Judith firmly pinched Darnell before stepping on the gas, her pretty face clouded with frustration as she continued driving.
If it weren’t for the need to have Darnell get close to Elon and attend her family dinner this weekend, Judith would have loved to give the jerk a good thrashing.
As Darnell rubbed the sore spots on his body, he recalled the softness he had just touched, a teasing smile playing on his lips.
As she noticed this, Judith’s expression hardened. “No laughing!”
Darnell quickly stifled his smile and then attempted to close his eyes.
Judith, fearing Darnell would let his imagination run wild, snapped, “No closing your eyes!”
With a sigh, Darnell raised his right hand to grab the handle, only for Judith to bark again, “No grabbing!”
Looking disgruntled, Darnell said, “Captain Meech, can you stop overthinking everything?”
Judith was quite domineering. “Before you get out of the car, no laughing, no closing your eyes, and no grabbing.”
After saying this, she pressed the accelerator harder, eager to get Darnell home-he felt like a plague to her.
As the car sped along, Darnell turned to look out the window.
At that moment, a six-seater van caught his eye. The window rolled down, and a hand reached out, holding a cigar and flicking off the ash.
As the arm was about to retract, Darnell caught a glimpse of a familiar face-the one-armed Mangerian man, his head wrapped in bandages.
Darnell squinted, watching as the van slowly drove away while mentally noting its license plate.
“Captain Meech, do you know this person? The one who met with Samuel and Cierra last night?”
While waiting at a red light, Darnell pulled out his phone and handed Judith the photo he had taken.
“If you can, help me look into him. I want to see who the Axe and the Swain family want to protect.”
Judith initially dismissed it, but upon taking a closer look, her eyes sharpened. “Houston Gomez?”
Darnell paused, surprised. “You know him?”
“Of course I do.”
Judith’s eyes glinted with a hint of malice, seemingly harboring a deep hatred for him. “He’s one of Elon’s key lackeys, fiercely loyal to him.”
“He’s the one in charge of many country markets-greedy, lecherous, and ruthless. He’s killed many people, but like Elon, he’s always managed to get away with it.”
“I didn’t expect him to come to Whiteville.”
Judith made a judgment. “He’s probably here to rescue Elon. I just didn’t expect he’d collude with the Axe and the Swain family.”
Darnell nodded slightly. “So he’s one of Elon’s people. No wonder Samuel and the Swain family are protecting him so fiercely.”
Judith’s voice turned cold. “Since he’s come to Whiteville, he should just stay here forever.”
“Let’s not act against him just yet!”
Darnell shook his head gently before explaining, “He’s here to save Elon. You have to let him do that. Otherwise, how will Elon get out?”
“If Elon doesn’t come out, how can I get close to him?”
Hearing this, Judith paused slightly, then suddenly looked thrilled. “Have you made a decision?”
Darnell sighed, “It seems I don’t have a choice. Just hurry and take me home. I need to get some good sleep and come up with a plan.”
Judith didn’t waste any time and pressed the gas pedal harder.
However, as they passed by the Vertex, the car got stuck in heavy traffic, barely moving fifty meters in ten minutes, with congestion stretching at least a kilometer ahead.
Darnell straightened his posture slightly. Given his familiarity with the local traffic, he knew that even on a Friday, it shouldn’t be this bad-something serious must have happened up ahead.
Just as Darnell wondered if there had been a major accident, he heard shouts in the distance. “Spectrum Pharmaceuticals is a scam! Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, pay up!”
Darnell frowned slightly. “Did something happen with Spectrum Pharmaceuticals?”
Judith looked surprised as well, “Let me check.”
She quickly grabbed her phone for information, while Darnell took out his own and opened the sunroof, standing up to look toward the entrance of the Vertex.
In his line of sight, a large crowd had gathered at the entrance, over two hundred people-men and women alike, looking fierce and ready for confrontation.
They were holding various medications and chanting, “Spectrum Pharmaceuticals is a scam! Spectrum Pharmaceuticals cheats people!”
“Areli Fanshaw, get out here! Areli Fanshaw, get out here!”
Several long banners were unfurled, declaring that Spectrum Pharmaceuticals was a shameless company, that their medications were ineffective, and that taking them would only worsen one’s condition.
Dozens of building security personnel were doing their best to block the aggressive crowd, while some high-level executives from Spectrum Pharmaceuticals were desperately trying to explain the situation.
Darnell even spotted Casey and her colleagues in their business attire, hiding behind the glass in the lobby, looking worried as they watched the scene unfold.
There was no doubt this was a serious issue.
Another disaster?
Darnell felt dejected. “I’ve only been away for a few days, and Spectrum Pharmaceuticals is already in trouble again. Am I really that important?”
He pulled out his phone and sent a message to Casey and the others. It didn’t take long for them to come rushing over, visibly excited.
They quickly spotted Judith’s car.
“Mr. Halford!”
Despite Darnell’s bizarre attire leaving people stunned, Casey and the other two women were thrilled to see him, finding reassurance in his presence.
“Mr. Halford, what are you doing here? I thought you were on a three-day break!”
Bailee’s eyes were drawn to his makeshift outfit. “Did you sleep with someone last night? Why are you wearing that?”
He was wrapped in a large bedsheet with a hole cut out for his head, tied around him like something out of a Middle Eastern movie.
Shayla pulled out a thermos from her bag, filled with herbal tea, and offered it to Darnell to quench his thirst.
Casey turned to Judith and asked hesitantly, “Captain Meech, Mr. Halford didn’t do anything wrong, did he?”
Judith, wearing her earphones, observed the scene with a hint of intrigue, seemingly curious about Darnell’s popularity. She smiled lightly, “He didn’t do anything wrong. He went swimming, and someone played a prank by stealing his clothes. I happened to run into him and gave him a ride.”
The three women nodded in understanding, not questioning why Darnell had swum all the way from Northmoor to the Central.
Darnell took Shayla’s tea and straightened up, scanning the crowd at the entrance. “I’ve only been gone a few days. How did it get so chaotic again?”
“Are they from the Apex?”
“No!”
Casey, clearly in the know, stood beside Darnell and explained the situation. “They claim to be victims of Stochetrol. After taking Spectrum Pharmaceuticals’ Stochetrol, their stomachs felt better initially, but years later, they not only didn’t recover, but their bodies became even weaker.”
“Constant fatigue, stomach pain after eating, and their spirits declining day by day.”
“They believe Stochetrol has severe side effects and could potentially be carcinogenic, so they’ve gathered to demand justice.”
Bailee jumped in, “They want the government to intervene and investigate, demanding huge compensation from Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, and they want Miss Fanshaw out!”
“This is clearly a coordinated smear campaign.”