Ch. 2741..2750

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2741-There was still room for them to maneuver around the situation if immediate steps were taken, and delaying it would only complicate the situation. Sherman put down his documents and reclined halfway in his office chair. "I want a thorough explanation of this issue," he demanded.

"It's rather simple, to be honest. This boils down to the original developer failing to resolve a dispute with that homeless individual. But at the moment, we won't have any specific information until the investigation is complete," Walter added.

Sherman's brow furrowed deeply. "Had it not been ascertained that there were no issues with the developer? Why did this individual emerge all of a sudden just as we were ready to commence construction?" Walter found it unclear whom Sherman was holding accountable in this situation. After all, their

company had merely purchased the land from the developer. If they had not made a bid, other real estate moguls would have done the same. The area had considerable economic potential, and whoever managed to develop the land into a business district would stand to gain substantially from that venture.

"On the surface, the developer appeared to have resolved all prior issues,"

Walter continued cautiously.

Sherman did not comment on that. The room was completely silent, save for the rhythmic tapping of his slender fingers on his desk.

"On the surface?" Sherman finally spoke. Those three simple words were more than enough for Walter to understand where Sherman's concern was.

Though their department was not responsible for locating and purchasing the land, he still felt the pressure coming from Sherman. Even though they had just begun dabbling in real estate, they could not have been completely ignorant of the intricacies involved in such transactions. Clarification must be sought for every single detail even before proper research into the property commenced, particularly when it came to situations where the developers had unresolved conflicts with residents.

The company's reputation would take a severe blow if their company's first-ever acquisition of land was tarnished by such allegations.

"I apologize. It was our oversight," Walter offered.

Sherman rubbed his temples. As a fair person who would not needlessly chastise someone when it was not their fault, he was well aware that the negligence had nothing to do with their department.

"I will now assign you to investigate this matter thoroughly. Find out everything you can about that man. If it's the developer's fault, we must gather evidence.

We can't dive into this without getting to the bottom of these issues. Who knows what repercussions it might have on our reputation in the future? We need to take action."

Walter nodded. There were unresolved disputes with the developer, and going in blind would only result in more losses. He knew that dealing with the homeless individual properly could possibly be beneficial for the project without having much of a negative effect on Parr Group.

"Okay. You may get to it now. Report back to me as soon as there are any updates."

Walter could only breathe a sigh of relief as he rode the elevator back to his office. He wiped off sweat from the back of his neck and mumbled, "It's always daunting to report on an issue to the big boss." Sherman might be young, but he was not that easily deceived. His rise to the position of Parr Group president was a testament to that.

returned to her desk. She placed her hands on her knees and stared at the guide in her hands. Doubts began to creep in fog the first time, plaguing her With thoughts of whether heeding her elders' advice to stay home was the better option compared to venturing out into the cold and harsh world.

"Yes, sir."

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2742-It was especially painful for Rita because her diligent efforts seemed to have been futile. The homeless man never even spared her a glance. As time passed, the number of reporters dwindled until only Rita remained.

She could manage her apprehensions in the daytime, but as night descended, a sense of unease settled upon her. Finally, she gritted her teeth and approached the homeless man once more.

"Would you care to share your story with me? As you've noticed, the other reporters have left. You don't have any other choice, even if I'm not a newbie,"

she pressed.

Wrapped in that tattered cotton jacket, the man seemed to shut himself out from the outside world and ignored Rita's presence. It would have been easier for Rita to get through to the interviewee if it was another person, but because people tended to badger him about his family's tragic demise, Rita did not dare to ask about it unless prompted.

She paced anxiously in circles and decided to move her things so she could sit opposite him. "I won't leave until you confide in me. Let's see who caves in first."

Rita dwelled too much on her decision simply because she could not bear the thought of her earlier efforts going down the drain. Moreover, she sensed a glimmer of hope within her that perhaps the story could finally catalyze her resurgence.

