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Review responses:

CookieDecor22 - All you need to know is that there isn't a day that passes by that doesn't involve "damage control"! Alice's calm behavior has met its limit. I've seen enough "drama mamas" give checks out and decided to change things up for Hydron/Katie. I keep the idea of in-home nurse in mind! For now, there are still unresolved legal issues!

cherry-tree-of-life - I bet that too, but that person is probably too afraid to admit! The issue with Hydron is that his next steps have no predictable pattern... not a good idea to go missing right now.

MagicxMusicxMelody - Thank you so much! "Please get up" is definitely a difficult line to translate without losing the original meaning. I'm pretty sure I've also watched a scene where someone didn't put down a landline phone handset properly (in a private office), so the call didn't end, which led to recipient hearing some astonishing things on the other end when a guest visited the office.

Chapter 13: Approaching Deadlines

xXx

After Shun had barely settled in at the front desk to begin his workday, Soon ran over and asked, "Do you know of any way to reach Alice or Hydron?"

"Uh... what's this about?"

"My friend Robin from accounting said that the entire company will be in deficit by the end of the month due to plummeting stocks and inefficiencies at work. I don't know how he determined this, but it's not good."

"Hydron isn't answering anyone's calls and emails, either. You heard what happened at the inauguration. But Alice is still on administrative leave. Even if she wants to help, she technically can't."

"Just when I thought that maybe Alice would have ideas when Hydron is nowhere to be found..." The auburn-haired employee looked out the windows and saw Zenoheld on the sidewalk. "I'd better go. By the way, PR said that Katie called out sick. Just letting you know because I heard you send a lot of requests for her to handle."

"Thanks for the update."

After Soon left, the elderly shareholder immediately rushed to the front desk. "Where on earth is Hydron?"

"Good morning," Shun greeted sarcastically. "Did you already call his phone or office? Don't you two live together?"

"Why do you ask so many questions? Just answer my question."

The raven-haired receptionist dialed Hydron's office number, but it went to voicemail. "He's not answering, but that extension isn't busy, which means he's not using the phone. I don't think he's in his office at all."

"What about Katie Lowery? She's been managing all the outside inquiries from nosy reporters."

"One of the HR associates told me that Katie called out sick today. Everyone else in the PR office will be glad to help you, but if you need to speak with Katie specifically, then wait until she comes back. Why she called out sick isn't my business, and I have several calls and emails to answer, so leave me alone. Never bother anyone at work within the first hour of their shift."

"How rude of you. Thank goodness you're only a receptionist and nothing more."

Shun ignored the insult and was about to open some unread emails when Alice called his phone. "What is it?"

"Do you know if Dan, Runo, and Baron are working today?"

"According to the expanded company calendar... All of them are at their assigned warehouses today and didn't request the day off. Why do you ask?"

"I might bring them lunch later once I'm done with my hospital visit. Any other updates you've heard about?"

"Wait—why are you at the hospital?"

"Linus is no longer in critical condition, but the medical team says he'll need weeks of physical therapy too. Since he was driving a company car, he's eligible for worker's compensation. It's nothing that you need to worry about, but since I can't access certain company websites while on administrative leave, helping him with the paperwork will take—" Alice held her phone down after seeing a familiar creamy blonde talking to a nurse at the front desk. "I think I just saw Katie."

"Soon heard from PR that Katie called out sick today. It makes sense that she'd be anywhere except at work." Shun put his phone on the table to type an email reply, but the call remained silent even after he sent his email. "Are you still there?"

"Sorry, I was distracted. I'll call you back later."

After Alice finished all her errands at the hospital, she visited Testarossa's Warehouse 8 with several bags of bakery treats and looked around until Runo saw the visitor first. "Alice! Long time no see! Did you bring us lunch?"

"How could you tell?"

While the bluenette dragged the redhead over, Dan cleared a wooden table for the visitor. "This food box is from the bakery down the street. How's administrative leave treating you?"

"I still get paid, but it's not as much as before. I won't visit Chris because I'll see her tonight for dinner, but where's Baron?"

"He's at Warehouse 4, and we haven't seen each other in person since the job shuffle," Runo replied. "Nothing's changed since Shun last visited. We still do repetitive manual labor, have barely any time for breaks, and work overtime every day."

"But we stay on the clock and never work for free," the brunet added while grabbing a pork bun to eat.

"Yeah... what he said. After seeing that unfortunate mess at Hydron's inauguration, Dan and I thought about resigning."

