Chapter 297: Is a Fool, Right
Afternoon, 3:30 PM.
The press conference venue of Seraphina Enterprises.
Elizabeth walked onto the stage.
"Good afternoon, everyone," Elizabeth's voice was very clear. "Today, I'm announcing an important initiative from Seraphina Enterprises. We're launching a trade-in program. This is not only to give back to our customers, but more importantly, to ensure every consumer's safety and interests."
Elizabeth continued, "Since I took office, I've been investigating the company's products. In our recent investigation, we discovered that some products provided by Luminary Agency have serious quality issues."
The reporters below were shocked.
"These products have not only damaged our company's reputation, but also posed a threat to customer safety. For this reason, we have filed a complaint against Luminary Agency with the relevant authorities."
"I assure you all that we will fully cooperate with the investigation and hold those responsible legally accountable. At the same time, we're launching this trade-in program, hoping through this initiative to completely handle the problematic products."
Reporters below raised their hands one after another, camera flashes going off continuously.
Elizabeth gestured to one reporter to ask a question.
The reporter stood up. "Ms. Penrose, what are the specific details of the trade-in program? How will you guarantee consumers' rights?"
Elizabeth smiled and answered, "We'll set up collection points in major cities, and we've also established trade-in channels on our shopping website. Additionally, we'll provide appropriate compensation."
Maddox watched Elizabeth speaking on stage through the TV, breathing heavily.
He smashed the water glass in his hand on the floor, water splashing everywhere, fragments flying.
He had originally planned to anonymously report that Seraphina shopping website was using counterfeit and inferior products to deceive consumers.
Who knew Elizabeth would be one step ahead.
Why did she discover there were problems with Luminary?
Whether it was the accounts or the related personnel, he had clearly handled everything well!
Hugo hurried into the living room. Seeing the mess on the floor, his expression was somewhat tense. "Maddox, Elizabeth's press conference is very bad for us. Luminary Agency has been shut down. What do we do next?"
Maddox took a deep breath, trying to calm his anger. He needed to quickly find a new way to prevent Elizabeth from continuing to control the situation.
His face turned cold, his voice carrying anger. "The thing I asked you to find someone to do, did you find them?"
Hugo nodded. "Found them."
Maddox narrowed his eyes. "Tell that person to act now."
Hugo hesitated for a moment, but he still hardened his heart and replied, "Maddox, I understand."
Rocco also watched Elizabeth's press conference. He felt vaguely uneasy and quickly called Maddox.
Maddox sneered. "Don't worry, I've already made arrangements."
Rocco didn't ask what he had prepared and hung up the phone reassured.
Birchwood Lane in Border Ridge City.
The houses on both sides of the small street looked very old because they had been built a long time ago.
Two people lived on the second floor of 45 Birchwood Lane.
One was a paralyzed old man, Efren Roach, and the other was the old man's son, Elmer Roach.
Efren's son Elmer had no job and basically lived off Efren's meager pension.
Elmer received a call from Hugo. Elmer walked to paralyzed Efren's room and glanced inside.
Elmer smelled the urine odor in the room and frowned in disgust.
Anyway, Efren was already paralyzed and getting old. Living was just a burden on people.
It would be better if Elmer died.
Elmer closed the room door and walked to the living room.
He lit a cigarette for himself, held it in the corner of his mouth while smoking, then went to look for tools and walked to the refrigerator.
This refrigerator was bought a year ago from the Sherman Group shopping website. He heard that the Sherman Group shopping website had now been renamed Seraphina shopping website.
Elmer tampered with the refrigerator using tools, then went to pack up important items in the house. He threw the unfinished cigarette near the refrigerator's electrical wiring and quickly left the house.
After Elmer left, the sparks quickly ignited the wiring, and flames spread rapidly.
The fire quickly got out of control, and raging flames consumed the entire room.
The sound of fire truck sirens rang out on the small street. Everyone knew a house nearby was on fire.
After the press conference ended, Elizabeth had Robbie notify all the executives to come to a meeting. When the meeting ended, Elizabeth looked at the time - it was already 6:30 PM - and she left the conference room.
Robbie escorted Elizabeth downstairs. Before getting in the car, she said, "Robbie, do you know what's the fastest way to destroy a company's performance? It's when products sold by our company cause deaths."
The company having one problem after another could be seen as a bad sign, but it could also be seen as a good sign.
Rising from desperate straits.
Robbie understood what Elizabeth meant. "The PR department is all prepared. As long as there's any movement, they'll do the PR work well."
"Good, thanks for your hard work."
Elizabeth got in the car, rubbing her temples.
The car drove home. Elizabeth got out and walked into the house. Seeing Timothy wearing home clothes, sitting in the living room seemingly deep in thought, she deliberately made a little noise to let him notice she was back.
Timothy turned his head and saw it was Elizabeth. He smiled faintly, stood up and walked over, a smile on his lips. "You're back. Go take a shower and come down for dinner."
He looked her over a few times.
Elizabeth saw him keep looking at her and looked down at herself somewhat puzzled. "Is there something strange?"
Timothy gazed at Elizabeth and spoke in a low voice. "You've lost weight."
Elizabeth laughed lightly and waved her hand. "It's fine. There's been a lot going on recently, just a bit busy. I'll go shower and come down soon."
She finished showering, changed into comfortable home clothes, and walked out of the bathroom.
Timothy was standing by the window.
She walked behind Timothy and reached out to hug him from behind.
She still carried the scent of body wash from her recent shower.
"Mr. Robinson, you've lost weight too," Elizabeth murmured softly. "Seraphina has lost weight too. I'm so scared, scared that man is treating Seraphina badly."
Just thinking about Seraphina being abused in some corner, Elizabeth lived every day on edge.
Elizabeth would easily wake up startled when sleeping.
Timothy felt her fear. He turned around, held her in his arms, his fingers gently stroking her hair. "Elizabeth, don't be afraid. We'll find our daughter, we definitely will."
His gaze looked deeply at the wall, concealing the worry in his eyes.
Under the cover of night, a worn-out secondhand hand tractor struggled forward on a country road.
The vehicle made a low rumbling sound, breaking the night's silence.
The tractor's lights were dim yellow, illuminating the uneven dirt road ahead.
"Do you think this kid is an idiot? It's been so long, and we haven't seen her move. She looks like a dead person."
The middle-aged woman Zara Jenkins glanced sideways at Seraphina, who was crouched in the corner with her body curled up, motionless, her voice carrying some impatience.
Zara was speaking in the village dialect.
"Whether she's an idiot or not doesn't matter. We're only responsible for raising her until she's eighteen, then that man will come pick her up."
The middle-aged man driving, Milan Runyon, was extremely thin with a face full of wrinkles. His hands steadily gripped the steering wheel.
Seraphina's small body was tightly curled up in the corner. She stared blankly at the dark night, her face still wrapped in yellowed gauze.
Seraphina's small body seemed to have lost all response to the outside world.
The tractor bumped along.
The tree shadows on both sides became blurred. Wind blew through the treetops, making rustling sounds.
Adding a bit of eerie atmosphere to the night.
Zara glanced at the lifeless Seraphina. Thinking of the money Rolf gave them, she couldn't help but smile.
Rolf said that when Seraphina turned eighteen, Rolf would come pick her up, and then he would give them another sum of money.
Idiot or not, whatever.