Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance
Chapter 596

Nobody saw it coming-the batch of ingredients the Walker family had sold off was now being recalled en masse. Even the Walkers were blindsided.

Just a while ago, the Walkers were raising their glasses, dreaming of market domination. They had schemed to monopolize the ingredient market, leaving Cedillo Inc. stuck with unsellable stock and anticipating a massive loss of seven billion for Cedillo's secondary division.

To turn things around, they needed to look for opportunities beyond their current scope. While Cedillo Inc. was preoccupied, the Walkers planned to strike, hitting Cedillo when they were most vulnerable, aiming to erase the shame of their past defeat by Andre. "Mr. Walker Sr., congratulations. Looks like you're about to reclaim your throne in the market," said an employee who had defected from Cedillo Inc. to join the Walker team.

The elder Walker raised his glass, "This success is all thanks to Mr. O'Ryan joining us."

Just as they were about to celebrate, a phone call wiped the smiles off their faces.

Who had leaked that their stock was acquired through shady channels?

Mr. Walker Sr. hadn't even taken a sip of his wine when he heard the news. His once cloudy eyes sharpened with fury. "Who reported us?"

Their dealings had been shrouded in secrecy, undetected at checkpoints. How could it be that now, after the goods were sold, someone had tipped off the authorities?

That morning, the Walker family had cleared their warehouse, and by evening, they were planning a thank-you party. But by afternoon, the police were at their door. "Mr. Walker, please provide the sales ledger for this stock, including the source of every ton." Bruce Walker, the eldest son, stood to parry with the police. "Officers, our goods are all lawfully procured and processed. What brings you here so suddenly? Of course, we will fully cooperate with your investigation. I'm quite good friends with Chief Wilson from your department, you know..."

"Bruce, you might have connections, but they won't help you this time. The order for a thorough investigation comes from above, beyond Chief Wilson's reach," a young officer stated with righteous indignation, as his team began their inspection.

Old man Walker sat in his executive chair, his cunning eyes sharp as a hawk's talon, filled with malice.

Only someone with serious clout could have instigated this, maybe the one sitting in the president's office at Eldoria Cedillo Inc.

Mr. Walker clenched his fists, his knuckles whitening with tension. It seemed like Andre was still watching them!

If it were just a matter of tracing the stock's origins, they would have time to spar with the authorities. By the time any action was taken, the clients would have already used the goods, leaving no one accountable.

But this time, the target was all the goods they had just sold.

If they had to recall everything, they would face hundreds, maybe thousands, of clients demanding compensation for breach of contract.

If they refused to pay, their reputation would be damaged. If they did pay, the Walkers didn't even want to imagine the cost.

Either way, they were trapped.

Back at Cedillo Inc.'s president's office.

The head of the overseas division called Andre gleefully, "Boss, the market is starting to recall all of the Walker's orders."

Andre sneered, "Good. Keep it up."

After the call, Andre switched on the office screen, tuning into overseas news to watch live footage from Eldoria.

The entrance to Walker Enterprises was now packed with financial reporters and buyers.

Bruce, the eldest Walker son, was taken away by the police for questioning, while the second son stayed to help his father manage the crisis.

The camera caught Nicholas, who had left Cedillo Inc. for the Walkers.

A reporter shoved a microphone in his face, "Mr. O'Ryan, you were doing well at Cedillo Inc., why suddenly jump ship with your team to the Walkers?"

"I refuse to comment," Nicholas pushed the mic away and headed inside.

The reporter persisted, "If you won't talk about that, then perhaps you'd like to comment on how this move hasn't helped the Walkers win this trade battle. Any thoughts?"

Nicholas escaped the media frenzy and retreated into the Walker Corporation's lobby.

Facing the media was Mr. Walker's son, Reagan, and the questions were sharp. "Mr. Walker, your prices dropped forty percent during the price war with Cedillo Inc. and you still needed to clear stock. Does this imply your goods were illegally obtained or that there's a significant quality issue?" As the reporter finished, the surrounding media pounced on the story, bombarding Reagan with questions, "Mr. Walker, is there something illegal about your goods, or are they defective?"

The reporters were relentless, and the murmuring customers started to doubt the integrity of the Walker's goods.

Their suspicion grew; the steep discounts made it seem like the Walkers were desperate to offload problematic stock.

Reagan Walker, overwhelmed, lashed out, "No! Shut up, all of you! Our goods are fine!"

But the pressing question remained, "Then why are the police recalling the entire stock? Every batch of raw materials is supposed to be tagged at customs. If you've falsified those tags, how will the Walkers handle this?"

The reporters fell silent, letting the incisive journalist from Speedy Finance press on.

"Shut your mouth! Which tabloid are you from?" Reagan snapped, as the situation spiraled out of control.

The journalist flashed her press badge with a smirk, "Speedy Finance, we're all about the numbers, not the gossip."

Andre's phone buzzed, a message popping up in his WhatsApp group chat.

Mars: Speedy Finance, now that's a solid outlet. Anyone up for a little acquisition talk?

Conner: Why does that name ring a bell? Has one of us snapped it up before?

Andre: It's one of mine.

The reporter wouldn't have been so bold if it weren't for an inside connection. She knew all too well about the familial ties between Speedy Finance and Cedillo Inc. With her parent company under the gun, it was a prime time to unleash her pent-up frustrations. Mars: I'm out.

Conner: Catch you later.

Teddy glanced over the news and quipped at Andre, "Old man Walker thinks he's got one foot in the grave and nothing to lose, huh?"

Asher: Doesn't the old Walker clan have three boys? Why do we always see just the two?

Andre set his phone aside, his gaze returning to the television screen's news broadcast.