The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride (By Tessa Wren) novel Chapter 35

The Court of Public Opinion

The Court of Public Opinion:

The morning after the Regars scandal broke, the city awoke to a changed world. The revelations about Daniel and his family had spread like wildfire overnight, dominating every conversation from subway cars to coffee shops, from university lecture halls to corporate boardrooms.

By dawn, a crowd had gathered outside the Regars Enterprises headquarters. What began as a few curious onlookers quickly grew into hundreds of protesters. Their angry chants echoed off the glass and steel exterior of the once–proud building.

“Shame on Regars! Justice for the victims!” they shouted, waving hastily made signs bearing slogans like “Corrupt Regars Must Fall” and “No More Corporate Criminals.”

Sarah Lin, a former Regars employee who left the company two years ago due to harassment, was among the protesters. She stood at the front of the crowd, her voice hoarse from shouting.

“I tried to speak up,” she told a cluster of reporters, her hands shaking slightly. “But they silenced me, threatened me with my family’s safety. Now everyone knows the truth about Daniel Regars and his family. It’s… it’s overwhelming, but I feel like I can finally breathe again.”

“Yes, they are bad people,” another victim reported. “They threatened to destroy my family.” She wept. “I can still remember the day I was harassed and assaulted.”

“They must be brought to justice,” another said. “They must face the law and suffer the consequences. We need justice.”

“We need justice,” they all shouted on top of their voice.

Across the city at a coffee shop, truck driver Mike Holloway sat at the counter, shaking his head as he watched the news on the small TV above the coffee machine.

“Can’t say I’m surprised,” he grunted to the waitress. “These big shots think they can get away with anything. It’s about time we do something about it. The evil needs to be stopped.”

The waitress, Jenny, nodded in agreement. “My cousin lost his job when Regars outsourced their factory work. Said it was to ‘ stay competitive,‘ but it looks like it was just to line their own pockets.”

Local politicians rushed to distance themselves from the Regars, with some calling for investigations into campaign contributions they had received from the family. Others saw an opportunity, using the scandal as a platform to push for stricter corporate regulations.

As evening fell, impromptu vigils appeared throughout the city to show support for the victims of Daniel Regars‘ alleged

assaults. In Central Park, hundreds gathered, holding candles and sharing their own stories of corporate abuse and harassment.

In the crowd was Lisa Watkins, a social worker who had been counseling some of Regars‘ victims. “The bravery of these survivors, coming forward and sharing their stories, it’s incredible” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “This scandal has opened up a dialogue that’s long overdue. People are finally listening.”

As night fell, the city buzzed with a mix of anger and hope for change. Families in homes and apartments discussed the scandal over dinner, debating its implications and consequences.

In one such home, high school student Jamal Washington listened to his parents‘ heated discussion, then turned to his laptop to start researching. “I think I know what I want to do my final project on,” he called out to his parents. “Corporate responsibility and its impact on society.

His mother smiled proudly. “That’s great, honey. This Regars business is terrible, but if it gets young people like you thinking about these issues, maybe some good can come out of it.”