"We're not disrespecting the regular warehouse workers here, but you know that Runo and I need to go back to where we were. We belong in front of computers, not in this warehouse."

The redhead sighed deeply. "Considering that Hydron is in huge trouble after what happened at his inauguration, I might still have a chance at reclaiming my interim CEO position. Hang in there for a bit longer. In the meantime, I'd appreciate it if you two could attend dinner with me at a local restaurant this Saturday. I'll text you the details if you're free."

'We're down!" replied both Runo and Dan.

After finishing all the errands for the day, Alice returned to the vacation rental to cook dinner for herself. She then texted Shun, "Call me when you're free. I have updates."

The raven-haired receptionist later called and spoke first. "I have updates about Zenoheld too, but you go first."

"Sure. I was distracted at the hospital this morning because I overheard Katie say that she visited the emergency room for a panic attack."

"That... was unexpected. But going to the ER shouldn't have been her first choice because—"

"—emergency room staff aren't trained to accept a mental health emergency. I won't judge her for having panic or anxiety attacks, but I'm also not surprised that she would experience this, considering everything that she voluntarily did to help Hydron and Uncle Zenoheld. Speaking of Hydron, he won't answer my phone calls either, and the housekeeper keeps saying that he's never around."

"You know the housekeeper could be lying, right? I doubt Zenoheld would ever let his son out of his sight, let alone stay overnight somewhere else. Hydron's avoiding the police."

"Not exactly what I expected from a new CEO..."

"Did you even have high expectations for him in the first place? He didn't earn his CEO position using any skills he has, which is why he can't think critically right now. Speaking of Zenoheld, he and the shareholders had another emergency meeting in the afternoon."

"Why do they always use the grand conference room? At least you're smart enough to record their meetings without getting caught."

"I think Zenoheld and Hydron can still put up with me because they know they can't find a replacement if I'm gone. Anyway, the meeting attendees talked about selling stocks, banks rejecting their loan requests, and how to pay all these new outstanding debts in general."

"Excuse me? Where did all these debts come from?"

"I asked Robin for an estimate of how much Testarossa Electronics owes everyone." Shun opened a folded piece of paper and read all the numbers he highlighted to Alice. "I just learned that all sponsors and collaborators have the right to back out of a deal or project and seek compensation if there's negative publicity here. I hope none of them actually filed a formal lawsuit against us."

"I can see why those other companies did what they did. They don't need to sue us, but their legal team can ask for compensation. All the compensation and debt quantities you told me are very high, but I might have enough in all my bank accounts to pay them all off."

"Are you actually going to do that?"

"Of course not. You could say that I'd offer to pay off all the debt in exchange for reclaiming my CEO position, but that would be too straightforward. I need the police to proceed with charging Hydron for Joe's death, be it negligent homicide or involuntary manslaughter. Joe deserves justice, especially since he was framed for insider trading."

"That's understandable."

After a long pause, the redhead suddenly asked, "Are you free on Saturday night? I invited the rest of my team to dinner at a local restaurant. You're the last person on my list."

"I'm free. I wouldn't miss it if you're treating us."

"That sounds like something Dan would say... Alright then, I'll text you the time and address afterward."

-x-x-x-x-x-

A few days later, Alice took her team out to dinner at a local family-owned restaurant. Since the air was warm that night, everyone agreed to a table on the rooftop. "Thank you all for coming tonight. This might come as a surprise to you, but I might have to fly overseas for at least a week."

"For leisure or business?" Runo asked. "Aren't you still on administrative leave?"

"I am, but this overseas trip was planned before the job shuffle happened, so I'm not entirely sure if it will still proceed. However, I might be able to buy the company back from Hydron and Uncle Zenoheld's possession, but I'm still waiting for my family lawyer to respond."

"I hope you're not going to pay off the Board of Directors like they did," Dan commented.

"Absolutely not. I was planning on buying all the shares off all the shareholders' hands, but—" Suddenly, someone knocked on the roof door. "All our orders have been served already. Are any of you expecting someone or more food?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Well then... How may I help you?!" After seconds of silence, the redhead held a bottle of pepper spray in front of her face and opened the door. "Katie, what are you doing here?!"

"And how did you even know that we were having dinner here?!" Chris exclaimed.

"I have my sources. Alice, I need your help. Hydron disappeared somewhere. He's not answering his phone or text messages and also hasn't shown up to work for days now. It's like he fell off the grid."

