Chapter 79: Public condemnation
So even with Lucia’s over-the-top performance and pitiful theatrics, Secretary Yun already knew this was just another dood act in a long list of failures.
Inside the car, Shin silently removed the shoe that had been touched. His face was unreadable, but the tightness in his jaw said it all.
Outside, Lucia was still screaming, even as she was dragged out of the building. "You’ll regret this, Shin Keir! Damn all of you! I’ll sue you for injustice! This isn’t over!"
Then, as if a lightbulb finally flicked on in her mind, her eyes narrowed and she bolted to a certain direction.
---
anwhile, Café Zhillion was at its busiest, buzzing with energy as tired workers gathered to unwind after a long day.
The cozy, relaxed atmosphere was filled with soft chatter, the gentle clinking of cutlery, and the warm scent of fresh brews, until the front doors suddenly flew open.
A disheveled woman stumbled inside, nearly slipping on the welco mat. Her hair was tousled, clothes slightly wrinkled, and her eyes wild with fury.
She stord straight toward the counter, her breathing erratic as she shouted, "Where is she?! Get that vicious girl out here!"
Lucia Hera pointed a trembling, accusatory finger at the stunned barista behind the register.
"Did you fire her yet?! Do you know what she did to ?! Why are you protecting her?! Is there no justice left in this world?!"
Conversations died. Her words were incoherent, bordering on hysterical, but her rage was unmistakable, drawing the attention of everyone inside. Forks froze mid-air. Eyes turned toward the scene, wide with shock. So custors gasped audibly. The once-lively café fell into complete silence.
An assistant manager rushed over and gently tried to de-escalate the situation, but Lucia shoved her aside and yanked out her phone with shaking hands. Her fingers fumbled across the screen before she opened a livestream app.
Fine. If the company wouldn’t hear her out and if Shin Keir refused to even glance her way then she’d make the public listen.
Lucia was no stranger to using her looks, status, and how to market her value. Having lived a pampered life supported by wealthy backers and indulging in high-end beauty treatnts, her entire lifestyle revolved around appearance and digging her way up. But now, with two major patrons gone and her job at KGG lost, how was she supposed to maintain her glamorous life?
No, she couldn’t accept defeat. Not when she had sacrificed and gambled so much just to climb her way closer toward soone like Shin Keir.
She aid the cara at her face and said dramatically, "Hello everyone, it’s ...Lucia Hera. And today, I’m here to EXPOSE the truth!"
She sniffled delicately, blinking away a single tear for effect.
"To all my beloved fans, my loyal followers, and to every consur out there, please hear
out. This is about integrity. This is about justice."
The café buzzed again but not with calm, but tension. So custors whispered behind their hands. Others reached for their phones to record the unfolding drama. A few even tuned in to Lucia’s livestream, recognizing her from social dia.
She dramatically turned the cara toward the café. "Look at this place. Last week, the CEO of KGG had a eting right here. I was present, as an employee, of course. Then sothing completely outrageous happened."
Lucia paused for effect, noting with smug satisfaction that both her online viewer count and the café’s attention had doubled. Faces were turned toward her, hungry for scandal. She couldn’t wait to take advantage of it.
"At that ti, one of this café servers recognized our CEO," she continued, "and for so reason, insisted on personally serving his coffee. I an, the intention was obvious...right? Who doesn’t want to get noticed by CEO Keir? Of course, I politely intervened and I told her I worked with KGG and offered to deliver the tray myself."
Her voice trembled as another tear slipped down her cheek. Her designer outfit, although slightly ssy still scread wealth, and her flawless makeup remained untouched. In her mind, she still looked perfectly tragic, like a heroine in distress.
"But what did that girl do?" Lucia’s voice cracked with emotion. "When she realized she couldn’t get past , she shoved the tray into my hands! She acted like I was the one causing a scene! I was imdiately scalded and yet the staff here, especially the manager, took her side!"
Gasps echoed around her. Murmurs rose like a wave across the café. Then, a man stood and quietly placed his coat around her shoulders.
"Thank you..." Lucia whispered, lowering her voice in gratitude, as if she were the victim of a personal tragedy.
See? She had always been confident of her ability to evoke any man’s protective instinct.
"Excuse , miss," the manager reappeared, his voice calm and firm. "If you continue to cause a disturbance, we’ll have no choice but to call the police."
Lucia’s expression twisted in disbelief. She pointed a furious finger at him. "It was you! How dare you stand there and deny it?! Where is that rude, scheming girl? Go ahead and call the police then! I’ll sue her for intentional injury and this café for covering it up!"
