Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 229: I’m the person in charge here

Alice’s unease grew stronger as she watched the man’s expression.

Right now, her top priority was the construction site, and it was the one place where nothing could afford to go wrong.

They had just agreed on a price that both sides could accept yesterday, so what did he mean by saying the situation had worsened?

“Did they raise the price again?” Alice frowned in displeasure. Last night, things seemed to be moving in a slightly better direction.

The workers had initially refused to back down from their demand for 1.5 times the usual rate, but just when it seemed like the standoff would drag on indefinitely, they finally relented.

1.3 times the usual rate—that was the offer from the workers’ representative, already well above the market price.

It was blatant extortion, but the situation was so unique that Alice had no choice but to agree. She was just thankful things could move forward at all.

“It’s not about the price…”

The man’s eyes darted around nervously. Being under Alice’s intense gaze made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles, sweat pouring down his back. If he had known what was going to happen last night, he would never have stayed here drinking.

It was clear the man was holding something back. He was trying to figure out how to absolve himself of any blame, and that was exactly what irritated Alice the most.

She was surrounded by people like this—always evasive, always claiming to have her best interests at heart, but secretly preparing their own escape routes.

That’s why she had been so shocked when Ryan impulsively stepped up and slapped Lorenzo for her. nature is what it is. She could have tolerated all the fake smiles and backstabbing, as long as she had never experienced genuine loyalty.

The man didn’t want to talk, and Alice had no intention of pressing him. Doing so would only exhaust her without yielding any useful results.

With a glance, she signaled her bodyguard, who immediately pushed the man forward. The man bowed repeatedly, urging Alice to stay calm.

But the closer they got to the construction site, the stronger Alice’s sense of foreboding became.

The area around the site was usually barren, even though it was a new subway line junction. Apart from a few basic amenities, there was hardly anything there.

But today was different. The area outside the site was bustling with activity.

Outside the blue construction fence, especially at the gate, a large crowd had gathered. Most of them were middle-aged, their faces weathered by life.

Leading them was a relatively young man, probably in his twenties. He held a protest sign high above his head and was confronting the site manager.

“You have no conscience! You don’t care about the workers’ safety at all!”

The man shouted, then turned to the crowd behind him, waving his hand. His voice was filled with sorrow, and it was hard not to be moved by it.

“My dad worked here. He’s been an honest, hardworking man his whole life, so frugal he wouldn’t even spend money on himself!”

“And now, after being introduced to this site to work as a cement mixer, just a few months in, this happens.”

The site manager’s face was tense. The man’s words were stirring up the crowd, and if he kept talking, things would get out of hand.

“We’re investigating the situation, and the police are involved. We will make sure justice is served.”

The manager tried to raise his voice, but no matter how loud he spoke, he couldn’t compete with the protesters. His face was flushed from the effort, but it was having little effect.

Alice and her group had been watching for a while. The man standing next to Alice felt utterly humiliated, his heart pounding.

If Alice hadn’t seen this scene, the manager might have had time to explain things later. But now, it seemed like his luck had run out…

“Dave…”

Alice’s voice was emotionless, her gaze fixed on the protesters. She hadn’t lost her temper yet, but it was clear she was close.

If Dave had any explanation to offer, now was the time, before Alice’s anger boiled over. Otherwise, things could get much worse.

“Miss… Miss Alice, it’s not what you think.”

The man, Dave, was already trembling all over. Without another word, he ran straight toward the crowd.

“Hey, hey, hey! What’s going on here? Get this situation under control, now!”

The site manager grew increasingly agitated as he saw Dave rush over. The crowd’s voices were getting louder, and it was clear that things were spiraling out of control.

“My dad died because of scumbag companies like yours! Now that he’s gone, you won’t get away with this!”

The man who had been crying so desperately in the crowd began wailing even louder when he saw Dave approach, drawing everyone’s attention.

Naturally, this included Alice’s.

“Stop crying! If you have grievances, let’s talk about them properly.”

Dave’s head was pounding. Most of the people gathered here were workers and their families, a group that was undoubtedly at a disadvantage against the company. No matter how frustrated Dave was, he didn’t dare to handle this forcefully.

This was the age of the internet. If he dared to call security to drive people away and someone recorded it and uploaded it online, who knows what kind of backlash they’d face.

Since the company couldn’t use force, the question of who was really the weaker party was up for debate.

The man seemed to sense Dave’s hesitation. The more Dave backed down, the more aggressive he became.

“So, you’re the one in charge, huh? Tell me, my dad’s dead now—what are you going to do about it?”

The man lunged forward, grabbing Dave by the collar, his face twisted in rage like a starving beast ready to devour him.

Behind him, the crowd erupted in a chorus of curses, condemning the company’s heartless behavior and voicing their own grievances.

“I knew this company was shady from the start. If it weren’t for Frank, I never would have come here.”

“Exactly, exactly! I heard they give out cheap, crappy hard hats to the workers—ten for five bucks!”

“What? Seriously? Is that true?”

“Of course it’s true! Who are you going to believe, me or those greedy bosses? They’d eat you alive if they could.”

The murmurs of the crowd surged like waves, crashing against the construction site. Dave felt like he was drowning in sweat.

Never mind how he was going to explain this to Miss Alice later—he wasn’t even sure he’d make it through this confrontation with the workers.

He felt a deep sense of injustice. Ever since the site opened, strange incidents had been happening one after another. First, there were injuries due to workers violating safety protocols, and then, out of nowhere, a fatal accident.

Last night at eight, the site had closed for the day, and everything seemed fine. But no one could have predicted that the crane operator would fall from the top of the crane.

From that height, even Iron Man would have been flattened. Naturally, the man died, and now here they were, with someone claiming to be the crane operator’s son, leading a mob to demand answers.

The workers, too, had been riled up, bringing up old grievances and forcing the company to make concessions.

Dave was being jostled by the crowd, his round face pale. He was still trying to calm things down, but it was clearly not working.

Just as Dave was about to give up and call for security, a voice rang out from behind him. He was so relieved he almost cried—this was a lifeline.

The voice was cool and commanding, with the authority of someone used to being in charge. It immediately silenced everyone present.

“Everyone, quiet down. I’m the person in charge here. If you have something to say, say it to me.”

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