Chapter 26 Public Opinion
After a night of emergency treatment, David finally made it through the danger. Jennifer had also paid the surgery fees, and everything seemed not so bad after all.
Marlowe noticed Jennifer unconsciously touching her wrist and knew she had sold her bracelet. She hid in a corner and quietly wiped away tears. Looking at David sleeping in the hospital room, she forced herself to perk up and said, "Jennifer, I should go out and find some work too. It's too hard for you to be the only one earning money for the family."
Jennifer held her hand with some concern, "Marlowe, you still need to take care of Dad. I'm afraid it won't be convenient for you to find a job."
Marlowe had looked for work before, but without a good education or experience, no one would hire her.
But Marlowe insisted, "I can do odd jobs. Your dad doesn't need someone with him all the time. Don't worry, I'm not as weak as you think. I can contribute to this family too." Jennifer could only agree, but she also told Marlowe not to work too hard.
Jennifer was also actively looking for work. After Layla spread the word about her taking freelance jobs, the whole industry knew, and no big company was willing to hire her. She finally got an interview at a small company, but somehow Eugene pulled strings behind the scenes and the offer was withdrawn. Now, the only job she had left was tutoring Declan's cousin Betty.
On Saturday afternoon, she went to Betty's house for class. Declan happened to be there too, constantly bringing them fruit and drinks, then asking if they wanted ice cream.
Betty couldn't help but complain, "Declan, you're so annoying! Stop interrupting Ms. Brown's class. If you want to ask her out, just invite her to dinner after we finish."
Declan flicked her forehead, "You little troublemaker, is that how you talk to me?"
Jennifer watched Declan and Betty's playful interaction and said with a smile, "Declan, she has a point. There's only an hour left of class, we don't need anything."
Since Jennifer spoke up, Declan had to comply. Before leaving, he glared at Betty.
Betty had finished copying a classic piece, and Jennifer was explaining the design concept and story behind this necklace when the company's vice president Herschel Trevino called. Jennifer had to apologize to Betty and step aside to take the call.
Herschel's voice was anxious, "Ms. Brown, there's been an accident at the factory! A worker accidentally got his fingers caught in the machine while loading materials today. He lost half his palm. Although we rushed him to the hospital, the doctor said it can't be reattached. He'll be disabled for life. Now the victim's family is making a scene at the company."
Jennifer apologized to Betty, explained her emergency, and promised to reschedule the lesson.
Seeing Jennifer's worried face, Declan offered to drive her. Jennifer didn't refuse and thanked him before getting in his car.
Actually, worker injuries weren't uncommon at factories. The problem was that the company didn't have cash on hand right now. With insufficient compensation, no wonder the family was making a fuss.
When they arrived at the factory, a crowd of people was noisily gathered at the entrance. Declan protected Jennifer as they pushed through. She borrowed a megaphone from the security guard, stood on a chair and said, "I'm David's daughter Jennifer. Please rest assured, our company will definitely take full responsibility for the worker's injury! Please don't cause trouble here and interfere with the factory's normal operations."
A broad-faced, red-haired middle-aged man shouted, "What makes you, a young girl, responsible? Get David and Herschel here! My nephew is still lying in the hospital, and his supervisor had to pay the medical bills. I heard the company can't even pay next month's wages. Where's the money to compensate us?"
Jennifer explained, "The company does have money, it's just temporarily unavailable. Even if I have to sell the house and car, I'll give you full compensation."
Hearing her speak so sincerely, the victim's mother, who had been wailing, paused and asked suspiciously, "You mean it?"
Someone shouted from behind, "She's David's daughter. If we hold her, David will have to pay!"
The crowd seemed to be stirred up, and several hands reached out to grab Jennifer. She dodged in panic, shouting, "Everyone calm down!"
Seeing the chaos, Declan grabbed a handful of cash from his wallet and threw it out, "You want money? Here's money. Whoever picks it up can keep it."
The crowd dispersed to pick up the bills scattered on the ground. Declan took the chance to pull Jennifer to the car. As the victim's relatives chased after them, he closed the car door just in time and drove off.
While watching the chasing crowd in the rearview mirror, Declan said with relief, "Good thing I brought some cash today, otherwise I wouldn't have known what to do. Jennifer, you're too nice. They just want money. You don't need to negotiate with them yourself; just have a lawyer settle on an amount and transfer the money."
Jennifer really didn't have experience handling this kind of situation. She nodded thoughtfully, "I just feel that when a worker gets injured, even if it was his own carelessness, our company should take responsibility."
The two didn't notice that across the street, a reporter had captured this scene.
Within half a day, a headline appeared in local online news: #Workers Claim Exploitation, Lack of Compensation After Injury by Brown Family. Accompanied by a bloody photo of the severed finger and a picture of Jennifer's retreating back.
The media also interviewed the victim's family, and netizens quickly found out that the company owner was David, and the person fleeing in the photo was his daughter Jennifer.
Netizens were furious - Jennifer drove a Maserati but wouldn't pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical compensation to the worker. They hurled insults at the Brown family, calling Jennifer cruel despite her innocent appearance. Unaware and unconcerned that the luxury car belonged to Declan, they simply needed someone to blame.
Someone even secretly photographed Jennifer and Marlowe going home together and proudly said they knew where they lived.
[Rich people like that should live in gated villas with security. Regular people like us can't get in, right?]
[I heard this company ran into some trouble recently. This mother and daughter were kicked out and are now just renting in the old town district. Very easy to find.]
The incident was fermenting online, and Mia was the first to discover it. She immediately called Jennifer and told her not to go home. Jennifer looked at those comments and was so angry she almost cried. She never thought of avoiding responsibility, but no one would listen to her explanation.
Mia said worriedly, "Jennifer, come stay at my place for a few days. Nothing is more important than your safety."
Thinking of the fear of being surrounded and grabbed by a crowd during the day, Jennifer hesitated for a moment then agreed, "Mia, thank you. But I'd like to bring Marlowe too. Her photo was also posted online. We can share a guest room."
Mia naturally wouldn't refuse.