Chapter 304

Chapter 304

When Lisbeth woke up, she found herself lying on the couch. Her phone sat quietly on the coffee table, and Sebastian was nowhere to be seen.

She pushed herself up and reached for her phone.

There was one unread message—from Leopold. Nothing else.

She was staring at the screen when the office door swung open.

Sebastian was back.

He carried in breakfast, setting each dish out on the coffee table. "You stayed up way too late last night. You need to rest today. Eat up and take care of yourself."

Lisbeth saw him and instinctively placed her phone facedown on the couch beside her.

Sebastian only glanced at it before handing her a cup of warm milk.

Lisbeth took a sip and sighed contentedly. "This is so nice. Nothing beats warm milk in the morning."

"Then stop pulling all-nighters. If you do, you'll miss breakfast."

Sebastian went on, his tone full of concern.

Lisbeth just smiled.

Sebastian knew getting her to listen was easier said than done. After breakfast, he didn't let her lift a finger. He gathered the dishes and headed to the bathroom.

Lisbeth turned back to her work.

When Sebastian came out and saw her at it again, he said nothing. He simply left.

Downstairs, he walked out of the building and got into his car. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

The other end picked up quickly.

Sebastian looked out the window, his gaze landing on the office building. That window was too high to see inside, but he could picture the scene clearly.

She was still working.

"I need a favor."

……

The day flew by. Everyone at Citrus Shine Group was drowning in tension and defeat. Lisbeth didn't leave, and neither did the managers. They stayed through the night, hammering out solutions.

Lisbeth issued rapid-fire orders during the meeting. "Quinn, you handle the customs appeal for the shipment. I'll deal with the brand's accountability. We also need someone at the bank to negotiate. I'll send you the communication logs with the brand. Make sure they understand this was caused by an external crisis. Apply for a loan. Our cash flow cannot dry up."

Quinn nodded. "Got it."

The others chimed in. "We'll follow Ms. Whitaker's lead."

Lisbeth turned to the PR team. "You've all been working so hard these past few days. I saw your crisis management plan. It's working."

They'd quickly released a statement through the official Citrus Shine account, declaring the company's zero-tolerance policy on quality issues and launching an internal investigation. They also announced a return and exchange policy for all sold goods, ensuring no consumers would be harmed.

The statement immediately sparked discussion.

Lisbeth had been monitoring the response. The initial waves of doubt and abuse were giving way to positive comments.

Of course, the PR team's online operatives deserved some credit for that.

Just then, more good news arrived.

Quinn was the first to get the call. She immediately shared it with everyone.

"The customs issue—part of it's been resolved!"

The news was electrifying.

But someone was confused. "Why, though? Customs has been holding our shipment this whole time. Why the sudden change of heart?"

Quinn didn't know either, but she was thrilled. "Whatever the reason, this is great news for us!"

Someone looked at Lisbeth.

"Ms. Whitaker, do you know what happened?"

Lisbeth scanned the room. "It doesn't matter who did it. Now that customs is loosening up, we can breathe a little easier. Get that shipment out fast. We need the cash flow to keep things moving."

That got everyone fired up.

Even the overtime didn't seem so brutal anymore.

Back in her office, Lisbeth closed the door and pulled up Sebastian's number. Her finger hovered over the call button, but she couldn't bring herself to press it.

Just then, a message came through.

[Found a lead.]

Lisbeth shot to her feet. Besides fixing the company's problems, she'd never forgotten that Sophia was the mastermind. But the person who could actually solve this was the head of Velora's brand division. So she'd hired someone to investigate, and now she had exciting news: the man had never left the city.

He'd put out false information, claiming he'd already boarded a flight.

But he was hiding well. No one knew where he was staying.

Lisbeth grabbed her phone and rushed out of the office. Reporters were lurking downstairs, so she had to disguise herself—oversized sunglasses and a wavy wig. It was enough to slip by.

She hurried to her car and drove to the address on her phone.

It was a hotel. Lisbeth stood at the entrance, double-checked the address, and walked inside.

Then someone bumped into her from behind.

Lisbeth stumbled forward, nearly falling. She grabbed the door just in time and turned to see a familiar face.

Elora rubbed her shoulder. "Hey! What's your problem? Watch where you're going!"

Lisbeth didn't bother responding. She turned to leave.

Elora immediately blocked her path. "I'm talking to you! You bump into someone and just walk off? Do you have any manners? And why are you all covered up in broad daylight? Are you some kind of fugitive?"

Her voice was loud. People were starting to stare at Lisbeth.

Lisbeth shoved Elora aside. She didn't have time for this. She had to get upstairs and catch that man.

But Elora wasn't letting go. She grabbed Lisbeth's wrist and held on tight.

"Where do you think you're going? You hit me and you're not even going to apologize? You look suspicious! Maybe you're a thief. No, you're coming with me to the police station!"

Lisbeth tried to pull away, but Elora kept dragging her toward the hotel exit. In the struggle, Lisbeth's hat and sunglasses fell off.

Elora froze when she saw Lisbeth's angry face. "Oh. It's you. No wonder you ran."

So much for leaving quickly.

Lisbeth stopped struggling and yanked her hand free. "I saw you and ran? Where'd you get that idea? Why would I run? I haven't done anything wrong. The person who should be running is you."

"Why would I run?"

"Because you're the one who wrecked someone's marriage. Not me."

The moment Lisbeth said it, murmurs rippled through the crowd.

Elora could feel the stares. Her face flushed with rage. "You're talking nonsense! Keep it up and I'll rip your mouth off!"

"You did it, but you're scared of people knowing?" Lisbeth didn't back down. She stepped closer. "Want me to spell out everything you did? Let everyone see what kind of person you really are? Or should I record this? Send it to Leopold? Maybe he'll fall back in love with you."

Elora glanced around, then hissed under her breath, "Are you insane? Aren't you embarrassed?"

"You weren't embarrassed when you were grabbing me a minute ago!"

Elora gritted her teeth. "If I'd known it was you, I wouldn't have touched you!"

Lisbeth gave her a cold look and headed for the elevator.

This time, Elora didn't stop her.

Lisbeth got in and went straight to the 23rd floor. But when she reached the room, she stopped.

The door was open.

Her hope sank, but she went inside anyway.

She was right. An open door meant the person was already gone.

That scene downstairs had cost her too much time.