A Call That Changed Her Entire Life

Chapter 1504 An Emergency

"I just got the latest news about the HT Group's food poisoning incident. They're apparently suffering immense losses. Their stock price has been falling since the opening quotation today, and it has fallen several points by now."

Darren turned around, held his hand out, and said, "Well, it's just what I expected. Let me have a look at the documents." Têxt © NôvelDrama.Org.

It was known to all that the biggest mistake a food manufacturing company could ever make was to produce and release faulty products. It would not have been a big deal if it was just the taste or the texture being ordinary. According to reports, the snacks from the HT Group had directly caused food poisoning among its many customers, which was certainly unforgivable.

"It's just the beginning. If the HT Group does not give the public a satisfactory explanation soon, I'm afraid that a decline in reputation and stock prices will not be the end of it," Harlan said. As Darren quickly skimmed through the documents in his hand, he nodded with satisfaction.

He closed the file casually and threw it to one side. He then cleared his throat and asked, "What do you think Jacob is doing now?"

Harlan thought for a while and replied, "Considering the mess his company's in right now, he's probably losing his mind."

Darren disagreed with his answer. He waved his finger and said, "Don't underestimate him."

"Why? Do you think he has found a solution already?" Harlan was confused. He stared at Darren expectantly, trying to read his face.

"I heard somebody bailed Jacob out. Is the HT Group now under David's new management?" Instead of answering Harlan's question, Darren casually threw him another question.

"Yes."

Darren pressed his lips in a thin line at Harlan's short yet affirmative answer. He did not appear surprised at all, but he showed an expression of understanding.

He had to admit that Jacob acted very fast. It had only taken him one day to get out of detention and temporarily stabilize the messy situation at HT Group. If David had not returned to the company, the HT Group's stock price would have fallen even more.

Darren looked up at Harlan and then quickly turned his gaze away. Deep down, he felt upset that he had not harmed the HT Group as much as he had intended to.

David was Jacob's best friend, and he always had his back. But if Darren struck while they were still down, the resulting damage might be too severe for even someone like David to remedy. His loyalty would not be enough to stabilize the situation.

'David could be a problem, ' Darren thought, sighing.

"I don't send charcoal in a snowstorm. What I do is add fuel to the fire. Let HT Group burn more!" Darren raised his head and looked Harlan straight in the eye with full determination. Word per word, he said, "I heard that David is a business talent. Even so, how long do you think the HT Group can hold on if we make another hit now?"

Darren had never considered himself a good man who played fair. He struck while the iron was hot. It had always been his way of doing things.

Hearing what Darren said, Harlan knew immediately that his boss already had a plan for the next step. He excitedly asked, "What do you have in mind, Mr. Xu?"

"Ask someone to release to the media that the HT Group is still making snacks with excessive amounts of salt. Then, we sit back and wait to see a good show." Darren leaned against the back of his chair and closed his eyes. A triumphant grin spread across his face.

"I will see to it then." Harlan turned around and did as Darren ordered.

Just as Darren had expected, with the release of the news, the people who were gossiping about the incident online all went crazy again. As time went by, the situation got even more disadvantageous for the HT Group.

At the office of the HT Group, David nursed a massive headache as he carefully read and examined the documents Sam had handed him. He knew nothing about what was happening on the internet yet.

"Jacob left such a mess for me. Doesn't he know that I'm not in the mood to work now?" David massaged his temples and continued to study the documents at hand. His face was as cold as stone.

When he finally got himself immersed in busy work, he heard someone knock on his office door twice. Then, the door swung open.

"Mr. Xu, I have something urgent to report." Sam dashed in with a stern look in his eyes. He did not have much time to think about the manner in which to deliver the news he had just gotten. It had developed on the internet so fast. He was afraid that even a slight delay would cause a greater crisis to the company.

At this time, the worse had already come.

Looking at the anxious look on Sam's face, David felt his head throb in pain even more. He supported his head with one hand and extended the other hand toward Sam. "What is it now? Just spit it out," he snapped.

"Just now, there was news circulating on the internet saying that we are still making defective snacks. Now the public opinion online —" Sam could not even finish his sentence as David quickly interrupted him.

"Someone posted that fake news at this time on purpose." David waved his hand firmly. He had already made a judgment before Sam could finish his report.

It was obvious that the crisis the HT Group was facing was not an accident at all. It had been designed by someone. The HT Group's enemy was ruthless and determined to destroy them at any cost. It was very likely that the man behind all this was none other than Darren!

Although David had not been in the company for a long time, he had still kept a close eye on the company's operations and other issues. That was one of the reasons why Jacob trusted David to deal with the company affairs after the scandal broke out.

It was also because of his close monitoring of the company that David was able to quickly pinpoint the person behind the whole incident. He was able to make an educated guess without having that much communication with Jacob.

However, David did not know much about what Darren was doing these days.

It seemed that he would have to have a good talk with Jacob about him today.

Just as David made this decision, Sam's phone rang. His face darkened after he answered the call.

David could see from his expression that something bad had happened. He sighed, "Don't tell me something even worse just happened."

Sam hesitantly nodded. "The bureau of quality inspection heard about the news on the internet. They're going to close down our food production."

David had already guessed what Sam was going to say when he mentioned the bureau of quality inspection.

"Such a tough move. They really are ruthless." Gritting his teeth, David grunted and waved at Sam, hinting to him to get out of his office. He needed some time to cool down in private.

Although Sam was still worried, he could only turn around and leave.

The HT Group's fate was now at stake. Its reputation had already been damaged, and now things were getting even more difficult. At this critical moment, almost everyone at the office was working overtime, and David did not even have the time to get himself something to eat.

When Rita walked into the office, the first thing she saw was David's knitted eyebrows. He looked completely stressed.

"I knew you would forget to eat when you got busy," she said as she gently patted him on the shoulder. Looking at David and the exhausted look on his face, Rita felt sorry for him.

Hearing Rita's voice, David raised his head, a surprised look replacing the exhausted expression on his face. "Hey. What brings you here all of a sudden?" he asked.

He quickly stood up and hugged Rita. He gently kissed the top of her head. Smelling the faint fragrance of her body, he relaxed a little.

Rita tiptoed and kissed David on the cheek. She reached for his eyebrows and smoothed them out. "I missed you, so I decided to swing by and bring you some food," she said, holding up the bag of food she was carrying.

She then walked to the tea table at the corner, took out the food from the bag, and carefully laid it out on the table.

Looking at Rita's busy figure in front of the tea table, David could not help smiling. She had always worked like a charm against his aches.

'After this mess is over, it will be better to let Jacob manage the company again, ' David thought as he watched Rita set the table. He did not want to chase his career now. He just wanted to enjoy a peaceful family life.

Rita had read about the HT Group's situation on the internet. She had a lot to talk about with David, so she raised her question boldly during their meal.

"Jacob is such a jerk for leaving me in this mess. I wonder how I should punish him for treating me like this and then walking away." Speaking of the company's affairs, David gritted his teeth. He felt his appetite slip.

Seeing David's expression, Rita only had the slightest idea how tricky the situation was. Without saying anything, she reached for some food, scooped up some of David's favorite, and put it into his bowl. With a comforting smile, she said to him, "You are so great that you can always deal with any crisis smoothly. Eat more food to replenish your energy."