When the call went through, Sophia spoke before Michael could. âHuh? Have you finished filming already?â Her voice was as gentle as ever, and there was no hint of frustration in it at all. It seemed that she was still rather composed.
Michael wanted to speak, but he didnât know what to say when he tried to open his mouth. Despite having such a huge dilemma hit her company, she never bothered him once. Her resolution made his heart ache.
âIs the company doing okay?â
Sophia was unfazed. âYeah, itâs just a small problem; weâll overcome it. Also, I noticed earlier that your equipment is gone. All the data will probably be restored by the day after tomorrow.â
From the way she spoke, it was like she was describing some easily-dismissed matter. However, Michael knew that their company was going through their biggest challenge since inception. If they couldnât weather through this, they would fall uncontrollably. It was anxiety-inducing to see so much pressure weighing upon their young shoulders.
âI heard that the landlord destroyed the rent agreement and asked you to move. Have you guys found a new place to relocate?â Michael continued.
With the landlord suddenly demanding that they move out during such a critical period, there definitely had to be some mastermind pulling some strings in the background. A large company like this would need some time to move; during this period, many things could happen in just a day or two.
âItâs fine, itâs no skin off my back. That old coot of a landlordâs just taking advantage of us while weâre down after he accepted payment from someone else. He even ripped up that agreement himself. We never agreed to move, so heâs got no other choice here. Finding a legal team or forcing us out by suing the company will take time; itâll be enough for us to solve all the problems here. If he dares to get us out by force, then heâll be violating the law!â Sophia replied as she walked. âOnce weâre done with everything here, weâll move immediately. Weâve already gotten a new office. Itâs currently being remodeled, and itâs actually that new building we bought. Screw that old cootâonce we get out of here, Iâm going to make sure that one will ever rent this place!â
Her tone was jovial yet steady. Michael truly couldnât pick up that she was currently undergoing a huge crisis. He continued to ask, âIâve already seen the dissenters online, as well as the matter about the new gaming fiasco. Do you want me to pull some stringsâ¦â
Things were very busy on Sophiaâs side as people kept calling for her.
âMiss Edwards, Mr. Goodman requested you to head to the police station at 3.00PM tomorrow so that he can get your statement.â
âMiss Edwards, Mr. Field has already sent the documents over. Theyâre in your office.â
âMiss Edwards, the time for your appointment with Mr. Barton tomorrow has been decided.â
âMom, itâs almost time for your interview with Mr. Watts! Nicholas is already here to remind you of that!â
â¦
As he heard all those people calling for Sophia, Michael suddenly realized that his little chica had already grown up without him noticing. Her wings had slowly spread, but in his eyes, she was forever that scared, jumpy, and skinny little girl who had just arrived at his house.
Sophia seemed to have just gulped down some water. âForget about those people online and let those bullets fly. The bigger the fuss they kick up, the better. I have my own PR crisis team ready to launch their counterattack. I met with the police and the gaming association yesterday. Since our game is a rare local gem, the higher-ups have given priority to our case. Weâve already sent all relevant information over, and theyâve just caught the insider rat. He escaped to northern Europe, but he was captured by our underworld friends there the moment he stepped off the plane. If things go smoothly, heâll arrive at Baysideâs police station this coming dawn. Iâm going over tomorrow for my statement.â
The onslaught of words sent Michael reeling. This was when he fully realized that his little chica had well and truly grown up. She had her own career, honed her abilities, and built her own network up. She was hardened now, and had blossomed into a phoenix who could go wherever she wanted.
Sophia was already speaking before Michael could make his thoughts known. âIâve even invited some reporters over. Oh, itâs nearly 10.00PM. Theyâre already waiting in the office. Iâm gonna hang up now.
Muahââ
After the call ended, Michael felt gratified yet a little lost. He felt as if his daughter had grown up and flown the coop. He switched on his computer and took a gander at the knockoff game. It was called Medal of Sniper, and it played very much like Stanleyâs Soul of Sniper. It was practically cut from the same cloth, and Michael almost thought that the game had been developed by them personally. Since it was a rip-off of Soul of Sniperâs latest version, there were many traces of the original game in it.
The company behind the game was an old-timer in the gaming industry. Their level of production was higher than Stanleyâs, and they had more experience than he did. This company had ripped off many internationally renowned games, and people lambasted them for that. However, the company still stood strong due to a myriad of reasons, even if they were clearly infringing on intellectual property.
While combat was very similar and it had heavily plagiarized Stanleyâs game, Medal of Sniper was made by an experienced team. Hence, their combat and fluidity was even better than the original. In addition to that, the company had incredible marketing strategies. Several days after they launched its beta testing, they already garnered a huge number of fans. It felt like Soul of Sniper was being replaced.
Michael thought that things couldnât be as simple as they seemed, so he looked into that companyâjust as he thought, Harper Group had invested in this company at the start of the year.
Sophia began to throw herself into working overtime after she cut the call. It was already 10.00PM, but the lights in the company were still on. Even though the building they occupied had multiple floors, their floor was the only one still lit. No one left early. Everyone knew that while this was a crisis for the company, it was also an opportunity.
Sophia had invited a renowned reporter to the company for an interview. She had asked her to write a positive article in conjunction with the PR crisis team to quell the voices of negativity online.
All of a sudden, there was a shriek from the young receptionists in the lobby. Sophia went out to check and saw that the landlord was here once again. He wasnât the only one here, as he had brought along a gang of people dressed in gaudy clothes. The moment they stepped through the glass doors, they began splashing paint everywhere and smashed the furniture, scaring the receptionists into screaming. They even scared the other workers who were working overtime, causing a halt in their work. Fear began to spread through the employees.
Ever since the fiasco started, Sophia had received quite a few resignation letters; some of the key employees had suddenly resigned as well. She had no idea whether it was because they were spooked, or if they had been poached by others with the offer of a higher salary. A few days ago, some of their employees got beaten up when they left their workplace, and the landlord kept showing up to add more to the fuss.
This was a huge blow on company morale; no one was willing to live in fear while going to work or going home after work. If the employees were running from terror, the company would be thoroughly done for.
Soul of Sniper couldnât possibly make its comeback. Their enemy had probably anticipated this and kept coming over to stir up chaos, causing many employees to resign out of fright.
Seeing how the landlord was here and up to his shenanigans again, Sophia knew that the bribe he received had to be substantial. She got her assistant to keep the reporter in her office before putting down the papers in her hands and rushed out of the door.
Gary and Hale were guarding the door. Some of the more heavy-set male employees charged out as well, but the moment they did, their foes immediately splashed paint their way.
âRetreat for now!â Sophia immediately yelled. Damn this old coot. If I donât give him a taste of his medicine, he wonât know what itâs like to be on the receiving end of his bullsh*t!