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
Pierce was acutely aware that children were the future. If even they were harmed and targeted, what future could there be? Without a present, talking about the future was futile.Lora overheard Ruth's conversation.By the time Ruth hung up, Lora was utterly stunned. "Y-You can legislate?!"She was terrified, feeling that people like Eric and Ruth were practically supernatural. How had she, of all people, come to know such individuals? Was this even within her reach? It was terrifying!Ruth remained calm. "It’s nothing extraordinary. Of course, we don’t act recklessly. If no one steps forward to push forward what everyone opposes, then it's up to us to take action."Lora let out a breath, feeling that in this matter, Ruth was right. The organization behind Ruth and Eric was right. If it wasn’t for protecting the children, she wouldn’t have lost her job.Ruth glanced at Lora and asked curiously, "By the way, don’t you have classes today? Why are you here? It’s not lunchtime."Lora
The judge, Adam Perkins, was in a quandary. On one side, he had the mayor of the city, and on the other, the founder of Innova Group. Both were crucial figures in Salt City. He had considered mediating between them, but Donald was adamant about making Eric pay for his actions. At that time, Adam couldn't reach Eric, so there was little to be done. Now that Eric was present, Adam saw an opportunity to mediate. Avoiding a full-blown court battle would be ideal. He intended to play the peacemaker.Addressing the two men, he began, "Gentlemen, one of you is the mayor of Salt City, and the other is one of our city's most outstanding young talents."Adam was trying to smooth things over. There were many notable youths in Salt City, but he had not used any qualifiers there, subtly conveying a message to Eric. He was already familiar with the situation. While he felt that Donald had gone too far, Eric shouldn't have resorted to violence.Adam wanted to show some favoritism but knew that D
Adam stood in front of Donald, blocking his way. Without this obstruction, Donald would have certainly lunged at Eric, likely earning another bump on his head.Eric retorted, "I said he isn’t a human because of his reckless decisions! Esteemed Judge Perkins, tell me: is it right to pressure parents into signing organ donation consents for minors, using the school's authority as leverage?"Adam was shocked. Eric had just mentioned some updates, and Adam had indeed received and reviewed the new information. This was precisely the issue!There was a new law explicitly prohibiting minors from donating organs. Whether voluntary or involuntary, the law made it unequivocally clear: such donations were outright banned!After Eric finished speaking, Adam eyed him. "So, you punched him because of this?"Eric nodded, saying no more. He knew Adam was well-versed in the law and understood the implications of the situation.But Donald was far from pleased. He glared at Eric. "Do I need your in
Eric found the whole situation amusing—even Adam was visibly embarrassed. Eric didn't even want to engage further.Adam forced a smile and asked, "M-Mr. Ford, are you serious about this?""Absolutely," replied Donald with a stern expression. "What, you think I'm joking? This is the only solution. If you don't agree, well—"Hmph! This won't end here! If Salt City can't handle it, we'll take it to King City! Do you think I'm afraid of you, Eric? You hit someone, you'll pay the price!"Adam felt overwhelmed by the predicament. He had initially thought a settlement of a couple of million would resolve the issue if Eric was willing to pay. He hadn't anticipated that Donald's real target wasn't just a couple of million but the entire Innova Group! His appetite was far too large.Eric glanced at his watch and decided not to argue further with Donald. "It's getting late, and I have other matters to attend to. Judge Perkins, I'll have my lawyer coordinate with you on this matter. If there'
The Innova Group had amassed a significant fortune. Besides paying taxes, they had also invested a substantial amount in municipal projects. The sum easily ran into the triple-digit millions.Sylvia never expected Donald would still entertain the idea of nationalizing Innova Group at this stage. How could he expect something so unreasonable? If this kind of precedent was set, not just Salt City but private enterprises and capital across the entire country would flee. This wasn’t mere alarmism.In a hostile environment, where assets could be forcibly seized, who would dare to remain? Donald had to understand the implications, yet he insisted on pursuing this course.Sylvia fumed. "In my opinion, we should halt all investments in municipal projects on our end. I don’t care how much it costs us. Donald’s actions make me feel worse than swallowing bile!"I’ll call my brother and then Mr. Sonnex. We need to make sure they hold onto their money tight, so they don’t become targets!"Sh