Sincere Apologies 4

Tora's voice was low and condescending. Her brown eyes pierced him through her long lashes from above. She looked down at him like he was not worth her time.

He furrowed his brow. Etora was not the first person to look at him like that. Jacob, at that moment, remembered he had a job to do. Although he feared her, it was nothing compared to his fear of his boss. Tora is just a young girl. She is nothing compared to the man he reported to.

Jacob had also brought a lawyer with him with papers he had to get her to sign. As Tora held Darren's power of attorney, she could make decisions on his behalf while he was indisposed. He needed to convince her to accept his offer and sign the contract he brought.

A soft smirk formed on his lips as Jacob regained his senses. "Actually, that's not all there is," he said.

He saw her raised her brow, curiously waiting for him as she said nothing. Jacob had dealt with many victims' families after the fact. Whenever there was collateral damage caused by the S7, he would show up with a contract, a check, and a lawyer. The victims always took the money offered by the company because most of them could not afford to sue Rouen. Rouen had a team of lawyers that could spend months in court, while individuals could not afford the attorney fees.

Etora Carlisle would be no different.

Jacob turned to the man beside him. The man opened his briefcase, pulling out a pile of documents.

"Rouen Industries and the Super 7 would like to pay for any damage our mistake may have caused. We can pay for any medical bills. We would also like to make a donation to your family for any emotional or financial distress this incident may have caused you." He opened the small bank book in front of him and ripped out a sheet. With both hands, he pushed the cheque to her. "You can write any amount you feel can help you cope."

Something he learned while working in the entertainment industry was that when money talks, people listen. This woman was no different. No matter how arrogant her attitude, she was only human. There was no way she could turn down a blank cheque.

Tora looked at him incredulously as she could see his thoughts written all over his face. She looked down at the cheque. She already anticipated this move on his part. They would not come to such a negotiation without money.

She smirked and played along. "Well, I thank you for your generosity." She pulled a pen out of its stand to write on the blank cheque. She stole glances at Jacob as she continuously wrote eight zeros behind the one. She smirked when she saw the satisfied look on his face as if she took his bait. She signed the back of the cheque.

"Saint Christopher Hospital, and many charities, thank you for your donation." She grabbed her phone and took a photo of the front and the back of the cheque. "However, I am certain that you would like something else in return for this donation." She checked her bank account to see that the money had uploaded successfully.

"Ah, yes." An unexpected development as Jacob closely observed Etora's actions. She wasted no time to digitally deposit the cheque into her bank account. He had no idea how much money she wrote. Yeah, digital deposits were possible, but in his experience, most people preferred to look at the cheque for a long time to feel good about themselves.

Etora, on the other hand, smiled at her phone before she tucked the cheque away into her blouse. He sat unnerved as he had never been in a situation so alien. He gulped before he continued with his usual script.

"The media and other parties may try to contact you. As you know, our heroes have enemies who try to make them seem more dangerous than they truly are. They may try to ruin their reputations. If you feel like our apology is sufficient, we'd like you to ignore those types of people. They're nothing but liars and opportunists."

He pushed the pile of documents in front of her. Jacob's heart hurt as he realized his mistake. Both he and the lawyer gave her the check before telling her to sign the contract. She may not approve it now that she has the money. But he needed her signature on those papers. He had to try.

"You must agree to the terms of these documents. It states: you cannot talk to the press about this incident or our transaction here today. You cannot testify in Court against Rouen Industries, and you cannot file a lawsuit against Rouen Industries concerning yesterday's incident."

Tora took the document, taking her time to read everything carefully. She finished reading the stack of papers in half an hour. She read and re-read the text again, making sure she did not misread anything or skip any pages. There was no fine print in the document.

"I see no problems with his contract. I understand what it's like to tussle with snakes."

Jacob breathed a low sigh, relieved that she agreed. He always got his way whenever he presented money. He leaned forward, watching her closely as she signed the contract. A satisfied smile formed on his lips. "Thank you for your understanding. You will not regret this."

"I am certain that I won't."

