"Those people have endured things that most of us would be unable to bear," Maryann said. "They've suffered life-changing disfigurement and had to spend a long time in hospital. Their families are furious, and they blame Louisa. But I think she was tricked by Steven. She may not even know the truth about what happened to the protestors."
Alex had no sympathy. "They're greedy people who did stupid things for money," he said. "And we saved many of their lives. The Murdoch family paid them to protest, and now they're trying to blackmail us for more? They can't take from both sides."
"If they want to make trouble, they'll make trouble," Maryann said. "They've been here for two days in a row now, and the employees are very scared. Some of them have already been attacked. The protesters have said that if we don't give them what they want, then they will keep turning up. They've even threatened to burn the building down. It's been very bad for business."
"Have you thought about calling the police?" Alex asked.
"Yes," she replied calmly. "But from their point of view, the protesters are the victims, so they've refused to help disperse the crowds. It's not been easy. Now I just let the protesters do their thing. As long as they stay outside of the building, no matter what they do, I'll ignore it and focus on the safety of my employees. I hope they do try to burn the building down. The minute they go too far, I can make my move."
"Seriously?" Alex said. "It's a brand-new building."
"I know," Maryann said. "But the worse the crime, the easier it will be to send them all to prison. I have the best lawyers and the most comprehensive contacts. Once they've all been locked up, I'll be able to relax."
Alex laughed. "It would be a high price to pay for the sake of a few protesters," he said. "Why don't you try to beat them at their own game? You could send a few of your own people in to threaten them."
"I thought of that," Maryann said. "I've also considered just paying them off. I've tried to negotiate many times, but we've never been able to agree on a price, which is a pity. They're all just too greedy. Their families have already made an alliance. They want a hundred thousand dollars each, or they'll never give up. I pulled the negotiation team straight out of there. Since then, I've called each of the families and offered them a thousand dollars. If they ask for even one dollar more than that, I'll sell the whole company and not give them a dime. Of course, there are other options, but I don't want to use them yet." Maryann was resolute, and although she could appear soft on the outside, her strong personality shone through.
Alex remained expressionless. The difference in amounts was staggering, so they were nowhere near an agreement. He thought the whole thing was a little strange. Unlike last time, she hadn't asked him for help, and she hadn't asked her family what they thought she should do. She seemed determined to solve this problem on her own.
Alex stayed silent, so Maryann continued, "Now they see that there's little chance of the payday they were hoping for, so they've taken to more extreme measures. They surround our off-duty employees and drag them into dark alleys. People are scared. As of today, fifty employees have been beaten to varying degrees, some seriously. We've contracted a whole floor in the hospital to care for them."
She scowled. "But I'm not going to let them get away with it! They're not the victims anymore—if they ever were—we are. I have two cars. One for work and the other for personal use. Just now, my company car was recognized and badly vandalized. The security guards tried to stop them, but I called them off. I need them to maintain basic order."
She shook her head. "These protesters are well prepared. If we use force, they'll send some old, weak, sick, and disabled people to do their dirty work. If we retaliate against them, the press will have a field day with us. The protestors are already feeding stories to the press. It's obvious people are pulling their strings, so for now we're just collecting evidence and waiting for things to play out."
She sighed heavily, relieved to have finished her explanation. "I wasn't going to tell you about any of this, but since you've seen them with your own eyes, I'm glad that I have." What she really wanted was a shoulder to lean on, but she felt like she had to present a strong, calm front.
After the incident with the Thorntons, Maryann had hoped Alex would continue to help her, but Alex had always been too lazy to care what was going on with her.
"You've had to deal with a lot," he said. "I don't know how you've managed to deal with it all. Most people wouldn't have to overcome so many challenges in a lifetime. You have come through them all, and it's extraordinary."
Maryann was stunned and excited. She hadn't expected Alex to speak so highly of her. She was used to him treating her with indifference.
Alex had decided to give her a break because the people surrounding her building had the upper hand, and there were dozens of them. She had waited patiently instead of striking out at them. It was a brave move.
Maryann was convinced that the situation would slowly turn to her advantage. In the meantime, she was thinking of the long-term security of her people and her company.