However, they were not alone in that space. Other homeless individuals were there too, and a very unsavory incident unfolded that night. A drunken hobo caught sight of Rita's fair complexion amid the dim surroundings. He approached with an air of intoxicated confidence, and Rita could smell his alcohol breath before he even came close to her.

Knowing that he was getting near, Rita wrapped herself in her blanket and ignored his presence.

"Where'd you come from, pretty lady? Why are you hiding in that blanket? Are you shy? Let me see your face," he slurred crudely.

Rita was repulsed by his words, but she knew she could not afford to act rashly because she was alone. The homeless man had been lurking there for days, and he considered it a stroke of luck that Rita happened to be the only person remaining. With the alcohol giving him a touch of misplaced confidence, he found the opportunity too good to pass on.

"Don't you want to get to know me a little better? I might not be young anymore, but I sure can give a woman the lovin' she deserves. I promise you'll have a good time! Hey, look at me! Don't be shy!"

Rita recoiled in disgust. It was unthinkable that a homeless hobo like him could bring himself to utter something so lewd and repugnant. The audacity he had was shocking as if he was better than most people. Rita frowned and shifted away slightly to avoid being assaulted by the man.

"Hehe, still playing hard to get, huh? Come closer. Let me have a look at that pretty face!" the man said, grasping Rita's arm all of a sudden.

She leaped to her feet with a horrified shriek, threw away her blanket, and evaded him swiftly. The only part of her body that was

exposed was her face, as she dressed modestly in a jacket and long slacks, Still that alone seemed te exude an unintended alture to the eyes of that inebriated man.

"What do you think you're doing? I'll call the police if you come any closer!" Rita warned.

He had experienced similar rebuffs

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2743-The police won't take you seriously if you make a report about me. All I did was say a few words. You can't bend the law to suit your needs," added the homeless man.

Rita clenched her fists and breathed heavily. "And you think you can get away with being a creep? You were harassing me!"

The hobo was already determined to satisfy his lust that day. He lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Rita's thighs.

Rita tumbled to the ground with him and cried out in pain. "Ahh!" She kicked wildly, landing hits on the man's face several times. Though he wailed in pain, his grip nonetheless remained firm.

At that moment, another homeless man shrugged off his tattered cotton jacket and rose to his feet. He shouted, "What's with all the noise? Some people are trying to get some shut-eye here!"

Rita looked at the man with teary eyes as if imploring for his help. The drunk hobo who attacked her did not expect to draw so much attention to where he was, and he released his grip on her out of fear. Rita seized the opportunity to retreat, but he merely took his jacket and donned it.

"Stop struggling. It's just us two here. He's not going to do anything about us, anyway…' Rita glanced down. She had never relied on other people because she had long grasped the reality that the only person one could rely on was oneself.

The drunk hobo assumed she had given in when she kept quiet, so he got up from the ground and spat into his palm before lubing himself with his saliva. "I've been dying to find out how it feels to be with a young woman."

However, before he could reach Rita, he felt a sudden chill down his spine. He was about to turn around and see who was behind him when the homeless man from earlier struck him from behind with a thick piece of wood.

"Ah!" Rita quickly darted behind the homeless man. The homeless man swung the piece of wood again, causing the drunkard to double over in pain.

าวน To everyone's surprise, Rita wrested the stick from the homeless man's grasp and delivered a firm blow to the drunkard. "You think you can harass me? You think you can take advantage of me?! I'll teach you a lesson! Are you going to harass other women again aftuh? Are you?!"

As she went on a tirade and beat him senseless, the drunkard shrieked and stammered, "No! I won't! I swear! Stop! I won't do it anymore! Ouch, it hurts!

Rita only stopped when she was dripping with sweat. She pounded the wooden stick on the ground and!!

panted keavily. "Oh, so now you're using drunkenness as an excuse? If you try something like this again.

when you're drunk, I'll beat you until no one can recognize your

Rita pointed the piece of wood at his groin, which caused the drunkard to curl up in a ball. He glanced into Rita's eyes and acknowledged that he was fearful for his life. Never had he seen a woman who was capable of such brutality.

