Chapter 244 Throwing Dirty Water
Right then, a colleague snapped, "Stop talking nonsense."
The young guy had a booming voice and stuck his neck out defiantly, "Who's talking nonsense? Nash, why don't you ask your Ms. Tudor if she knows Nash or not?"
Caroline frowned. How was Nash involved in this again?
She pushed the door open and said sternly, "It doesn't matter who you know. You stole electricity today, and you'll be punished according to the rules and law."
The young guy was wearing a sports brand t-shirt and grayish-blue jeans, his hair dyed a burnt yellow color.
Seeing Caroline, he looked her up and down dismissively, "Who are you? It's not your place to talk."
Caroline closed the door and sat at the desk across from the young man, her expression stern. "You've been talking all this time, but you don't even know who I am?"
The young guy blinked, finally catching on. "You're Ms. Tudor?"
Caroline said, "That's me. Repeat what you just said. And who's this friend of yours?"
Two other people had come with the young guy, about the same age and dressed similarly, except their hair was dyed grayish-blue and silver, respectively. Standing together, the three of them looked like a color palette.
"Frank Lara," the grayish-blue-haired guy called out to him, tugging at his clothes. "Why are you acting tough? Be polite. We're here to ask for help."
Frank felt embarrassed and glanced back at Sum Fong with gray-blue hair and whispered, "We know people, so there's no need to be afraid."
Sum ignored him and stepped back against the wall. "Whatever you want."
The silver-haired young guy said, "Why are you giving Sum a hard time? He's just trying to help you."
Sum said to the silver-haired guy, "Stop talking, David. Quincy will be here soon."
David Moreau looked down through the window anxiously, hoping Quincy would hurry up.
The three of them had opened a barbershop in town. During this inspection, they were found stealing electricity. After receiving the notice to correct the violation, they also had to pay a fine. The barbershop hadn't even made any money yet, and they were already being fined. The three mentioned this to Quincy over dinner, and at the table, Quincy told them that his uncle Nash and Ms. Tudor from Seaside City Electric were involved, and told them not to worry—he could handle it.
But the fine notices kept coming. Frank couldn't sit still anymore and brought his two friends to the Seaside City office to find Ms. Tudor.
On the way there, the three had agreed that if Ms. Tudor didn't agree to help, they'd spread the word about her and Nash around the office. To protect her reputation and position, she definitely wouldn't fine them.
At that moment, there were two staff members in the enforcement office: Elara Hawthorne, the director, and Carys Hollis, the clerk.
Elara sensed something was off. She observed Caroline's expression and saw nothing unusual, but matters concerning a leader's reputation were better kept quiet. She sent Carys away.
"Carys, go to Mr. Campbell's office and get last month's party building notes for me."
Carys got up and left.
Once the office door closed, Caroline said calmly and coolly, "Our colleagues recorded video at the scene of the electricity theft that day, and police officers were present. Do you acknowledge the fact of electricity theft?"
Frank paused but still stood there slouching, nodding casually. "Yes."
"Were there any illegal actions in the inspection procedures or process?" Caroline asked again.
Frank shook his head. "No."
"After the inspection, did anyone illegally ask you for bribes and promise to smooth things over for you?"
Frank replied, "No."
Caroline said, "Since our colleagues have clear and definite evidence in the entire electricity theft investigation, and everything was done properly and legally, what's the problem with the penalty we're imposing on you?"
Frank got anxious. "Our barbershop just opened, and you're fining us already?"
Caroline said, "You should be glad your shop just opened. If it had been longer, the amount of stolen electricity would be much greater, and the fine you'd have to pay would be doubled."
Seeing this, David realized Caroline wasn't easy to deal with. His family wasn't well-off, and splitting this fine three ways meant his parents would give him another earful. Besides, his family couldn't afford this expense.
"Ms. Tudor, can I have a word with you?" David was the youngest of the three, just eighteen, but he'd been through a lot and was relatively more mature.
Elara's gaze shifted to Caroline's face. Caroline said, "It's fine. Say whatever you need to say here."
David hesitated and walked up to Caroline, looking troubled. "Ms. Tudor, my family really can't afford this. We really can't pay this fine. But I opened the shop with my friends, and I can't do something that would let them down. Is there any way we don't have to pay the fine?"
Caroline could hear the sincerity and difficulty in his voice, but the fine wasn't set by her, and it wasn't going into her personal account either.
She asked, "What's your name? You look young. Are you even twenty?"
"Just call me David. Not twenty yet—I'm eighteen this year." David Moreau scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
Caroline said, "David, the fine amount is determined by the amount of electricity you stole. This fine isn't paid to me, and I don't have the authority to reduce or waive it. But if you're really in a difficult situation, Elara and I can help you apply for an extension of a few days."
David Moreau's brow furrowed tightly as he said quietly, "An extension still means we have to pay the fine."
He stepped back again.
Seeing his friend's humble plea didn't work, Frank's eyes turned fierce. "If you don't waive it for us, you're cutting off our livelihood. If we don't have good days, you won't either. The things between you and Quincy's uncle—don't force me to talk about them in your office."
Caroline really wasn't afraid of people throwing dirt at her. She glanced at the signature on the penalty notice and said sternly, "Your name is Frank, right?"
Frank paused. "Yeah, so what?"
Caroline said, "Did you come here today to solve the problem?"
"Of course."
Caroline said, "If you want to solve it, then don't talk nonsense and make up things that don't exist. I have no relationship whatsoever with Quincy's uncle. If you keep up this attitude, call Quincy here, and we'll confront him."
Frank said righteously, "Quincy's on his way. When he gets here, let's see what you say. Mentioning Nash doesn't work, so Nash's nephew has to come instead?"
Elara cut him off. "Watch your words. You're here to accept your penalty. Don't talk about irrelevant things. No matter who comes here, the fine is the same."
Caroline was even calmer than Frank. She placed her phone on the desk. "Fine. I'll wait for him to come today."
Sum felt the atmosphere was off. He'd been there that day, and Quincy had sounded so certain that his uncle and Caroline must be involved. But Ms. Tudor's attitude now didn't seem like that at all. Who should he believe?
He walked behind David and nudged his foot. "Where's Quincy now?"
David pulled out his phone and checked. "He's at the entrance. He'll be here any second."