Robert was a formidable presence, but Eric was even more intimidating.The staff understood that Robert's authority largely came from Eric, though they were unaware of Eric's exact background—only that it was exceptionally powerful. The previous mayor, returning from a meeting at Nutikiville's reservoir, had openly admitted that Eric had reprimanded him, leading to a profound epiphany. Anyone who dared to scold the mayor must be someone of immense influence. Some, unafraid of causing trouble, followed Eric and Robert straight to the mayor's office, curious to witness the commotion.Donald personally came out to greet them. "Hahaha! Mr. Johnson, I heard birds chirping melodically this morning. It turns out it was an omen of your arrival!"Eric remained silent.Robert, his face stern, took out a document from his briefcase and placed it in front of Donald. "Mr. Ford, I heard that this proposal was your idea and that you are implementing it across all of Salt City?"Donald was ca
The onlookers dispersed only after the secretary closed the door. Everyone knew that something significant had occurred—Donald had been assaulted. Such an event seemed almost impossible, but it had indeed happened, and everyone had witnessed it.Donald, furious, dabbed at the blood on his head with a piece of tissue. "Inform everyone that this incident is not to be spoken of!"Although he didn't specify the consequences of leaking the information, everyone was well aware of what they might be. Dismissal was out of the question. Once you’ve held this position, letting it go is almost impossible, unless they voluntarily gave it up.The secretary returned, still pale.Donald's anger hadn't abated. "These rich folks are truly arrogant! And that Wilson fella—he’s also involved in this nonsense! I suspect he’s taken Eric’s money!"The secretary, however, couldn't agree. "Commissioner Wilson is a native of Salt City. I've heard his backing is formidable. About a year ago, he had an oppor
Sylvia had already returned to the office. "I thought you were going to stay with Donald for a while."Eric snorted. "What’s the point? He was the one pushing things, so I punched him out of anger. Even then, I didn’t feel any better!"Sylvia smiled gently. She didn't say anything, but she might have wanted to punch Donald too. The man was infuriating.After a moment of thought, Sylvia added, "By the way, Sam and Izzie are still here. It seems a few key technical talents from their team have been poached."The father and daughter duo were formerly responsible for the operations at the chip technology company Frontier Digital.Years ago, the entire Hampton family and Frontier Digital relocated from Volpolis to Salt City, with the Hamptons overseeing the move. Given their expertise, it made sense to entrust them with such responsibilities.Over the past few years, the Hamptons had performed admirably, providing substantial support to the Innova Group. In turn, the company had heavi
Sam was anxious about the possibility of some top-level technicians defecting to Salt City’s new chip company. This concern also crossed Eric’s mind. The situation was straightforward. Frontier Digital, backed by the well-funded Innova Group, offered excellent benefits and housing for its employees. Even if the company-provided accommodation wasn’t ideal, the salaries were high enough for employees to afford homes outright in Salt City.Why would they leave, then? The reason was simple: higher salaries elsewhere.From this perspective, it appeared that only the newly emerged Frontier Tech could provide such enticing compensation. The departure of a few key technicians didn’t significantly impact Frontier Digital, provided they didn’t take the company’s latest technology with them.Ruth soon identified the financial backers behind the scenes.Eric had no doubt there was significant investment involved in this new company. The field required enormous investment, often running into
As for the technology from Frontier Digital? They weren't impressed. After all, foreign technology was always perceived as more advanced than domestic.After his speech, Donald approached Eric and the others with a wide smile. "Ms. Williams, Frontier Tech is a high-tech company, just like the Innova Group. Thankfully, there's no competition between your companies. Together, these two companies should be able to boost Salt City's economy and other aspects significantly."Knowing that this man still had his eyes on Innova Group, Sylvia smiled back. "Mr. Ford, it's a responsibility that every enterprise should shoulder. We have no choice but to do our part."Donald glanced at Eric but said nothing further before moving on to greet others.Ruth frowned. "Is this the guy who targeted the Innova Group and had kids sign organ donation consent forms?"Eric nodded slightly.Ruth's displeasure was evident. "What a bastard! If any child goes missing in Salt City and can't be found, let me k
With wealth and youthful energy on his side, things became much easier to accomplish. Sam began laying out his plans. This step had been in his strategy for some time. Now, it was just a matter of calculating the costs. Free from financial worries, he had nothing else to be concerned about.Eric had just seen Sam off when the phone rang. Seeing it was Jacob calling, Eric answered. "What now?"He assumed it was someone Jacob had detained and beaten up, leading to the call. Jacob had become quite an admirer of Eric lately."Eric!" Jacob swallowed nervously. "You’ve got a letter here. Seems like some kind of... summons! They insisted it be handed to you directly. You should come check it out!"Eric was puzzled. 'A summons? What kind of summons could be for me?'When he arrived at Jacob’s guard station and opened the envelope, he found it was indeed a court summons, notifying him of a hearing date."Wow!" Jacob glanced at it and was immediately shocked. "Eric, even someone like you c
In truth, Donald's current situation was quite dire.Elijah had indeed boosted Salt City's economic development, enriching its citizens, but the municipal government was left quite impoverished. Most of the funds had been poured into the city's infrastructure, and by the time Donald took office, there was hardly any money left.He sometimes lamented that his predecessor had cast the net too wide, leaving him now scrambling to make ends meet.Yet, even if there were funds, Donald would still target the Innova Group. Bringing such a giant under public control would be a monumental achievement.His secretary offered a knowing smile but kept his thoughts to himself. After all, the Innova Group's money was their own. What did it have to do with them?Acquiring the company would certainly be beneficial, but if it wasn’t possible, they should stop obsessing over it since it wasn’t their property to begin with.Both men knew, however, that Robert’s investigation likely wouldn’t yield any
The issue of voluntary organ donations was still being pushed forward, despite the predictable chorus of complaints.Donald had his ways of suppressing the dissenting voices. To him, opposition was merely a nuisance, not a real problem.The court date was yet to come, and Eric wasn’t particularly concerned. He would deal with it when the time came. However, it was only a few days away.To his surprise, Lora, whom he hadn’t seen for several days, appeared unexpectedly. The last time he saw her in person was on the hospital rooftop when Ruth had attempted to jump. That was nearly half a month ago.Eric had assumed Lora was just busy with work, but why did she have time to visit the Innova Group?Lora seemed quite familiar with Eric’s office. She entered, tossed her bag onto the sofa, and sighed. "I'm not a teacher anymore, and now I’m truly free!"She looked relieved, yet there was an unmistakable trace of regret in her eyes.Eric noticed this contradiction. He had heard from Tobi