Rita then raised the stick high, causing the drunkard to shut his eyes tightly. However, the homeless man from earlier intervened and took the stiek from her. "Stop hitting him. He'll die." Eventually, Rita relinquished the stick despite still fuming in anger.

"I'm the one who'll be facing the consequences if he dies."

Please stop hitting me! It was my fault for drinking too much!"

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2744-"He's a waste of oxygen. From the looks of it, he's probably done it countless times," Rita said. She had already grabbed a brick just in case the homeless man had not come to her aid. If he had not struck the drunkard on the back, it might have been his head that was in jeopardy.

When they relocated to another spot, Rita finally remarked, "Ah, so you can speak. I thought you'd keep quiet forever."

The man did not respond to Rita's jibe. He draped a thin blanket over himself and wrapped a torn cotton jacket around his neck.

"You haven't been through what I have," the man muttered.

Rita knew what he meant by that. He was implying that she had not gone through what he had and was thus unable to understand the reasoning for his choices. However, she did not understand why he was so reluctant to share what he went through with the reporters since it had already happened to him.

She provided him with another avenue to speak out rather than just remaining homeless on that soon-to-be-repurposed land. Rita frowned and wondered why he refused to speak to reporters, but she received a decidedly unfriendly glare from the man.

"You reporters are all the same. A year ago, I lost my home. Then, after I spoke to reporters, I lost my family too. Now let me ask you: if you were in my position, would you trust a reporter again?"

Rita's heart sank. She had long noticed his aversion to reporters, but she did not expect that the profession itself had such a detrimental impact on his life. She frowned as a result.

"I might not know what happened then, but I'd still like to extend my sincerest apologies to you on behalf of the other reporters. Even though I'm still a newbie who has a lot to learn, I genuinely want to help you in overcoming your current situation. I also want to understand what transpired on this land, such as why the developers appear to be at no fault whatsoever. Some even hail them as the kind of benevolent and rare developers. Why would such a well-regarded developer have such a contentious issue with you and your family? There must be more to this story."

After a lengthy pause, the homeless man offered a bitter smile. "Me and my family, you say? I don't have a family now..t don't even know why still have this grudge when others have moved on. Perhaps I should've just left like everyone else. Then I won't have to face everything that happened after that. I was naive, and I thought that collective resistance would prevail. In the end, it was all just wishful thinking on my end."

"By 'them', are you referring to the developers? Did they force everyone to leave?" Rita's heart raced as she sensed she was approaching the truth.

"Yes. I'd like to ask them the same

question tooff I could. I want to know why they had to choose our homes out of all places. I cant understand their motivation. Must we give in to their demands and concede our land just because they want it? What right do they have?"

Rita remained silent for a while before responding,"

, "It could be an win-win situation if they offer you fair terms."

"Tch!" the man scoffed. "You think it's that simple? I've worked so hard for so many years just to eun a home.

What gives them the right to tell me to relocate? Just because a home is new doesn't mean it'll always be better than my old one."

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2745-The man then said, "It's ridiculous. Why must everything be measured in terms of benefits? What about the memories I've made here? Aren't they important?"

Rita bit her lower lip and felt her cheeks burn with shame for her blind faith. She had assumed that money was the solution to all problems. She was always going on and on about Sherman being a profit- minded businessman, but living in the same privileged family environment had tainted her with that mindset. She always felt as if money could solve anything.

"I grew up on this land. I finally got my house when I was over 30, but I was forced to leave after only a few years. Now everyone thinks I've gone mad, sleeping around on this muddy ground. But this was my home before those developers came. Why did I have to leave?"

Rita fell silent at his questions, unable to provide an answer. She believed that the land must be profitable in some way if Sherman was interested in it too.

A conflict between interests and family would be just as difficult to navigate for her.

"So, you refused the developer's request to move out? Did that refusal lead to your current situation?" Rita's question prompted the man to reminisce about the past.

