Chapter 624:
Sometimes, shifts in the climate triggered the mines’ mysterious toxins.
Over the phone, Alistair tried to ease her mind. He assured her Felix’s team was top-tier and reminded her that he wouldn’t miss the celebration being planned for her. Entering the mine right now, however, was out of the question.
The weather had grounded helicopters, making the place unreachable.
Rylie understood the logic, but waiting was the only option she had left.
Determined to keep herself steady, she logged into her online graduate classes at Kellon Medical University, then assisted her mentor, Dominic, with data calculations before grabbing a quick lunch. Afterward, she headed for “Sweetberry.”
She traveled by MPV with a driver. In the car, she re-encrypted Sweetberry’s account, changed the account owner, and added two password locks and iris verification.
Stepping into Sweetberry, she noticed the design department was nearly deserted — only Melany and two others remained. The rest of the building showed similar gaps.
In her office, more than a dozen junior executives from the previous meeting had gathered. Their anxious faces told the story before anyone spoke, but soon the complaints tumbled out in waves.
Several subcontractors had walked off the job, designers had followed, and the operations team refused to work. With the Garrett family’s withdrawal hanging over them, Sweetberry was grinding to a halt. If nothing changed, salaries next month would go unpaid.
Zuri came forward, looking anxious. “Elegance used to help us with promotions, but last night they pulled every product tied to us. The advertisers followed and pulled their investments too. The company account is almost empty, and now that you’ve let everyone go, I don’t even know how we’ll pay salaries next month.”
Rylie stayed composed and handed her a bank card. “I came today to reinvest. This is my fund. Put it all into the company account.”
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Zuri accepted the card carefully. “How much is it? I’m afraid it won’t even cover payroll, let alone other costs.”
“Five hundred million,” Rylie said calmly.
Zuri froze. “What did you say?”
“Five hundred million,” Rylie repeated.
Nearby, an employee carrying water was so stunned that his cup slipped from his hand. Everyone who overheard thought the same thing — this woman was throwing away her fortune.
“Is there a problem?” Rylie asked.
Zuri shook her head quickly. “No problem at all. I’ll take it straight to finance.”
After Zuri left, a small-time designer approached Rylie and whispered, “You’re definitely going to lose money, Miss Owen. Sweetberry has always been a cash cow for the Garrett family. They exploit it without letting it make real profit. Most times, even our wages come from Elegance’s pocket. Be careful with your money — it might get drained.”
Rylie’s lips curved. “Thank you for your reminder, but rest assured. No one can take it but me.”
Laurel had personally handed her all the information on Sweetberry, including the financial accounts. Rylie had already patched up all the loopholes. Money could now only flow in — and out only when she allowed it.
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