Chapter 142

In the Castrones Ventures office, Bengan sat in the large chair behind his desk, sipping coffee Carol had made for him. "Are the reporters ready, Carol?" he asked, taking another sip. Carol stood before his desk.

"Mr. Palmer," she replied, "the reporters are waiting nearby. Following our plan, they'll report once the… We also sent people to Evermore Diner. They'll surely create a stir."

"Tell them to start live streams. I want to watch," Benjamin nodded with satisfaction.

"Yes, Mr. Palmer," Carol answered. She then texted the people she'd sent to Evermore Diner, disguised as customers, instructing them to begin live streaming.

Meanwhile, reporters, equipped with microphones and cameras, observed Evermore Diner from their van.

"Why is this taking so long?"

"Yeah, how much longer?"

"What on earth are they waiting for?"

Impatience grew among the reporters. Then, one called out, "Look, what's happening there?"

All eyes focused on Evermore Diner's front door. Patrons were exiting, one after another.

"It must be the bugs in the dishes."

"Let's get some pictures for the report."

"Go!"

They rushed towards Evermore Diner, microphones and cameras at the ready. The throng of exiting diners, however, prevented them from entering. They decided to interview those leaving.

"Sir, why are you leaving?" a reporter asked a departing diner.

"Who are you? Why are you interviewing me?" the diner asked warily.

The reporter forced a smile. "We're reporters from Oakhaven Food Network Today, conducting a report on Evermore Diner's specialties."

The diner relaxed slightly. "Specialties, huh? Let me see… tonic drink, roast chicken, rustic food… they're all excellent."

Chapter 112

The reporter's face registered genuine surprise. He clearly hadn't expected the diner to rave about the food.

"Sir, if the food is that good, why are you leaving? What's going on?" the reporter interrupted.

The diner replied angrily, "We were enjoying our meal. But a waiter—a spy planted by Gastronova Ventures—tried to put cockroaches in our dishes!"

The reporter was confused. "Shouldn't he be complaining about Evermore Diner's food safety? How does he know it was a Gastronova Ventures spy?" he mused.

"Sir, how did you know about the spy? And why do you think he tried to put bugs in the dishes?" the reporter asked.

"It's not made up! The food preparation is transparent. There are large screens in the dining area connected to a real-time monitoring system. We saw the spy take out a bag of dead bugs and try to put them in our food. The chefs caught him," the diner replied indignantly. "He shouted, 'What are you doing? We had a deal! Ms. Patterson from Gastronova Ventures gave you bribes, remember?' This is sabotage and slander—illegal!"

"A few customers, clearly in league with the spy, tried to create a scene. Evermore Diner employees stopped them. It was a huge commotion. We left to avoid getting hurt."

The diner departed, leaving the reporter shocked. The diners hadn't left because of bugs in their food; they'd left because of the Gastronova Ventures spy. This wasn't in the plan! The reporters, paid by Carol, Gastronova Ventures' general manager, were supposed to report on food safety issues. Now, the spy was caught red-handed. What would they report? Castronova Ventures' failed sabotage attempt? The reporter couldn't follow the fabricated plan.

Chapter 142 (Continued)

He soon found that all the diners other reporters interviewed supported Evermore Diner and condemned Gastronova Ventures. Embarrassed, the reporters didn't know how to proceed. They made excuses, ended the interviews, and returned to their van.

Before they could leave, several SUVs arrived at Evermore Diner. The reporters recognized the logos: Prime News Network, Infinity Network, Penguin Media, and Virtual Voice. They were stunned. All the major media outlets were there—millions of viewers and readers. The reporters were in shock.

Reporters from these outlets emerged, cameras and microphones in hand, and swarmed into Evermore Diner.

Ten minutes later, police sirens wailed as a dozen officers arrived. Winona and other Gastronova Ventures employees were handcuffed and taken away. The diners applauded. Reporters from the major outlets interviewed the diners outside. Afterward, the reporters left, the diners returned to their meal, and the commotion ended.

A phone's ringtone startled the reporters in the van. One checked the caller ID: Ms. Carol Patterson. "What do we tell her?"

They exchanged glances, clueless.

"Tell her the truth," they chorused.

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