She wasn’t brave enough to take on a powerful conglorate like KGG directly or Shin Keir himself. But a re café server? That was a different story. She would demand compensation and sha them publicly, while subtly implying that KGG had failed in its investigation and wrongly dismissed her.
So what if she had misconduct at work? As far as Lucia was concerned, after this, she was certain Shin Keir wouldn’t dare turn a blind eye and forever rember her, Lucia Hera!
And just as she predicted, online outrage began to swell like a rising tide.
Public condemnation flooded the comnts section of her livestream. Righteously furious netizens, so genuinely outraged, others just along for the drama and clout began scolding Café Zhillion for allegedly protecting the server and ignoring the injustice.
"If they haven’t fired her yet, they better do it now!" soone comnted.
"Reveal her na!" wrote another. "Custors deserve to know who they’re dealing with!"
Soon, posts started gaining traction across social dia platforms. People began tagging Zhi Corporation, demanding they release the CCTV footage of the incident.
"Where’s the video evidence? Don’t hide the truth!"
Others who were skeptical of conglorate companies like KGG took this as an opportunity to question their hiring and firing practices.
"So they just dismissed an employee based on biased reports? No investigation? Pathetic."
"Is this how KGG handles internal disputes? No due process?"
Still, there were voices of reason scattered among the chaos.
"Let’s not jump to conclusions. We haven’t heard the server’s side yet."
"Lucia’s explanation feels incomplete. I’ll wait for the café’s official statent."
All kinds of comnts from netizens continued pouring in, each person with their own thoughts, opinions, and theories.
The internet was ablaze, and Lucia’s dramatic outburst had beco a full-blown trending topic after just a few hours.
"CEO of KGG, it’s Shin Keir, right? Damn, which branch of Café Zhillion is this? Does he go there often? What ti? Please, I need details—asking for a friend!"
"To the idiot above, give it up already! Even if you see him, then what? Did you think his bodyguards are just there for decoration? Didn’t you hear the livestrear? Even a café server isn’t allowed to go near him!"
"I don’t get why people are obsessing over Shin Keir. Even if he glanced at you, what does that change? Don’t you know? He’s gay!"
"Our poor sister Lucia was just doing her job, trying to protect the CEO from unwanted attention. And now she’s the one being thrown out? KGG better have a solid explanation!"
"Honestly? I get it. If I worked there, I’d also try to serve Shin Keir. I wouldn’t ask for anything. I just want to see that man up close once in my life...and maybe, if I’m lucky, touch his nails."
"??? Soone call the police, pervert spotted above!"
"Forget the CCTV. That server’s just like any of us. She took a chance. Can you really bla her for that? Who doesn’t want to marry the rich?"
"You’re all insane defending that server. Wake up, her selfishness got soone hurt and cost another woman her job! That’s not okay."
"KGG’s a massive conglorate. They probably think every employee is disposable. A company like that, one that doesn’t value its people, deserves to be boycotted!"
Despite the rising storm online, not everyone was ready to light their torches. But the damage was already starting to snowball.
—
anwhile, across the city, Shin Keir had just stepped out of his usual luxury tailor’s shop. Dressed in a sleek, dark suit and fitted leather shoes, he adjusted the cuffs of his shirt while his assistant held the door of the car open.
Secretary Yun rushed toward him, phone in hand, his expression tight.
"Boss, the public relations departnt just contacted . You need to see this." He anxiously handed over his phone, the screen already showing a paused mont of the Lucia Hera livestream. The view count was climbing by the second.
Shin Keir gave the screen a brief glance, his expression unreadable. He handed the phone back without a word and slid into the back seat of the car.
Secretary Yun followed, frowning in disbelief. "Boss... what do you want to do about this? It’s gaining traction fast. There’s a good chance this will reach CEO Zhi very soon. If he asks for the CCTV footage..." he hesitated, then asked cautiously, "will the lady be in trouble?"
Secretary Yun didn’t need to say who the lady was. Both of them knew.
His mind couldn’t help but wander what kind of mindset this Lucia Hera has. Stirring up public chaos just to get Shin Keir’s attention?
Shin remained silent, leaning back into the leather seat as the driver pulled onto the road, his gaze shifted out the window.
He was more worried about Yeri’s health than anything else. She kept insisting she was fine, brushing it off at that ti with a tired smile and vague answers. But he wasn’t soone who took things nonchalantly, especially when it ca to her.
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