Chapter 606 Flee
“Why is Kenneth Bailey here? Could it be that Smith Co. wants a share of the jewelry industry’s profits as well?”
“He seems to be up to no good. Let’s see what he’ll do.”
Kenneth’s presence calmed most of the bystanders as though he was their anchor. After a brief moment of silence, he looked up and rested his eyes briefly on Alexis’ sign, which was carved in cursive script. Then, he lowered his eyes and gave Frostine’s designs a cursory glance. “Is this what you guys were squabbling about?”
Of course, Fiona had heard of Kenneth’s name before, so she quickly assumed a gentle demeanor and replied in a soft whisper, “Mr. Bailey, this may just be an inexpensive piece of merchandise to you, but to us designers, our designs are just like our own kids. They contain all the painstaking effort we’ve put into them.”
“Kids, huh?” Kenneth curled his lips into a meaningful smile. Then, shifting his tone all of a sudden, he asked ingeniously, “Since it’s your kid, why let it fall into somebody else’s hands instead of keeping it safe?”
Fiona’s expression froze. Indeed, if one knew their design work would be used in a competition, they had all the more reason to keep it safe, so there was no reason for Fiona’s design to be leaked so easily.
Just then, someone spoke up for Fiona. “Uh, Mr. Bailey, aren’t you blaming the victim by saying that? Are you saying that those who committed heinous crimes like murder and arson are not guilty of what they did, whereas the victims should’ve been the ones to reflect on their mistakes? And besides, how could she possibly guard against people who are determined to steal her work?”
“She wasn’t able to guard against them, you say?” Kenneth looked at Tom and the others before turning his gaze to Fiona. Then, he said meaningfully, “She’s a celebrated designer paid handsomely by Saunders Jewelry, whereas they’re just a small company on the brink of bankruptcy that nearly has trouble issuing paychecks to its employees. How could they be capable of breaking through Saunders Corporation’s layers of security and stealing her design drafts?”
The person who had spoken just now fell silent. Now that he’s mentioned this, it’s true that Alexis isn’t qualified to set itself up against Fiona.
Kenneth then continued, “Frankly speaking, if I were one of Alexis’ employees, I wouldn’t have plagiarized the work of one of the most talked-about designers. Is it even necessary to do that in the first place? If I were to do that, I’d be found out as soon as I published my work. What’s the difference between that and announcing to the world right away that I’ve plagiarized her work?”
Every word he said hit the nail on the head while leaving no room for debate, especially when he spoke with an expressionless face and stony eyes that gave the impression that he wasn’t to be messed with. Who would dare to ask for trouble by incurring his wrath?
Fiona didn’t bother to put on airs anymore. She said imperiously, “No matter whether it’s necessary or not, no excuse can change the fact that Alexis has plagiarized my work!”
Without turning a hair, Kenneth turned to meet Fiona’s eyes, his thin, cold lips parting as he uttered, “Let me remind you that I’m now vouching for Alexis. If it’s found out later that what you said isn’t the truth, what happened to Ziggy Carnegie is gonna happen to you.”
“What happened to Ziggy Carnegie?”
“Seems like the whole Carnegie Family was brought down, and the family’s business chain was gobbled up overnight!”
“Could that have been Kenneth’s doing?! Oh, my God! It has to be him! Only he has the capability to do so!”
“Smith Co. is simply horrifying, wiping out even the influential Carnegie Family…”
Fiona unconsciously gulped a mouthful of saliva. But there’s no turning back for me now! “Are you threatening me, Mr. Bailey? Is it really okay to treat a victim like this?” With a forced smile, she started to throw dust in people’s eyes. “I was just wondering what gave an unknown company the nerve to set itself against me. Now that I see your attitude, I think I probably know the reason.”
This woman was really good with words. In just a few words, she had slung mud at Kenneth.
For an instant, Kenneth’s eyes darkened, but he didn’t continue arguing with her. Instead, he said, “Well, since you’ve said so, I’ll admit it. In any case, once the judges take a look at the products, they’ll know who the real victim is. Do any of you still want to continue making me a laughingstock?” The note of threat in the last part of his speech was evident. Perhaps because of Fiona’s provocation, he defended Alexis even more openly.
In Landred City, Smith Co. was a presence not to be messed with. Although everyone was eager to see what was next, they valued their lives, after all, so they hurriedly fled in all directions.
Watching all this from a distance, Elise was at a loss for words. Just what kind of a person is Kenneth? Whenever he does something good, he’ll definitely make such a big deal out of it in front of me as if he wants everyone to know about it, but in front of outsiders, he only acknowledges the ferocious side of him. Take the Carnegie Family, for instance. He has taken down the bad guys by bringing down all the Carnegies’ forces, but those people spoke of it as though he had bullied the weak. Not only that, but when Fiona flung groundless accusations at him, he acknowledged them without a word of protest.
She wondered if she should step forward and say thank you to Kenneth, but the latter merely darted an impassive glance at her before leaving with his entourage. It was rare that he didn’t come to her to claim credit for what he had done, so she found herself a little unused to it. Luckily, though, this matter was finally put to rest.
It wasn’t until lunchtime that Joseph called Elise. “I’ve got it figured out. Check your inbox; I just emailed you the surveillance video as well as the bank transaction records.”
“As expected of SK’s manager. You’ve regained your skills pretty quickly, haven’t you?” Elise teased.
“Hehe, Elise, why does it sound to me like you meant the opposite when you said that? Alright, I won’t disturb you any further. I’m still busy over here.”
Elise was ready to return to the restaurant after putting her phone away. However, when she darted a glance at the second floor of the restaurant across from her, she saw Kenneth standing in the corridor and looking in her direction from afar. In an instant, she was certain that he was looking at her. After meeting his eyes for a second, she quickly withdrew her gaze and fled. ‘Fled’ was the apt word to describe it, for she ran away in a panic, her heart fluttering the instant she met his eyes.
She absentmindedly returned to the dining table, where everyone else was also in low spirits. “Say, now that such a thing has happened, how are we gonna make it into the competition in the afternoon?” Tom said with a heavy sigh. After all, Alexis was his only hope. If he wasn’t able to make a comeback this time, he didn’t know if he would still have the courage to pull himself together.
Tina felt pessimistic about it as well. “Are we gonna be knocked out just like this after working so hard for three months? There’s no way I can take this lying down!”
Frostine wasn’t good at expressing her feelings, but one could tell from her fidgety demeanor that she wasn’t more imperturbable than anyone else deep down.
Just then, the restaurant’s female owner brought them a dish of steamed king crab.
“Madam, could you have mistaken? We didn’t order this dish.” Tom panicked somewhat. After all, Alexis had been operating at a loss so far. If they were disqualified from the competition this time, they’d have no other way to make a living. Rather than spending money on seafood, he thought it’d be better to keep the money to pay another employee’s salary.
“It’s Mr. Bailey’s treat,” the restaurant owner said with a broad smile. “He said that Smith Co. would pick up the tab for your meals, and he wants you guys to keep calm. Nothing unexpected is gonna happen.”