He wished he could bury himself in those beautiful memories, but there was no point immersing too long in something that no longer existed. Reality was cruel, and thinking about the past does not seem to be helpful.

"My name is Virgil Cole. Everything was good back then…"

Virgil choked dback tears as he recounted his story to Rita. He did not know why he was divulging all this to a newbie reporter. Perhaps it was because she still had a certain sincerity that allowed him to trust her.

UMS "I'm sorry." All-Rita could do was express her regret. She finally understood why he had been so disinclined about speaking to reporters. His pain was evident net every word. "I apologize for putting so much pressure on you to share this with me."

Virgil felt a sense of relief after sharing his burden. He wiped away his dirt-mixed tears from his face.

"I know what people like you think.

You probably feel i'm ungrateful, But if you had experienced what i have, you'd understand why l've been so reluctant to share. But now I've told you everything…"

"How do you plan to do that?"

"Don't worry. As long as I'm still in the industry, I promise Ill help you find a solution to your problem, Rita, expressed her determination to Virgil.

asked wryly appreciate your optimism, but considering all that's happened to me, thia developer might be beyond your reach. For now at least, I'm content to be here on the land I was proud to call my own."

asked wryly appreciate your optimism, but considering all that's happened to me, thia developer might be beyond your reach. For now at least, I'm content to be here on the land I was proud to call my own."

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2746-Rita felt saddened as she watched Virgil spread his tattered jacket in such a pessimistic, routine manner. He was probably a high-spirited young man in the past, but the incident had left such an indelible mark on him that made him so depressed, it became difficult to determine his age.

"I understand that you doubt my ability, but I've always been the kind of person who doesn't back out. I mean what I say, and I keep my word. The first thing I will do is to check on the developer. I probably won't be coming here from tomorrow onward because I have to gather information elsewhere, and the best way to do that is to visit the developer's headquarters," said Rita.

Virgil was a little surprised when Rita explained her entire plan to him. "Are you sure about that? You need to pay attention to your safety. It won't be easy to

deal with them," he cautioned. That was all he could do, after all. His miserable situation was proof enough that the company used some rather rough tactics.

Rita smiled at him. "Don't worry. I have a bit of influence, even though I may seem like a rookie that anyone can push around."

Even if she did not explain that to him, Virgil could tell from her demeanor that she did not hail from just any ordinary family. "Okay," Virgil offered a curt reply that spoke volumes in terms of trust.

Perhaps he should not have trusted the kind reporter in front of him just because they had met a few times, but he had no other choice. Life was a gamble, and he wanted to bet on his chances yet again. "You should move elsewhere, though. It's too conspicuous here. Even if the developer doesn't come over, Parr Group won't just let you wander around here either. It won't have a very positive impact on the surrounding area," Rita suggested after some thought.

Virgil lowered his head in embarrassment. "As much as I don't want to be homeless, there's nothing else I can do about it. I have no family, no home, and no job. This is the only option I have," he chuckled bitterly with a selfdeprecating expression.

Rita could not bear to see him sleep there with nothing but a ragged jacket on a cold day. "If you don't mind, I can arrange a job for you, right now. I don't know about your skills or academic background, but I can provide you with food and clothing at the moment. Are you willing to work hard with me?"

Rita extended her hand, knowing that he would probably fall ill if he stayed outside like that before the matter was resolved. It was better for her to take care of his immediate needs and boost his spirits before letting him find a way out of the situation.

Virgil's eyes widened in surprise. He did not expect her background to carry such weight. "Are you sure you won't get into trouble with this? Won't people talk about you behind your back?" he asked hesitantly.

It was Rita's turn to be shocked at that question "No one's going to say anything. The job I'll arrange for you is an easy one, so don't worry about that. And by the way, I'm glad you opened up to me, or I'd be a helpless young woman wasting away my youth by waiting for you to say something in this barren wilderness."

Virgil kept quiet and glanced at the trembling drunkard who had been beaten near senseless. He did not think she was as helpless as she made herself out to be.

