Chapter 349
"From who?" I asked.
"No clue, man, that's just what the notice said!" Mr. Simpson gave a crooked smile, "Look, here's my two cents: you should get outta here fast. This thing ain't gonna blow over."
"You know something?"
Mr. Simpson hesitated, "I can spill what I know, but you can't sue or call the cops."
"Fine," Linda said, ice-cold.
Mr. Simpson glanced at me, then said, "About four days ago, I got a call from up top. Can't give you the deets, but you can guess. Your company's in deep trouble. The other side's got serious clout. You've been busting your butt for nothing, so you know how tough it is."
"Can you tell me who's behind this?" I asked.
I walked over and pulled out two stacks of cash from my bag. I thought, 'Money talks, right?'
"This won't do." he stuttered.
"Oh, come on, just take it." I shoved it into his hand, "Think about it, even if we know, it's just to smooth things over. No big deal for you, right?"
Mr. Simpson was stunned for a sec, then said, "I overheard something, not sure if it's legit. Seems like it's Mr. Harrison!"
He took the money, "Ms. Foster, that's all I got. I really don't know more."
Linda nodded.
After they left, Marlow came over, "Ms. Foster, are we just gonna let this slide?"
Linda shot him a look, "This is their turf. What else can we do?"
Marlow was speechless, and after a long pause, he muttered, "This is so messed up."
Linda said, "I don't know what you guys have been doing in Greenvale City for the past six months. You don't even have a single contact."
Marlow hung his head, looking ashamed.
"Get someone to clean up, and make sure to get a receipt."
With that, Linda walked away, stone-faced.
"Ms. Foster, among the Four, only one is called Mr. Harrison."
"Think about it. If it really is one of the Four, would they use such shady tactics?"
I thought about it and realized it made sense, 'People at their level wouldn't stoop so low. A single word from them could crush us. Why bother with this?'
'So how did the rumor about the Four come about?'
'Maybe someone spread it on purpose. '
'It seemed like we were back to square one.'
'Things were getting more and more confusing. There are probably a dozen Mr. Harrisons in this city. It could be anyone.'
"Ms. Foster, how about I stay at the company? If they come to make trouble, I'll definitely catch them."
"Are you nuts?"
Linda said coldly.
"Better than knowing nothing, right?"
I sighed, "Seeing you like this worries me. I promised to protect you."
"Enough," Linda cut me off, her voice cold. "If you want to stay, fine. But don't blame me if something happens." She turned and walked away again, her stride brisk.
"Slow down, take it easy."
I hurried to catch up.
That night, I pulled Marlow over to keep watch together.
"Marlow, thanks."
Marlow gave a wry smile, "All for the company."
I could tell he was reluctant. A lot of employees had quit recently, and Marlow was worried sick.
I handed him a cigarette, "Marlow, we haven't had a good chat. Now it's just the two of us, no need to hold back."
Marlow nodded, the cigarette glowing in the dark.
"Do you know the truth?"
"Mr. Cena, you're kidding, right? How would I know?" Marlow forced a smile.
"Doesn't add up. Last time I heard the guys chatting, they seemed to know a lot. How could you, the deputy GM, be in the dark?"
I patted his shoulder, "You don't want the branch to tank, do you?"
For Marlow to be deputy GM at his age, he must've busted his butt. No way he wanted the company to crash and burn.
"Of course not." Marlow gave a wry smile, "The chairman trusts me, made me deputy GM. This company is like my baby."
"Okay, fine. I won't tell a soul, but you have to promise to keep this from Ms. Foster, alright?" I grinned. "You're only keeping quiet because Mr. Walton told you to, right?"
"Mr. Cena, you're sharp."
"Honestly, I don't wanna stick around Greenvale City. Once this is over, I'm outta here. You don't have to worry about me gunning for your spot."
"Mr. Cena, I wasn't worried about that."
Before he could finish, I cut in, "I get it, but my goal ain't here, you know?"
"I just wanna fix this mess quick."
Marlow was quiet for a bit, "That night, I was there too. Mr. Walton had his eye on a girl. She was a knockout, so he went to chat her up. Mr. Walton had been drinking and then..."
I thought, 'Damn, it really kicked off over a chick.'
"Who is that woman?"
"Quinlan Harrison, the younger brother of Yves, one of the Four. It's his girlfriend."
"How do you know?"
"I found out later. Those guys came to stir up trouble. Mr. Walton tried all his connections but couldn't fix it. If Mr. Walton had backed off at the start, none of this would’ve happened."
Marlow said, "This is Greenvale City. Here, no matter who you are, you gotta play nice. There are a lot of big shots."
"So it was Quinlan who made the move?"
"Yeah, Quinlan's notorious. He earned the title 'little devil' with his brother and dad backing him."
"You know quite a bit."
"I managed to dig up this info."
Marlow said, "So keeping watch doesn't mean much. Even if you know, you can't do squat about them."
"They're that untouchable?"
"He doesn't show up. He throws some cash to hire thugs to mess with you, making it impossible for your company to run. What can you do?"
I slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. I thought, 'Damn, we can't match them in muscle or connections. How do we play this game?
'Blame it on Steven for being a horndog.
'Forget it, better to pull back.
'I know my limits. No need to stick my neck out for Steven.'
I was actually kinda relieved. If this place goes down, the Sevan City HQ will feel it too.
Just then, I heard footsteps outside, getting closer. Then, a small lamp went out.
The power was cut again.
The sound of glass shattering echoed.
"Smash it, smash it good!"
I really caught them.
"Let's go, check it out!"
"Mr. Cena, don't be rash!"
Marlow grabbed my hand, "They must have weapons. With the power out, we should stay put and wait for them to leave."
I realized he was right. I thought, 'We don't know how many are out there. By the time the cops show up, they'll be gone.
'Might even put ourselves in danger.'
Just then, a woman's voice shouted from outside, "Put down what you're holding!"
That shout startled me, not out of fear, but anxiety.
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