The first thing Summer did when she arrived at the office was look for Vicky. However, Vicky was not in her office.
Summer asked her assistant, “Is your boss back yet?”
The assistant shook her head from side to side.
Summer had mixed feelings. If “Douglas” really slept with Vicky, she would be sorry for him. It was not that she liked him, in fact, she still thought “Douglas” was an arrogant jerk. But after two months of living with him, she knew he was not promiscuous like Vicky.
…
Due to the toxic factory expose, Jarrett Group’s reputation had taken a major hit. Discussions were still rife online, mostly condemning Jarrett Group.
It had been forty-eight hours since the exposure. If there were still no solutions, things would get even more out of hand, not that they were a lot better at the moment. Public Relations were unable to put a lid on the scandal. The company had contacted the online platform, trying to buy their favor to suppress the matter, but the platform did not agree to it. Things were probably too serious for them to do anything about it. Jarrett Group was on the defensive now.
At noon, Summer heard that Jarrett Group was going to hold a press conference soon. Yet, Vicky was nowhere to be seen, so Lynn called Summer into his office.
He looked worried and ten years older than he was because of his increasing gray hair. The moment Summer stepped in, he immediately approached her.
“Summer, my men are looking for your Black Card now, and our company is having a press conference this afternoon. If you can ask Leonardo to do us a favor, put in a few good words for us, we’ll be able to sort all of this out while things die down.”
Summer pretended not to hear the second part. “Have you found it, then?”
She knew Lynn had the Black Card. Instead of surrendering it, he was making excuses and trying to bluff his way through. Summer would not fall for that.
“Didn’t you hear? I said we’re looking for it. We will find it. The most important thing is to deal with the situation at hand right now.” Lynn’s face darkened. He was not too happy with her reaction.
Likewise, Summer had lost patience with him. Nevertheless, she still kept her smile. “It is a supplementary card. Leonardo knows every transaction that goes through the card. Yesterday, he questioned me on the charges on the card and asked me to return it. Otherwise, he’ll freeze the account.”
Summer was no slouch when it came to lying to the Jarretts. Lynn got nervous; he and Vicky had been using the card for purchases. If Leonardo decided to 0look into the matter, he knew he would have a problem. Unlike Summer, who still seemed unaware of what happened, it was not easy to bluff Leonardo, he thought. Things had escalated beyond money now. He needed to fix the factory crisis and realized that he had been too hasty. He allowed himself to be persuaded by Vicky earlier and forgot about Leonardo. Now he was a bundle of nerves.
“I’ll get the Black Card for you. No worries.”
“Thank you, Dad.”
After Summer left, Lynn waited for a while. He then called her and told her that he had found the Black Card.
Summer put on a grateful facade. “How did you find it? What about the two kidnappers?”
“The police have taken care of that,” Lynn replied equivocally.
“I’ll ask Leonardo for help. After all, Jarrett Group’s problem is my problem, too.” No way.
“I’ll leave it to you.” Lynn looked relieved, thinking that she was going to help.
…
Jarrett Group’s press conference started in the afternoon, and Summer stayed in the pantry, watching the live stream.
“Jarrett Group has been in business for so many years in Hoover City and trusted by the consumers all along. With the exposure of this scandal, what do you have to say as the president of Jarrett Group?”
Lynn looked languished and ashamed of himself. “It is my mistake. I have let all of you down…”
The first half of the press conference went on well without drama. Lynn had probably tried his magic hand. Toward the end, though, one of the journalists asked, “People are talking online about how Jarrett Group is in deep trouble and making inferior products. The current president is in no way as capable as his father, and your two daughters; one is leading a promiscuous life, while the other enjoys publicity. Your son who studies abroad has been found to be racing on the streets and taking drugs. What do you have to say about all of this?”
Summer spurted a mouthful of water from her mouth when she heard that. Enjoyed publicity? Was the journalist talking about her? She remembered the paparazzo incident where Lynn had asked her to admit to manufacturing a publicity stunt in front of the media. It seemed that these journalists were really switched-on.
During the live telecast, Lynn’s face looked ghastly. She could even feel his embarrassment on the screen. Despite that, he deserved it, and she had a clear conscience about the publicity stunt accusation.
…
After work, Summer finally met Vicky. She looked wretched, and she glared at Summer when she saw her. “Bitch!”
“Everyone knows the Jarrett Family has a daughter who sleeps around with men. Now, who’s the bitch?” Summer sneered.
The police had put Vicky in jail last night for harassment. She just wanted to bite Summer’s head off when she came out.
“You set me up, didn’t you? You must have given Douglas a heads-up. That’s why he shamed me!” Hatred filled Vicky’s eyes, as though she wanted to kill Summer.
Summer had no idea what she was talking about, but from the sound of things, “Douglas” did not fall for her seduction. He had even shamed her. But why did Vicky blame it on her? So she went up to Vicky and put her mouth to her ear.
“Are you mad? If so, get your head checked. Don’t go around attacking people like a mad dog.” It appeared that Summer was just speaking softly to Vicky in the eyes of others.
“Summer, you bitch!” Vicky blew her gasket, raising her hand in the air to slap Summer.
However, Summer saw it coming. She dodged, and Vicky missed. It was off-hours and employees who were walking past saw and heard what was happening. Vicky became a bully in their eyes. In fact, no one in the company liked her, and someone started to talk.
“She still has the nerve to come to the office…”
“Am I wrong about her? If she remains as the department manager, I’ll resign. I can’t bear to see her already.”
“My contract is ending soon too.”
Hearing what they said, Vicky went up to them angrily. “What do you mean? My family owns the company. Why shouldn’t I come?”