The fat man froze, clearly not expecting her reaction.
He stared at Aria Sterling. "Go ahead and call the police. We're the victims here anyway. When the time comes, the compensation will be much more than five million."
A cold male voice came from the doorway.
"You should know your own limits before you try extortion."
"Besides, Bruno Bishop wasn't murdered. It was an accidental death."
Damian Xavier opened his laptop. On the screen were several clear photos of the crime scene. The distances between Bruno Bishop and Franklin Foster had already been marked on them.
"These are surveillance photos from the incident. I've had them authenticated by a professional. During the incident, Franklin Foster had no physical contact with Bruno Bishop. In other words, Bruno Bishop lost his footing and fell into the mold on his own."
As he spoke, he produced another document.
Damian Xavier continued, "This report shows that the mold wasn't activated at the time. A vibration caused the jack to fall. Therefore, this was an accident involving only Bruno Bishop, and it has nothing to do with Franklin Foster or the Sterling Factory."
The fat man instantly flared up. He grabbed the laptop, slammed it down hard, and shouted, "You're full of shit!"
Damian Xavier's expression didn't change, but a chilling glint shot from his eyes, cold enough to make one shudder.
"If you don't believe me, we can settle this through legal channels. But let me remind you, the court will trace the cause and effect of the entire incident. This footage actually reveals something else important: Franklin Foster was pushed back by you. In other words, even if it were a case of involuntary manslaughter, the culprit wouldn't be Franklin Foster. It would be you."
Damian Xavier paused. "Of course, that's assuming a charge of involuntary manslaughter even sticks. If it doesn't, then you brought dozens of men here today to cause a scene and extort money. This office has surveillance cameras, too. Extorting five million is more than enough to put you all behind bars for a very long time."
Bruno Bishop's parents were already timid people. Now, hearing about jail time, they were even more terrified.
"Fatty, what do we do?"
The fat man panicked too. He never imagined that not only would he fail to get the money, but he'd also end up getting himself into trouble.
His face turned a ghastly shade of purple and green, his gaze darting about. Just as he was about to do something desperate, Damian Xavier spoke again, his tone unhurried.
"Although it was an accident, The Sterling Group is willing to offer the deceased's family a condolence payment of two hundred thousand out of humanitarian consideration. If you agree, you can go with the factory manager now to fill out the relevant paperwork, and we can put this matter to rest."
The fat man froze.
'He hadn't expected such a turn of events.'
"Fine, we'll do that!"
The fat man and Bruno Bishop's family agreed to the compensation, and just like that, the farce was over.
After the troublemakers left, Aria Sterling sat in her chair, looking at the elegant Damian Xavier, and suddenly spoke.
"Damian Xavier."
Damian Xavier turned, his cool eyes fixed on her.
"Let me treat you to a meal."
Aria Sterling got up and walked toward Damian Xavier.
"For what happened last time, and for this time... thank you for your help."
Aria Sterling was surprised by the gentle tone of her own voice as she spoke to him; it felt unfamiliar even to herself.
"Does Ms. Sterling think a single meal can offset the five million I saved you, not to mention the future troubles I resolved for you?" Damian's deep voice revealed his sharpness and shrewdness as a businessman, and his one sentence left Aria speechless.
"Then what do you want?" Aria Sterling frowned.
"Does that mean I can have whatever I want?" Damian Xavier's expression was inscrutable.
Aria Sterling stared into his bewitching, dark eyes, but couldn't fathom the vast depths hidden within them.
"Just tell me what you want."
Damian Xavier's lips curved slightly, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, giving her a bad feeling.
"Tomorrow at eight in the evening, I'll be waiting for you at my place. You still remember the way, don't you?" After saying this, Damian Xavier turned and left.
Aria Sterling's pupils contracted.
'Has this man lost his mind?'
'Why does he always do such inexplicable things?'
But right now, she had no room to refuse, so she could only agree.
"Fine."
'She would see just what Damian Xavier was plotting.'
The incident at the factory was settled, and Colin Sterling, of course, heard the news. When he learned that the group had stopped causing trouble, he slammed his hand on the table in frustration.
'Damn it! She actually got Damian Xavier to help her again. I don't know what's so attractive about her that he's still helping her time and again even after their divorce.'
'You think you can rest easy just because you have Damian Xavier? Dream on.'
Colin Sterling took out his phone and immediately sent a WeChat message.
Before long, the trending topics on Weibo had new headlines.
"Sterling Factory's Alarming Safety Hazards"
"Death at Sterling Factory"
"Damian Xavier and Aria Sterling Possibly Rekindling Romance"
...
This content quickly caused an uproar, sweeping the day's trending topics.
The public was most concerned about two issues: first, the safety hazards at the Sterling Factory, and second, whether Damian Xavier and Aria Sterling were getting back together.
'After all, Damian Xavier had a fiancée. Aria Sterling's behavior was seen as wrecking someone else's relationship.'
Aria Sterling saw the news as well. She raised an eyebrow; she hardly needed to think to know who had leaked this information.
'Colin Sterling, if you put this much effort into legitimate business, The Sterling Group would have been in the Fortune 500 by now.'
「The next day.」
When Aria Sterling went to the office, she was cornered by a crowd of reporters.
"Miss Sterling, have you really gotten back together with Mr. Xavier?"
"Miss Sterling, are the safety standards at The Sterling Group's Norwick Factory adequate? Someone has died, and it still hasn't caught your attention? Will the cosmetics produced in a factory like this ruin people's faces?"
"Please answer the questions."
Faced with so many questions, Aria Sterling remained completely calm.
She looked at the crowd of reporters before her, cleared her throat, and began to speak. "Regarding the incident at the Norwick Factory, The Sterling Group will give the public a full account. The factory's safety facilities have passed all inspections by the relevant public agencies, and there are no hidden dangers. This incident was an unfortunate accident, and we have already reached a compensation agreement with the deceased's family. I hope everyone will refrain from spreading baseless rumors."
"As for my private life, there's no need to waste the media's valuable resources. No comment."
Obviously, this wasn't the answer the reporters wanted, and they continued to press her relentlessly.
"Miss Sterling, The Sterling Group has been plagued by incidents ever since you returned. Is it because of you?"
Aria Sterling looked at the reporter who asked the question and smiled calmly. "Superstitions died out a long time ago. Sir, don't believe rumors, and don't spread them. If you keep spewing nonsense, I'll sue you for slander."
Her words left the reporters looking at each other in shock. No one had expected Aria Sterling to be so aggressive.
Aria Sterling swept her gaze coolly across the reporters, then called for security to escort her through the main entrance.
Back in her office, Aria Sterling immediately sent out an email.
'Colin Sterling wants to use this opportunity to take me down? It won't be that easy.'
'But letting these reporters continue to sensationalize the story would only harm The Sterling Group. I have to resolve this as quickly as possible.'