"Danielle and the others walked out of the office. Both Howard and Vivian looked upset after learning their daughter had been mistreated at school.
"Vivian turned to Joseph and said, "Joseph, call your brothers. Let's hold a family meeting tonight. Everyone who can make it should come. We need to discuss organizing a homecoming party for Danielle. I want everyone to know she's the daughter of the Darling family."
"Alright," Joseph agreed. He had been planning to discuss this with his parents. Danielle had been back for some time now, and it was time to make this official.
Just then, a phone started ringing urgently.
"Danielle glanced at her phone. It was a call from Lyla.
âMiss Darling, there's a problem with our new skincare products. Several people claim that it ruined their skin. They've brought a bunch of reporters and are making a scene at our company.
âI went downstairs to try to calm them down, but it didn't work, and they were getting more agitated. Our PR team is already negotiating with them, but these people are insisting in front of the media that our products have caused their skin problems. On top of that, a few other customers have shown up, saying they developed skin conditions from wearing our clothes.
"Skin issues, allergic reactions, and now a flood of media surrounding the building. Its chaos. We've deployed all our security just to keep them from storming upstairs.
âThe PR team wants your input. Should we call the police or handle this quietly?" said Lyla.
Danielle frowned. She had been using the new products herself, and they worked perfectly. The skincare products were specifically designed for problematic skin, and this was the first she had heard of anyone having an allergic reaction to their clothes. The fact that the two groups of people arrived at the same time strongly suggested someone was behind it.
"Have you confirmed that they actually used our products and bought our clothes?" asked Danielle.
Lyla replied, "Yes. They've shown purchase receipts and even posted videos online of their skin issues, claiming it's from our product. They also provided third-party test results showing our product contains prohibited ingredients that caused the damage.
âAs for the clothing complaints, they've also produced receipt and testing which shows the fabric we used is of substandard quality and causes skin ulcers with prolonged wear."
âAre these third-party test agencies reliable?" Danielle asked, sensing how well-prepared these people were.
Lyla answered, "The agencies are well-known and have excellent reputations."
âOur products can't possibly contain prohibited ingredients. I personally worked on the formulas, and they were released through proper channels. If there was a problem, customers would've reported it long before this. These two groups are clearly prepared. Talk to them and find out what they want. I'll head over right away," Danielle said.
"After hanging up, she quickly explained the situation to David and her parents.
âDanielle, let us come with you. Obviously, these people are targeting your company. Having us there might help resolve things more quickly if any problems arise," Joseph said with concern.
Danielle glanced at everyone. She knew they would worry if she refused. "Alright, let's go together."
*****
At Grace Group, a girl wearing a mask complained tearfully in front of the camera, "I've always been a big fan of Grace's products.
"This time, their new skincare products were advertised as targeting problematic skin, claiming it could reduce sensitivity and make skin healthy. I trusted Grace, so I queued up to buy it on the second day it was released. I was so excited to try it, but after just over a week of use, my face became like this."
"The girl pulled down her mask for the cameras, revealing her face covered in pustules, some oozing pus and even starting to ulcerate. The sight startled even the usually composed reporters.
"The girl continued, "I don't even dare to go out now. I've been to several hospitals, and they all said my face is ruined. There's no way to restore it to how it was before. The burning sensation on my face is so intense every day. It feels like acid has been poured on it.
"I'm only in my twenties, with a bright future ahead of me, but Grace's products have completely destroyed my life. And their products are so expensive! I gave up eating out and buying new clothes just to afford them, thinking their new products would solve my skin issues. I never thought it'd disfigure me instead!"
"The girl sobbed pitifully. and more and more passers-by were drawn to the commotion.
"A female reporter's eyes lit up as it was a major scoop. "Can you prove that it was Grace's products that caused this?"
âI went to a professional third-party testing agency. To prevent Grace from shirking responsibility, I specifically chose the most reputable agency in the industry. The test results confirmed there's a problem with their products, and that's the reason my face is ruined.
"And now, Grace hasn't given any explanation at all. I have no idea how their overpriced, poisonous skincare products even made it to the market!"
the girl protested.
"At that moment, a bystander chimed in, "I bought Grace's new products too, but I didn't experience anything like that. In fact, I found it really effective at improving my skin issues."
"A middle-aged woman agreed, "Yeah, same here. I also bought it. It's expensive, but it works. What happened to her face? Could it be that she didn't buy it through official channels?"
"Another woman echoed, "Grace is a large corporation. They wouldn't risk their brand reputation over something so petty, would they?"
Hearing the passers-by speak in defense of Grace and show no sympathy for her, the girl suddenly became furious.
âDid Grace pay you to say this? Are you all their employees pretending to be random bystanders? Look at my face. It's been destroyed by their products! How can you still defend them so shamelessly?" the girl questioned.
âI didn't take money from Grace, and I'm not their employee. I just happened to walk by and say a few words," the middle-aged woman retorted.
The argument between the onlookers and the alleged victim escalated, drawing an even larger crowd. Meanwhile, the reporters were thrilled, secretly hoping for an outright brawl to make their story even juicier.
"Just then, another girl appeared, wearing long sleeves and pants despite the summer heat. She carried some Grace clothing and approached the reporters.
âExcuse me, I also want to report Grace Group. I bought their clothes and wore them just once, and I ended up with a skin condition. Now, I can't even wear skirts in this heat," the girl said.
"She rolled up her sleeves and revealed her neck, showing skin covered in red bumps that resembled toad skin. It was disgusting and repulsive to look at.
The reporters quickly instructed their cameramen to take photos, their excitement barely concealed. "Miss, are you sure it was Grace's clothing that caused this?"
âOf course, I'm sure. Here's my payment receipt and the third-party testing report. It shows their clothes use substandard fabric, which caused this reaction when I wore them.
"Grace sells clothes that cost a few thousand dollars per piece! My money doesn't just fall from the sky. For such an expensive item to be made with this kind of fabric, they're taking consumers for fools! Now that their clothes have done this to me, I strongly urge the relevant authorities to Not A Small Town Girl (Danielle and David)
ï¤Chapter 155 investigate Grace Group.
"I'm just an ordinary person, and my words don't carry much weight. So I can only turn to the media to help me seek justice." The girl became increasingly emotional as she spoke, crying her heart out.