Watching Brother-in-law for a long time before finally daring to stand up pitifully, his swollen face covered in blood, it was unclear how serious his injuries were. John Reed was struggling to restrain himself, but anger was boiling and surging in his heart, his whole body trembling.

After quite a while, John Reed finally thought to have someone send Brother-in-law to the factory infirmary for treatment.

Brian Sullivan glanced at the other employees of the Production Safety Office in the office and said to John Reed, “Secretary-General Reed, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back to the city now.” He held an investigation report in his hand and walked out.

If Brian Sullivan stayed any longer, it would only embarrass himself. Since John Reed couldn’t do anything to him, he naturally hoped this bastard would leave as soon as possible.

John Reed sat there, his face cold, saying nothing, letting Brian Sullivan swagger out; the others were even more intimidated by Brian Sullivan’s presence, not daring to utter a word or step forward to comfort John Reed.

The veteran employees all understood the relationship between Big Mouth Harris and John Reed. Seeing John Reed’s trembling hands, they knew he was on the verge of exploding at any moment. Who would poke this powder keg for no reason? This was definitely not the time to curry favor.

“Where the hell are all the people from the city steel plant?” John Reed exploded, smashing a glass on the table to pieces. So much time had passed, yet not a single leader from the city steel plant had shown up, making him feel both humiliated and angry.

“Director Clark had something urgent and went to Xinjing. Before leaving, he specifically asked Director Harris to receive you, Secretary-General Reed.” An old employee replied cautiously, then added, “Should I go check if Director Cooper and the others are home?” He bent over and walked out, but didn’t return for a long time.

Although the city steel plant had been a mess these past few years, it was still the largest industrial enterprise in Donghua City, occupying a vast area.

Brian Sullivan drove away, and on the tree-lined road from the office building to the factory gate, he caught up with Eric Bennett, Little Lily, and his cousin-in-law Grace Brooks.

“There’s still a way to go to the bus station. Let me give you a ride!” Brian Sullivan drove over, stuck his head out, and said.

Grace Brooks and Little Lily hesitated a bit, but it was hard to refuse; Eric Bennett, not feeling at ease, also got in the car.

Little Lily was like a wounded little animal, silent the whole way. Brian Sullivan only saw her occasionally glance at him through the rearview mirror. Grace Brooks just said a few words of thanks; Eric Bennett didn’t know what to say to Brian Sullivan, so the whole ride was quiet.

When they arrived at the No. 9 bus station to return to Meixi Town, Brian Sullivan stopped the car, looked back at Little Lily and his cousin-in-law Grace Brooks, and said, “The city is used to smoothing things over, so this matter may not have a good outcome.”

Brian Sullivan was no longer the city government secretary who knew nothing. Over the years, he had seen through all the ins and outs of Donghua. Beating up Big Mouth Harris today would at most get him scolded by Mark Brooks, or, at worst, a disciplinary action or a self-criticism—nothing too serious. But the city was unlikely to support a large compensation.

“Get as much compensation as you can; as long as it’s enough for Little Lily to go to college, that’s enough. Don’t insist on anything else. Section Chief Bennett, don’t get into any conflict with the factory over this.”

Brian Sullivan found a pen on the dashboard, tore open a pack of cigarettes, and wrote his phone number on a piece of paper. He was afraid that giving it directly to Little Lily or Grace Brooks would make them uncomfortable, so he handed the note to Eric Bennett: “Section Chief Bennett, if anything comes up, you can call me at this number.”

Watching Eric Bennett, Little Lily, and Grace Brooks get out of the car, Brian Sullivan suppressed the pain in his heart and drove away.

Fortunately, Eric Bennett and Grace Brooks were there to accompany Little Lily, which gave him some peace of mind. Otherwise, with Little Lily only sixteen by Chinese reckoning and not yet fifteen by Western age, living alone and helpless, how could he not worry?

Grace Brooks brushed the messy hair from her face behind her ear. Her face looked a bit haggard, but her features, as if washed clean by water, remained beautiful. Though her clothes were plain, they did not hide her mature and full figure, something the delicate, underdeveloped Little Lily could not compare to.

Grace Brooks didn’t notice that everyone waiting at the station couldn’t help but glance at her. Instead, she stared in a daze at the car speeding away, thinking wistfully: If her husband, Little Lily’s cousin, had such boldness, she and Little Lily, two women, wouldn’t have had to come to the city steel plant to be bullied.

Fortunately, there were colleagues of Ethan like Eric Bennett at the city steel plant to help take care of things. Otherwise, she and Little Lily probably wouldn’t even have been able to get into the office building.

Eric Bennett held the slip of paper with a string of numbers in his hand, and said somewhat bitterly to Grace Brooks and Little Lily, “What Secretary Sullivan said is true. The best outcome may be just to help Little Lily get living expenses for college. Even if that doesn’t work out, Little Lily, you don’t have to worry. Even though Ethan is gone, I, and Ryan, James Harris, and the others, are still your brothers. We will never let you be wronged.”

Saying this, Eric Bennett also felt quite ashamed of his own uselessness.

Under someone else’s roof, you have to bow your head. He had no background, and it was only through his own efforts that he managed to climb to the position of section chief in the Production Technology Department of the Chief Engineer’s Office. The situation didn’t allow him to stand up to people like Tom Clark and Big Mouth Harris.

Watching Brian Sullivan drive away, Eric Bennett couldn’t help but feel a sense of envy.