"I have nothing to lose anyway. If it's no trouble for you, then I'll be happy to follow you out of this place," Virgil said.

Rita stood up happily. She did not expect things to go so smoothly she rubbed her hands in satisfaction and said, "Then we can leave as soon as we pack your stuff up!"

"He's not there?" Sherman asked.

When Sherman's people came to investigate the next morning, they discovered that Virgil had c O m disappeared. they glanced at each other in confusion and wondered if the matter had been resolved, so they reported the situation back to Sherman.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2747-"Did he leave last night, or could he have simply left for a while and happened not to be around when you arrived?" Sherman asked.

The men lowered their heads in shame when questioned. They had assumed that the matter had been resolved when they noticed that the homeless man was no longer there, but it seemed that everything was a mere fluke on their part.

"Don't bother coming back to the company if this issue isn't resolved. Do you expect me to get involved in something this minor?" Sherman frowned. He was appalled at how lax his subordinates had been recently. If they could not even solve such a small problem, he was better off firing them.

Moreover, he had emphasized the importance of 'excellence in service' since the day he became president. Should the issue of the homeless man remain unsettled, it could lead to suspicion from their clients. It was a point he felt needed no further reiteration.

Sherman had a vague feeling that Rita had something to do with the homeless man's departure. Although she was just a newcomer in the industry, the several interactions he had with her were enough for him to sense she had an uncanny ability to gain other people's trust with ease.

As he had expected, his subordinates returned with some feedback. After their investigation, they discovered that the man had left with Rita.

"Should we contact her? According to what we've found out, she's a reporter from the New Capital Times. Getting in touch with her superior might help us resolve this quickly," suggested one of his subordinates.

Sherman frowned. "What's there to resolve? And why would you contact her superior?"

"To put pressure and-"

"Enough," Sherman interrupted. "I'll take over for now. I know her, so I'm going to meet her myself. Try to be more careful in the future."

The subordinate nodded repeatedly.

It was no wonder that Sherman became so nervous after Rita's name was mentioned-she turned out to be an old acquaintance. Upon realizing that, the subordinate immediately regretted his earlier remarks. If he had been allowed to finish his sentence, he might have to face some very dire consequences.

Sherman felt a little irritated because he did not want Rita to be involved in that matter, particularly because it × could be related to the developer they had taken over from. Evere though she was the Russells' eldest daughter, it was incredibly risky for a girl to be embroiled in that sort of matter alone.

After contemplating for a while, he grabbed his car keys and got up. He decided it would be prudent to have a conversation with Rita.

Once Rita settled things with Virgil, she changed her clothes and returned to the company. If she wanted to continue the investigation, then she would have to report to her superiors.

The thought of going in to meet her boss, Lenny, irritated her slightly, as there had been a lot of

unpleasantness between them the last time they met. She knew what those people thought of her, but she did not care much for i? because her target was not the entertainment department. Eventually, she would want to leave and join the social welfare department. She wanted to genuinely address people's livelihoods.

Her knock on Lenny's door was, with the response, Rita be come in

Lenny frowned when she saw that it was Rita. After all, he was a hard-headed individual the had no qualms labout arguing with anyone and tended to look down on everyone. "Is there a problem?" he asked.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2748-Rita took a deep breath and said, "I want to continue investigating this issue about the Parr Group. I've found out what happened to Virgil Cole."

"Don't try to fool me. A lot of reporters didn't even manage to get anything out of him. How is it that you succeed in doing that?" came the skeptical reply. Lenny did not know whether Rita was lucky or if she genuinely had a knack for it. She had handled the matter with Claire all by herself the other day, and she later claimed to have taken care of Virgil too. He wondered if it could have been beginners' luck.

"Why would I want to fool you? If I hadn't heard the complete story from Virgil, I wouldn't have believed that such forced evacuation is still a thing now. Anyway, that's it from me. I just wanted to inform you I've decided to continue

investigating," Rita explained before turning around to leave. However, she was soon stopped by Lenny.