The smile on his face slowly faded as he watched her take out her phone to photograph the documents.

"What are you doing?" Jacob asked.

Tora did not answer. She stood up and went to the copy machine against the wall. She placed the papers in the machine, copying each sheet, each page before returning to the table. She dropped the stack of originals before Jacob and the lawyer.

"It's insurance. I have something to ask in return."

Jacob's face hardened as he swallowed hard. It was the first time something like this happened. Most people knew they could not challenge Rouen, so they would sign the papers and take their money. Since he met her, Etora, the wretched woman, was throwing him off his game. She took photos of the contract and copied it for insurance. What else could she possibly want?

He cleared his voice and looked at Etora. He continued the negotiations. "Please, tell me what I can do for you."

"I think it would be best for you and Rouen Industries to better train your Supers. They use their abilities carelessly and have no sense of awareness. If they can pause in a battle to smile at the camera, then they should be aware of their surroundings enough, so bystanders do not become collateral damage in their battles."

"Electro didn't intend to strike your friend… or that little girl."

"It may not have been intentional; however, he should be well aware that his power is dangerous. It is not the first time he's struck a human with his powers. The super-villains he fights are often subdued by strong electric shocks. I'm sure you know the dangers that pose their biological systems." Tora furrowed her brow. "Darren's heart stopped, and he has constant seizures due to the electricity's interference with his nervous system. I know for certain that Darren is not the first person Electro's lightning has endangered."

She released a breath. "However, I wish for Darren to be the last. I will warn you: control your Supers. I will be watching you like a vulture. The moment they cross the line, the moment someone has to be sent to the hospital because of your carelessness, I will bring the full force of media and the government down on your doorstep. You dug your grave. Do not dig any deeper, or it will only be fitting for me to bury you in it.

"According to those documents, I may not be able to speak, but that does not mean I cannot write. I can find evidence and send a box of it to the Attorney General's office. I can also post articles all over the internet. Nothing in that contact I just signed says I can't.

"That's why I took those pictures. It is so you don't alter the contact. You may also want to say that the photos and my copies are forgeries, but every legal meeting in this room is recorded. It said so on the door. Like I said, I'm used to dealing with snakes."

Jacob sat speechless as he looked at her. Etora had outsmarted him. She threatened him. Her threats to Electro and the Super were threats to Rouen as a whole. He searched her eyes. It did not appear like she was bluffing, but why did she look so confident? Rouen had infinite resources and could make any problem disappear. She looked like a smart enough woman to have known that, so why was she so adamant? How could one woman possibly bring down such a company?

Jacob and his bosses had made a fatal mistake. They believed Tora would be the same as the other people they dealt with and paid off. In a hurry to control the situation, they had done no background research on Etora or her family. They just wanted to pay her to make the problem go away. They went into battle with an old battle plan. While their enemy knew them well, they knew almost nothing about the enemy.

"Now, you may go."

Jacob and his bosses had made a fatal mistake. They believed Tora would be the same as the other people they dealt with and paid off. In a hurry to control the situation, they had done no background research on Etora or her family. They just wanted to pay her to make the problem go away. They went into battle with an old battle plan. While their enemy knew them well, they knew almost nothing about their enemy.

Miriam, who remained silent, merely observing the entire conversation, interjected before Jacob could speak. "Mr. Morrisson, I think that will be all for today." Miriam pressed a button on the table in front of her. "Security will escort you to your car."

Two large men came into the room, standing at the door with their arms clasped in front of them. At almost two meters tall, with broad shoulders in their black uniforms. The men's large, well-formed builds and their military haircuts made their background obvious. They were likely veterans. They could drag him out with little resistance if they wanted.

Jacob took his bag and left the room, followed by the two security guards to the elevator. His thoughts were still filled with the image of that girl. If she had the gall to threaten Rouen, he needed to find out if she had the resources that would make her a genuine threat to the company. He pulled out his phone from his pocket to send a message to his assistant.

"Have someone run a background check on these people: Darren Kershaw, Etora Carlisle, and Doctor Miriam Carlisle."