The former interim CEO lowered the bottle of pepper spray and asked, "Why are you telling me this? I'm only his second cousin. I already know how incompetent and irresponsible he can be without anyone other than Uncle Zenoheld supervising him. This isn't news to me."

"But you also know that he kicked you out and took over the CEO position! He has everything that he ever wanted, but this behavior isn't normal at all." Suddenly, the creamy blonde kneeled on the ground and continued speaking before anyone could react. "Zenoheld only cares about erasing the debt reports from his record. Finding Hydron isn't his priority right now, to say the least."

"So, you're here asking me for help on behalf of Uncle Zenoheld?"

"That's not what I meant! If Zenoheld won't look for Hydron, then someone has to. I really need your help with this, Alice. He might ignore everyone from work, but he definitely wouldn't ignore you."

"How would I know that this isn't a scam that all three of you fabricated?"

"I swear this isn't a false alarm! If you don't believe me, then I'll provide you with proof of Zenoheld's money laundering and embezzlement activities in exchange."

Alice glanced at her confused colleagues before facing the uninvited guest again. "You don't understand. Uncle Zenoheld and Hydron will always be father and son. Even if you gave me all the evidence in the world about everything illegal and unethical they've done, I can't take any of it to court."

"But don't you want revenge?"

"Look at your own situation first. If you knew this day would happen, then you wouldn't have agreed to conspire with those two. Don't think that I don't know." The redhead's harsh response sent Katie crying. "The only reason I would look for Hydron is to make sure he doesn't miss the court date on the warrant. You need to take care of yourself instead of begging on your knees for people who will just throw you under the bus."

The PR representative refused to leave, which prompted Baron to leave his seat and drag her to the roof door. "Go home, Katie. Let the justice system deal with this."

Despite the expected interruption, everyone finished dinner on a happy note. "I wasn't deliberately being heartless toward Katie earlier," Alice explained. "I wanted to set an example by drawing the line between work and family when necessary."

"We know you have the same sentiment toward both Hydron and Katie," Shun replied. "What you did earlier was completely understandable."

"And I hope Katie understood as well. If any of you need to go home soon, then feel free. I'll take care of the bill." After some final words, everyone except the raven-haired receptionist left first. "Something tells me you have more to say than what you said earlier."

"You already knew that Katie was involved in everything that Zenoheld and Hydron did at the company. Why didn't you take her offer earlier?"

"That's another place where I also draw the line. Even though their actions in getting what they wanted were illegal and unethical, I won't do the same to get what I want. Given the current situation, the worst I could do is absolutely nothing."

"I thought you might say that... I don't interact with her that much, but I can tell that Katie genuinely wants to help the people that she cares about the most, even if the feeling isn't mutual."

"If I were to blame her for anything, it would be for having feelings for the wrong person, but there's nothing I can do about that. Anyway, do you need a ride home?"

"No, thanks. I need to visit my grandfather's dojo later."

"How about you an order to the tab and take it home for him to eat?"

After remembering that Alice said she was covering the dinner bill, the raven-haired secretary asked, "Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't want to offer. Everyone else also added dessert and smaller items onto the tab to take home and eat. They ran downstairs in a hurry to pick up their take-out orders from the front counter."

"I see... Since you know this place better than I do, maybe you can recommend something that none of us ate today."

The redhead smiled and picked up a copy of the restaurant menu from the chair next to her. "Sure, I'm more than happy to do so!"

-x-x-x-x-x-

Shun just ended a call at the front desk when several police officers arrived in the lobby. "How may I help you?"

The lead officer displayed his identification and introduced himself. "I'm Officer Billy Gilbert from the Bayview Police. We have a revised arrest warrant for Hydron Gehabich. He's due to appear in court but still hasn't responded to any of our attempts to contact him."

The raven-haired receptionist used his landline phone to call Hydron's office phone and then his cell phone, but both calls went to voicemail. He looked up and then saw another group of people, all dressed in business professional attire, enter the lobby. "How may I help you?"

"I'm Inspector Dylan Jackson from the Internal Revenue Service. Zenoheld Gehabich is due for a court hearing due to several tax evasion accusations."

Katie wasn't kidding about having potential evidence of Zenoheld's embezzlement and money laundering. "Understood. Let me try calling him." Shun dialed Zenoheld's last known phone number from the company directory, but that call also went to voicemail. Then he called Alice. "Sorry to bother you, but I can't reach Hydron or Zenoheld right now."