"Hold it. What are your grounds for investigating them? Do you find out who's backing the developers before you decide to dive head-in? Don't get yourself into trouble," Lenny cautioned.

"Don't worry. Even if something happens, I'll make sure you won't be implicated in it," Rita assured him.

Lenny was about to inquire further when someone knocked on the door again and interrupted their conversation. He called for the person to enter in irritation.

"What's going on? Why is my office so busy today?" he grumbled.

"Boss! It's Sherman from Parr Group!" a newbie came in anxiously and explained. Everyone dreamed of interviewing a person of such stature.

Unfortunately, he was always averse to media interviews and never once accepted any invitations. That made it all the stranger that he was visiting the New Capital Times' office.

Rita was stunned and wondered what Sherman was doing here. She thought that perhaps the reason he came had something to do with Claire.

Rita knew that he had her contact, so he would not have had to visit her workplace if he wanted to meet her For some reason, Rita felt irritable at the thought of his arrival. If their paths were not meant to cross, perhaps it would be better for him to exit her world completely, "I'll excuse myself now that a big shot is here," Rita said. She was in a hurry to leave.

"Not yet. We haven't finished discussing this," Lenny protested.

Rita's stubbornness did not seem to matter much to him anymore because he was too excited at the sudden turn of luck. If he could snag an interview with Sherman, then his year-end promotion would be all but sealed.

Rita attempted to slip away, but she bumped into Sherman as soon as she opened the door. They exchanged a brief glance, and Rita subconsciously avoided his eyes. Sherman raised his eyebrows. "Don't you recognize me, Miss Rita?"

Lenny glanced at Sherman, then at Rita. "Are you an acquaintance of our new hire?"

"More than that," Sherman replied.

"Not at all," Rita answered at the same time as Sherman did.

Lenny accepted Sherman's

response and concluded that they were indeed acquainted. Seeing an opportunity for cooperation, he suggested, "Since you two are old acquaintances, I'll let Rita stay here.

too. You might not know this, Mister Sherman, but she's a very.

hardworking newbie!"

"Is that so? It seems to me that New Capital Times provides some rather.

excellent training for newbies. Even our Company has heard about how hardworking she is," Sherman remarked.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2749-Lenny gulped, wondering if Sherman had come over because of the recent interview. He glanced at Rita and seemed to have come to a conclusion.

Sherman recognized Rita because she had gotten in trouble again!

Rita glared fiercely at Sherman, having already told him that she had her own methods to uncover the truth. There was no reason for him to be there unless it was to intervene.

"You don't need to concern yourself with this issue, Mister Sherman. This matter is under the purview of New Capital Times. If you have time to visit us, perhaps you should use that time to sort things out on your end so incidents like this don't repeat."

Lenny coughed when he heard Rita's words. Her tone was unbefitting of addressing a big-shot company president. It was almost as if she considered Sherman a colleague! Rita's presumptuousness was a little over the top.

Lenny coughed.

"Is your throat bothering you?" Sherman asked. "It's wise to rest if you're feeling unwell."

Lenny waved to signal that everything was all right. "I apologize, Mister Sherman. Perhaps our new hire here is new to the industry and hasn't really grasped all the protocols yet. Please accept our sincerest apologies if she has inconvenienced you. Please let me know what happened. I'll see to it that Rita learns her lesson and no longer causes any trouble to you again."

This irked Rita. "What have I done now? Why is it always my fault?!" she remarked in a huff. If Sherman was not around, she would have started a heated argument with Lenny. She could not fathom why everyone seemed to be targeting her. Anything that she did or did not do never sat well with her colleagues. She did not know who else she had offended then.

Sherman remained silent and glanced a glance at the person who had notified Lenny earlier of his arrival. Lenny understood the hint and sent the person away.

"Please let me know if you need anything. New Capital Times will do our best to accommodate your requests," Lenny said.

