Summer read the comment again. It looked like, on the surface, her battle with Vicky for the past months had helped steer public opinion. But the more she read, the more likely that someone was trying to stir the pot. It was especially clear with the presence of cyber-troopers in the replies. Summer thought about Jessica.
She took a screenshot of the comment and sent it to Jessica, asking, “Did you do this? With cyber-troopers?”
Jessica’s reply came at warp speed. “Wow! How did you figure this out? Tell me you have not installed something weird on my phone!”
Summer could not help laughing at that one and sent a two-word reply. “Gut feeling.”
“What a gut feeling you have there! You should have counted me in when you decided to expose Jarrett Group! I would have gathered an army of cyber-troopers at the ready!”
As always, Jessica liked it. The messier, the better.
“Please don’t get involved in this. I can handle it. Don’t forget you’re a public figure. Don’t foul your own nest.”
Summer was more worried about Jessica. If someone with evil intentions wanted to smear Jessica, this would be a good opportunity.
“Don’t worry. No one will find out. Everything’s done discreetly. Let’s stop here. I can’t wait to join the fun on Weibo now. Dinner tonight? We can celebrate!”
“Celebrate?” Summer forced a smile and left the chat.
Just then, a colleague of hers said, “Summer, everyone is going to the departmental meeting. How are you still here?”
“Right away.”
She put her mobile in her pocket and ambled behind her colleagues to the meeting.
The person who chaired the meeting was not Vicky but her assistant.
“Contact all the project clients and placate them, especially those who want to stop their cooperation with us.”
Summer fiddled with her hair as she listened to the assistant manager’s speech, her mind not really there. The exposure had hurt Jarrett Group’s corporate image badly. Just like what happened to the baby milk powder brand, which was exposed to be containing harmful substances, Jarrett Group could quickly fall from grace, or worse, go belly up.
But since the company was doing household products, not food, so long as its public relations did its job, it would not go bankrupt. But one thing was sure, things would hit it badly.
In the age of rapid development, some people think the end justifies the means. Impulse takes over, and people who keep their feet on the ground are a minority. Summer was a little ruthless this time. But the paparazzo would not have gotten the evidence had Jarrett Group been guiltless.
When the emergency meeting was over, it was well over office hours. But everyone had to stay back. Summer did not plan to stay. She took her handbag and headed out toward the elevator, then turned back, walking toward Lynn’s office. She saw the door was open ajar as she approached and heard Vicky was flying off the handle inside the office.
“We have granted the media many favors every year, yet they are doing this to us? Dad, what should we do? Will Jarrett Group go under?”
Lynn shouted her down. “Shut up! I’ve told you to mind your own business and keep your head down even if you go partying. Now someone has gotten us by the balls and kept making a fuss about your past. Obviously, the person was targeting Jarrett Group!”
“How would I have known people would film and photograph me? I was just having some fun. You had said nothing about it at all back then. Are you not womanizing out there? I saw you going into a hotel with a girl who looked even younger than me last time-”
In desperation, Vicky started to lose it and shot her mouth off after getting chided by Lynn. Then a slap. Vicky was muted.
Summer gave the door a slight push, leaving a gap wide enough to see what was going on inside. Vicky covered her cheek with her hand, shrilling, “You hit me?”
Lynn seemed to have regretted it, his voice softening. “Vicky…”
“Don’t talk to me!” Vicky stepped back, turned, and ran toward the door.
Summer spun around at once and made her way out. As she was about to reach the main entrance, she remembered what happened last time when reporters swarmed the entrance of Jarrett Group.
She rummaged through her handbag, took out a mask, and put it on. She had a habit of wearing a mask in the winter, just that she did not expect it would come in handy this way. As soon as she was out of the building, she was surrounded by a swarm of inquisitive reporters.
“Are you an employee of Jarrett Group? What position do you hold? Do employees like you know anything about the factory’s toxic material incident?”
“I’m sorry. No comment.” Summer looked back inadvertently and saw Vicky emerging from the inside. She suddenly got a brainwave and said, “I think our department manager might be able to answer your questions.
The reporters looked in the direction where Summer was looking and saw Vicky. Summer had a graceful figure and beautiful eyes, but she dressed like a lower-level employee. In contrast, Vicky was in an expensive outfit that had been featured in last week’s fashion magazine and worn by a top celebrity in the entertainment world, she looked expensive and in a high position.
As the zealous reporters flocked up to Vicky, Summer did not walk away but retreated to an inconspicuous corner, watching.
“Can you tell us what position you hold in Jarrett Group? What do you have to say about the exposure of Jarrett Group’s factory? When will Jarrett Group make a public statement?”
At first, questions had been centering on the exposure of the Jarrett Group factory. Then someone had recognized Vicky as the woman in the sex video scandal, and things went wayward from here.
“Are you the woman in the sex video uploaded on Weibo before this?”
“How did you manage to stay in the management of Jarrett Group while you had such a promiscuous life?” The reporter throwing the question apparently did not know who she was. There was no wonder why. These reporters were not entertainment reporters. They knew about the sex video, but just on the surface, nothing too in-depth. But some quick-witted ones had done a quick search online. Then a reporter thought it just as well doing a live telecast.
“I’m here in front of the Jarrett Group building. The lady behind me, surrounded by reporters, is one of the middle management personnel in Jarrett Group. She is believed to be the woman in the sex video not long ago. As a-”
Halfway, Vicky angrily came up and snatched the mic from the reporter. What could be worse than this? Vicky could not have cared less now.
“What crap are you talking about? Can’t journalists like you all report on the truth? How could you make up stories just like that?”
The other reporters flashed their cameras as Vicky jumped down the reporter’s throat. She raised her hand to cover her face, voice hysterical.
“Stop it! Stop taking photos! Guards! Where are the guards? Get them out of here!”
The reporter, whose mic was snatched and thrown, picked the mic back up. Finding that it still worked, she continued the live telecast, more fervently this time.
“The woman who whisked away my mic just now is a staff member of Jarrett Group. The last I checked, she is the daughter of the president of Jarrett Group, Vicky…”