Chapter 49: Chapter 49: The Company’s Done For
Blinding camera flashes assaulted Chloe Sinclair relentlessly. She squinted, shielding her eyes with her hand.
After the pack of reporters finished taking pictures, Chloe Sinclair lowered her hand. Her lips curled as she asked, "What are you all doing?"
"We’re reporters from the Fruit Daily. We want to ask if the rumors about you online are true. If they are, do you plan to issue a public apology? After all, a student dropped out and a teacher was fired because of you. Don’t you feel the slightest bit of guilt?"
Hearing this, Chloe Sinclair pushed a microphone away. Her gaze swept across the group of reporters, memorizing each of their faces.
"I’m sorry, I’m not accepting your interview requests."
With that, Chloe Sinclair turned to leave.
The reporters grew anxious and rushed forward, one of them placing a hand on Chloe Sinclair’s shoulder.
Chloe Sinclair turned back around, and a forest of microphones was immediately thrust in her face. An endless barrage of questions was hurled at her like cannonballs.
"Sinclair, shouldn’t you be apologizing for this? This is Kennet First High School! Cheating on exams, school violence—aren’t these some of the most serious problems in society? If I were you, I’d be too ashamed to live, yet here you are, calmly continuing your studies!"
"Sinclair, we have a right to interview you, and you should cooperate. If you don’t, I’ll post everything you did here today online."
A cold smile bloomed on Chloe Sinclair’s lips, as alluring and dangerous as a poppy. "You have the right to request an interview, and I have the right to refuse. If you were a true journalist with any integrity, you would report on this from an objective standpoint, not just side with the so-called ’weaker party.’ Just because of some ’underdog’ narrative online, you assume that me hitting someone automatically counts as school violence?"
The reporters were momentarily stunned into silence.
One of the female reporters, realizing things were not going as planned, asked acerbically, "Don’t try to change the subject. If you didn’t do it, why haven’t you gone online to set the record straight?"
"Set the record straight?" A faint smile played on Chloe Sinclair’s lips, but her eyes were razor-sharp. She advanced on the reporter, her steps deliberate and menacing. "The school issued a statement the very moment this happened. My father also had a lawyer’s letter sent out. Are you just going to ignore all that?"
Suddenly, her gaze fell upon the sharp-featured reporter from before, landing on her press pass. A cool, beautiful smile touched Chloe’s lips as she slowly enunciated, "Apple Entertainment?"
The reporter sensed that this was not good, but she still retorted, "What about it?"
"If I recall correctly, your company is on my list of lawsuits as well. Barring any delays, you should have already received a letter from my lawyer. I’ll see you in court."
Chloe Sinclair’s voice was soft, but her words were enough to send a chill down one’s spine.
Just then, the reporter from Apple Entertainment felt her phone vibrate. A glance at the screen revealed it was her boss calling.
She glanced subconsciously at Chloe Sinclair, then hesitated for a moment before answering. In her panic, however, she accidentally hit the speakerphone button without even realizing it.
"Boss..."
"Did you get the interview with Chloe Sinclair or not? If you didn’t, get back here right now!"
The Apple Entertainment reporter was stunned, but she still managed to stammer, "Boss, I got the interview."
A sharp gasp came from the other end of the line. "Quick! Delete all the footage you’ve taken! All of it!"
The Apple Entertainment reporter was reluctant. It had taken her so much effort to get such great material, yet now she was being told to give it up.
"If you don’t delete it now, the whole company is going down!"