Sherman and Rita chuckled simultaneously, though Rita's et En snicker carried a touch of disdain. Lenny frowned immediately and shot her a glare as if to warn her not to be too smug because he would stiff deal with her when Sherman left.

"I heard you're keen on investigating the developer on your own," Sherman said to Rita.

Lenny immediately asked, "Where did you hear that from, Mister

Sherman? Such rumors are.

unreliable, and our paper hasp'im decided to goverthe story. You can rest assured that we won't publish any unauthorized articles with you in it T

Sherman glanced at his watch and showed little faith in what Lenny said.

mean? Do you distrust me that much? If you truly are such a good person, why did you have to come.

here and warn us? Could it be m because this is related to the electronics business?" Rita clenched her fists. She would have assumed that it had nothing to do with him if he did not seek her out. By coming over to the New Capital Times' headquarters and looking for her, his actions had effectively aroused her.

suspicions.

"And what is that supposed to

"You don't have to sugarcoat it, Miss Rita. It seems to me you've concluded that this matter has something to do with me," Sherman said.

"You don't need to rush to defend yourself. Parr Group will hold up to scrutiny it need be, but Dstrongly believe that certain skills are necessary for any given venture.

Don't you agree, Rita?"

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2750-"Nothing I say or do will convince you, so there's no point wasting my breath,"

said Sherman in exasperation. "I just want to remind you that things might not always go according to plan. You don't have what it takes, so you should stop while you're ahead."

Sherman's intention was clear: he wanted Rita to steer clear of the incident because he wanted to investigate the truth himself. Even if the developers were innocent, it was important for them to step forward and address the issue.

Otherwise, being duped once would spell a significant loss after Parr Group paid such a high price for the land.

"What I choose to do is none of your concern. I won't ever make any false accusations if your company hasn't done it. I'm a reporter, so please don't

question my professionalism."

Lenny felt a headache coming on as he listened to their back-and-forth. Having Sherman warn her not to get involved was already bad enough, and Rita seemed to have taken it upon herself to investigate the matter when she had yet to give her the official green light.

"Don't worry, Mister Sherman. We won't allow Rita to investigate this matter alone. There has been much doubt over this from the beginning, and there's also a possibility that the homeless man is just demanding more than what's been offered to him," Lenny interjected and offered a placating smile that made Rita squirm with discomfort.

"Virgil isn't that kind of person. Don't project your values onto him. If it weren't for that unscrupulous developer, he'd be living happily with his family right now.

Don't paint him in a negative light," Rita said indignantly.

Sherman arched an eyebrow. "Ah, so you have some tricks up your sleeve. How else would you be able to succeed in getting that information when so many reporters had failed to do just that?" Lenny nodded, having felt peeved that his subordinate had been so outspoken toward him in front of such an important person.

"You're a reporter. You know better than to take someone's word as gospel when there's no evidence. Just because Virgil is living a miserable life doesn't mean that you should believe his words. A reporter should always be aware of that," Lenny advised.

Rita countered, "It's precisely because can't rely solely on his account that I want to investigate the developer!

The point is, I'm going to go ahead with it, and none of you can stop me!"

Rita was frustrated by Sherman's alignment with all those outsiders but had no grounds to demand his support Feeling as though she was the only one being doubted all the time, she stomped bitterly and stormed out of Lenny's office.

Sherman was left to mull over the situation.

"I'm sorry. Our new recruit has a bit of a temper because of her family status.

Please bear with her, Mister Sherman," Lenny apologized.

However, Sherman did not seem bothered by it and reiterated his stance that Rita should not be involved in the matter. "I'll give everyone a proper explanation in due time."

Lenny felt a little surprised, as he would never expect any sort of m explanation fróm Sherman. "Rest assured, I'll do my best to stop her."

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Sherman rose, adjusting his suit.

"Then I have nothing, to worry about.

Carry on with your work, then. I won't bother you anymore.

"Oh, you weren't a bother at all, Mister Sherman. See yoy, Jake care ow,"

said Lenny

Meanwhile, Rita had grabbed her bag and went back to the place she rented.