"I'm actually on my way to court where Hydron is supposed to appear. What do you need Uncle Zenoheld for?"

"I thought he might know where his son is. The police are here looking for him. The IRS also came and needed to speak with Zenoheld too."

"IRS? I don't know anything about that, but that means Katie was telling the truth when—"

"Never mind, I see Zenoheld in the hallway. Talk later." The raven-haired receptionist hung up and sprinted over to the elderly shareholder. "Thank goodness you're here. The police are looking for your son because he's due in court, and the IRS is here for you."

"What did I ever do to the IRS? And I'm not responsible for Hydron's actions."

"I disagree. You're the only reason why he's spoiled rotten." Shun took his important belongings and locked his computer before facing all the visitors in the lobby. "Everyone, this is Zenoheld Gehabich right here. I know the IRS wants to have a word with him. As for the police, he's your best shot at finding Hydron since all my calls went to voicemail. Have a great rest of your day."

"How dare you leave me with this mess?!" the shareholder screamed while pointing his finger.

Before the raven-haired receptionist left the premises, he stopped walking and whispered, "This is what you and Hydron get for disrespecting me since Day 1. Solve your own problems."

With the lobby being crowded due to the overflow of visitors, Shun went to the HR office to take his break. "What brings you up here?" Soon asked. "What happened at the front desk?"

"Both the police and IRS are here to arrest Hydron and Zenoheld, respectively. I left Zenoheld to deal with them instead. May I borrow your landline phone?"

"I'm actually expecting a return call, but you can use any of the phones at the empty desks."

Since PR said that Katie called out sick again, Shun used the landline phone to call her, but she didn't answer, so he left a voicemail. "I don't care where you are right now, but I'm letting you know that the IRS came to arrest Zenoheld on tax evasion charges. Whether it has anything to do with the embezzlement and money laundering that you mentioned is up to the IRS to find out. It's only a matter of time before they discover your involvement. End of story."

The next person he called was Hydron, who didn't answer again, so he left another irate voicemail. "I hope you know what you're doing because not showing up to court is another felony or other offense added to your record. Not only were the police looking for you in the company building, but the IRS also came to arrest your father for tax evasion. There's no acceptable excuse for any of this. You're on your own now."

Soon was busy talking on the phone, so Shun simply waved goodbye before he left the HR offices. While in the hallway, he received a call from Alice. "Why are you calling me? I thought you were in court."

"Hydron is still missing, so everything is being delayed or suspended. I'm going home after this. I need to know what happened with the police and IRS employees in the lobby."

"Zenoheld conveniently arrived as I mentioned, so I handed the visitors off to—" The raven-haired secretary hid behind a wall as he watched the IRS employees remove boxes from Hydron's office. "Looks like the IRS is investigating both Zenoheld and Hydron. The lead inspector has his team confiscating boxes of documents from Hydron's office. By the way, Katie called out sick again."

"Even if she doesn't feel remorse for what she did, she could be hiding to avoid being involved with what Hydron and Uncle Zenoheld did."

"It's not even half the workday yet, but seeing the police and IRS here already exhausted me. This is definitely not the appropriate time to ask, but are you free tomorrow for dinner? I need to talk to you privately outside of business hours about recent company problems."

"Sure, why not? I'm curious to see what options you have planned."

"Then you'll be in for a surprise."

Me: If all goes well, then there will be only two more chapter left! (which works out perfectly in time for December XD) This chapter has several references to potential real life scenarios, but the dinner interruption is too dramatic for real life & inspired by the Korean drama "Glass Mask instead.

Runo: How do we only have 2 months left in 2024?!

Me: No clue! I'm still catching up on updates because of busy year-end errands. I'm not a fan of pumpkin spice, & there have been several random products on the market that have been "pumpkin-fied". After Halloween, some retailers skip Thanksgiving & go straight to Christmas.

Dan: It's just a marketing strategy... I'm a very simple consumer!

Runo: He just buys whatever appears on sale without checking original prices or recent price trends.

Dan: I do not! At least I save my money instead of making impulse purchases!

Baron: Something tells me that BOTH of them are big spenders...

Me: Yeah... no idea what they're aguing about. At least they don't work in the finance department? Next chapter will feature Shun's version of "dinner" (take it with a grain of salt), Alice passing out (because everything she deals with increases blood pressure), & a potential internship offer for someone!

𝄞 aespa - "Flowers" 𝄞