Mate, Do You Have Any Cigarettes?
“Calm down and talk to me slowly. What’s going on?” Elise quickly calmed herself down and started to
comfort Danny.
“It’s hard to tell you clearly on the phone. I’m at your university’s gate now. Can we talk in person?”
“Okay, I’ll be there soon.”
The two immediately hung up the phone and she turned off the computer. Then, she found a cap and a
mask to wear and left the dormitory thereafter.
It was easy to spot Danny’s car. Elise recognized it as soon as she walked out of the gate.
After she got into the car, he started the engine and drove the car to the airport.
In the meantime, Elise could not wait any longer and asked bluntly, “What’s wrong with Alex? Is he
injured?”
“No, don’t worry. He is safe.” Danny was afraid that Elise would be worried, so he hurriedly explained
before sighing earnestly, “But it’s hard to tell if he’ll be safe after a while…”
Elise was upset by Danny’s words and yelled, “Stop the car!”
Screech—
The sound of the car braking shot across the sky, and he immediately pulled the car to a stop.
“Stop leaving me guessing and tell me what happened to Alexander!” Elise said in a forceful manner,
her tone of voice was almost commanding.
It was the first time that Danny saw Elise lose her temper, and it took him two seconds to react. Then,
he shook his head and said, “Isn’t Alex busy developing a new business recently? One of the projects
is investing in food and beverage. This morning, a girl visited the main store, but she was suddenly
found foaming at the mouth halfway through her meal. After that, she collapsed to the ground. She was
sent to the hospital and is still being rescued, but the girl’s family was unhappy and demanded that all
stores be closed immediately. There was a lot of fuss about this issue, and it was already circulating on
the Internet. Although it did not receive as much attention as the entertainment circle, the popularity of
this issue continued to rise since it’s related to people’s livelihood.”
After listening to Danny’s explanation, Elise heaved a sigh of relief. Then, she said thoughtfully, “It
should be a food allergy, but the guest also has to bear part of the responsibility for cases like this. So,
why did it turn out this way if the Public Relations Department handled the situation well and made up
all the compensation that should be given?”
“That is the crux of the matter.” Danny reluctantly took out his phone from his pocket and opened the
photo album folder. Then, he handed it to Elise. “There have been several food allergy incidents today
and all parties said that they had visited and ate at Alex’s restaurant. Even some said that the food in
the restaurant was unhygienic and said that it was food poisoning!”
Poisoning? This isn’t the same nature as allergies. Once convicted, one would have to bear civil
liability.
Only then did she realize how much pressure Alexander was facing.
Regardless of Quentin or Austin, both parties had questioned Alexander and the rest for the stringent
conditions. In order to meet their requirements, Alexander could have invested most of his financial
resources and material resources, so once the news of food poisoning was confirmed, it would destroy
the entire franchise.
As she looked at the screenshots of the news, her facial expression gradually turned awful.
After a while, Elise suddenly remembered something and asked in a serious demeanor, “Maybe it’s due
to the counteracting of foods? Since it’s a food franchise, there must be a supply of semi-finished
products. Is there a problem with the semi-finished products? It’s his first time diving into the food and
beverage business; there will inevitably be mistakes.”
Danny shook his head and said, “You know Alex, his plans are always foolproof and he thinks of
countermeasures as easy as breathing air. So, there won’t be such a problem.”
“What about the guests? Have you checked them out?” She continued her line of inquiry.
“I’ve done a thorough investigation. The guests’ backgrounds were plain, and I found nothing except
the girl who had a mishap in the main store. She was already diagnosed with cancer way before her
visit. Initially, she was cured and discharged from the hospital, but after the mishap, she was diagnosed
with cancer recurrence. So now, those family members have brought their relatives to surround Alex’s
new company to the point that it’s completely packed. Alex is preparing to find someone to be a
negotiator and find a way to quell the matter as soon as possible,” Danny explained.
The more Elise listened, the more restless she felt. Such a sudden incident came unannounced and
took them by the throat in a second. It’s evident that there’s a strong, malicious intent behind this
matter.
At that moment, she thought of the group of schemers hidden in the dark. It seems like they finally can’t
hold back and have started taking action once again. I should have thought about it. Even though I can
hide my marriage affairs with Alexander from those close to me, I can’t hide it from the people who
constantly have their eyes on us all the time.
“Let’s go to the hospital,” Elise said. “I’ll visit those patients myself.”
“Okay,” Danny replied as he restarted the car engines.
“Wait!” She changed her mind again. “Let’s go to Alex’s new company first and pick him up.”
“Okay!”
Once that was done, the two immediately drove the car to the road opposite Alexander’s company.
Although Danny had reminded Elise to be mentally prepared along the way, she still had lingering fears
when she saw the chaotic scene of those family members under the street lights.
The number of people gathered outside the building was comparable to the crowd at a top-notch
concert with family members holding banners. Some even had loudspeakers and insulted the
employees in the company. Meanwhile, some yelled their grievances and cried miserably.
“Immoral businessman!! Poisoning people with food! The Griffith Family is filled with blackhearted
people!”
“The Griffith Family has persecuted the shareholders half a year ago. Now, they’re back to poison
innocent citizens. The Griffith Family should do us all a favor and get out of Tissote!”
“I had reported that the food production in Griffith Food Co. was shoddy. It has endangered the health
and safety of the people!”
The sky was getting dark and the street lights on both sides of the road were lit up. However, this group
of people had no intention of leaving.
When Danny witnessed such a scene, he could not help but break into a sweat of anxiety for
Alexander.
Danny turned his head and said to Elise, “After the incident took place, Alex’s phone has been busy all
the time since he’s probably busy dealing with public relations. I’ll go down and divert their attention
later. Then, you go around the side door and bring him out. He’ll obediently follow only if you’re the one
who brings him out.”
As he spoke, he opened the car door and walked out. Since he was wearing a high-quality suit, his
appearance and aura were inherently noble. Moreover, he deliberately walked to the side of the crowd
and immediately attracted some of their attention with his dodgy behavior.
“You!” Someone called out to Danny. “Stop right there!”
Danny deliberately paused when he heard that. Then, all those people gathered around him.
There were security guards in the office building, so they could not break in. Hence, they could only
wait outside and catch each executive that they could spot.
The group leader had a white towel with the word ‘protest’ in red paint wrapped around his head, and
he shouted at Danny with his face splotchy with agitation, “You still have the audacity to enter Griffith
Food Co. at this hour? You must be working for the company’s management!”
“No, no, no.” Danny raised his right hand and swung his index finger left and right in front of the man’s
eyes. Then, he took off his oversized sunglasses on his nose bridge, hung them in his chest pocket,
and shamelessly responded, “I’m one of you guys! I’m also here asking for compensation! It’s just that
I’m wearing a little more decent clothing than you.”
As Danny said that, he patted the other person’s chest again. “Mate, do you have any cigs on ya?”
Elise quickly emerged from the car as she took advantage of the discombobulated crowd and she ran
behind the rioting crowd and entered the side door of the office building.
Meanwhile, the family members at the entrance were successfully fooled by Danny. One by one, all the
men took out the good cigarettes in their pockets and offered them to him.
“Boss, smoke my cigarette!”
“Smoke mine! Since you are one of us, don’t forget us once you’ve successfully asked for
compensation!”
Suddenly, Danny experienced a reversal of fate and became the leader.
Nevertheless, he was still a novice. So, when he followed the others and started smoking in two hard
breaths, the smoke choked him to the point that he felt his tears were about to flow out of his eyes.
Cough! Cough! Cough!
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