The Tycoon's Odyssey

The new day brought Evan a series of gifts that shook him to the core. His eyes were glued to the laptop screen as he went through the emails.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

Evan had hired a private detective in Bombay to keep tabs on Henna and Migol from afar. He knew this was far from over.

When pushed to a corner, people won't hesitate to bear their fangs, so he needed to stay prepared but…

Now, he had received a message saying Henna and Migol had disappeared. They hadn't checked out of their hotel; they just vanished.

The hotel had filed a complaint with the police, who were searching for them, but so far, there were no results.

For a moment, a hollowness boomed in Evan's heart making him lose his composure. It was agonizingly painful.

What was more astonishing was that the CCTV cameras had been shut off for a few minutes.

It didn't look like a simple matter and seemed to involve something bigger than he initially expected.

While he was processing all this, he got a call from Maria.

"Hello."

"Yeah, I am good.."

"What? Do I need to come back quickly? Why, what happened now?"

Evan, who had been speaking casually while going over the email, froze. After hearing an earful, he hung up and slumped down on his chair.

"Damn! Just what the hell is going on?"

"System, was I born right when many unlucky people died?"

[Host, I can't lie, so I better keep quiet.]

'Fuck!'

Evan cursed his luck and the bastard who was behind all of this.

Just when everything seemed to be going well, another trouble popped out of nowhere to slap him.

Someone had passed out due to food poisoning after drinking tea from his Teabox cafe.

Just whom were they kidding?

Food poisoning from his Spirit Vitalizing tea, which had a great amount of antioxidants?

This was a complete scam….

There was surely a sinister bastard behind all this plot. And because of this, Evan was forced to rush his way back to BBSR before wrapping up things in Bombay.

____

25th February,2023

Upon returning, he immediately called a meeting.

Teabox cafe's biggest branch was in Clubtown Street where they had a large office space.

Evan took his seat at the center of the small round table. Besides him, there was Sam, Maria and Celina.

Maria and Sam exchanged glances and then looked at Evan.

It had only been a week, but the current Evan looked slightly different. As for the difference, it was hard for them to pinpoint.

Though Evan appeared calm, he was growing frustrated with all these small troubles that had been popping out here and there.

Taking a deep breath, he asked Maria for a full report of events.

Two people came to drink at Teabox cafe and fell unconscious, while another had acute dysentery.

They were admitted to the hospital and the Drug safety inspector conducted a test, saying that there might be nefarious substances in our Teabox coffee.

Now they were saying that their products were highly addictive and that was the reason for their unique taste.

"First of all, I am sure that the Drug Inspector has been bought by someone. I am sure of that. Now, as for people, can we investigate them?" Evan shouted in anger, slamming the table.

"We can't. Sir Max said this is troublesome. If we report the case, we will end up in court, and in this process, our name will be ruined. Our only resort is to provide some compensation, and give an apology if we want to finish things quickly, or find a mastermind," Maria muttered, shaking her head in deep annoyance.

Evan rubbed his chin, then eyed everyone, "But before we proceed, I want to know one thing."

"Is there a chance of any of our workers behind all this? What if the people who are affected are innocent and the fault lies with one of our staff?"

Everyone's expression stiffened upon hearing this. Seeing the situation worsening, Celina broke the silence.

"It can be and it can be," saying that she looked at Sam.

Sam swallowed nervously and hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Evan, I tested the samples. I also inquired about the workers and checked the phones. Also, I have been keeping table on the one who made the coffee."

"Also, we have CCTV cameras. Maria and I didn't notice any suspicious activities, so in case we fire them, it could only damage our public opinion further."

Evan rubbed his forehead, feeling a numbing pain.

"Okay, but keep an eye on them."

Evan glanced at Sam with a subtle gaze. He knew that he couldn't destroy the bridge just yet and also suspect Sam.

Besides, he already had a lead on Mastermind.

"Any solutions?" Evan asked.

"We can only go with two solutions Maria mentioned," Celina added.

"I see then..."

"Just compensate for the two affected and post a tweet by making a social media account for now."

"But this won't be enough," Maria said, gnashing her teeth.

As much as she hated to say it, she was the one to be blamed since this occurred under her watch.

She knew that Evan trusted her and had let her manage the business. In fact, he had even talked to her about giving her a high position, but now, she felt that she didn't deserve it.

"I know this isn't enough. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of Indra will likely send us a notice to revoke our license or impose a penalty but..." Evan paused, looking around before continuing.

"We will soon get a solution in that case."

Then they discussed a few other things after which others left, leaving Maria and Evan behind since he wanted to talk to her about something.

"Okay, let's stop now. And Maria, let's talk about Office Space. Have you found any?"

"Of course, here is the file," Maria answered, handing Evan a file containing a list of options.

[ Diamond Avenue ]

Size: 1000 square feet

Number of Rooms: 3

Washrooms: 1

Price: ₹50,000 per month

[ Sapphire Street ]

Size: 1500 square feet

Number of Rooms: 4

Washrooms: 2

Price: ₹75,000 per month

[ Emerald Street ]

Size: 2000 square feet

Number of Rooms: 5

Washrooms: 2

Price: ₹100,000 per month

[...] [...] [...]

Evan went over the list carefully, asking about the pros and cons according to Maria. He also asked her to give him a sample of rooms.

It would take time to visit each location and finalize, but Evan felt that he couldn't delay any longer or that fucker behind this might force him to beg on the street.

It was necessary to create another source of income as soon as possible.

He finalized the one in Emerald Street and asked Maria to finish the procedures, and then start the renovations.