, "Ms. Foster, I'm really sorry for the trouble our negligence caused. It's our fault. Please give us a chance to make it right."
Mr. Simpson's attitude was a surprise.
He wasn't usually like this.
"Compensation?"
Linda stopped Marlow from calling the police, "How do you plan to compensate us?"
"Our company will cover all the damages. How about that?"
"Items have a price, but time is priceless. My company loses tens of thousands of dollars a day. Can you cover that?"
"Plus, this is the prime commercial area in Greenvale City. If we go to the media, what do you think will happen?"
"Please don't, Ms. Foster!"
Mr. Simpson quickly said, "Please don't go to the media."
This was the Greenvale City Business Center Building, a landmark in the commercial district. No company here is small potatoes.
If news of a violent vandalism incident got out, what would people think?
As the property manager, he'd be toast.
Linda smiled, "Then tell me who did it, and I'll waive the compensation."
"Ms. Foster, you must be joking. How would I know who did it?"
"Don't know? Then there's nothing more to discuss. I don't want compensation either. Let's go through legal channels."
Linda's face hardened, "We're in the media business. The company has fans. Exposing this is easy. Soon, Mr. Simpson, you'll see yourself on the news."
Mr. Simpson's face went pale, "Ms. Foster, please don't!"
He stepped forward to block Linda, bowing slightly, with a pleading look, "Ms. Foster, can we talk privately?"
Linda glanced at him and walked aside. I followed her.
"Ms. Foster, there are some things I can only say to you alone."
Mr. Simpson glanced at me.
I awkwardly smiled, ready to step back, but Linda said, "He's with me. If you don't want to talk, I don't want to listen."
Mr. Simpson sighed, "Okay. Okay!"
I walked to Linda's side and whispered, "Thanks." She frowned slightly but didn't say anything.
"Ms. Foster, I really don't know who did this. Don't rush to leave. I'm just following orders!"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
