Larry did not have any bodyguard with him, so he had to push through the mob like a lone ranger. He moved through it with much difficulty, listening to the many voices in his ears throwing around the word “interview”. But he took no heed of it all, as he kept muttering to no one in particular, “Excuse me, coming through.”
Once Larry got out of his car, the ruckus downstairs suddenly got so loud that even Caspian, who was upstairs, noticed the oddity. No way! I just got off the phone with him! I told him not to come! How did he make it here so fast?
Caspian wanted to take the elevator down, but it took too long and he did not have the patience to wait. He stomped his feet once and decided he might as well use the stairs. He glanced downwards from the stairway and, as expected, spotted Larry’s tall, distinctive figure amid the crowd, surrounded by pesky media representatives and moving very slowly, with no one there to rescue him.
Caspian clenched his fists. Holding on to the handrails, he sprinted down the stairs, taking two to three steps at a time. When he reached the bottom, Larry barely managed to squeeze into the hall, blocked by a wall of humans. He did not see Caspian, and the latter, who had emerged outside, had lost the patience he once had.
When the commotion started, he still had the patience to confront the journalists and tell them, “Sorry for the inconvenience, but the president is busy. He will not be accepting interviews, but in time we’ll clarify our situation.” Now, witnessing these journalists and their stubborn refusal to back down, with little care for how other people feel, he decided that the time for niceness was over. He charged over, grabbed hold of a random journalist, and swiftly tossed him aside.
He was a soldier once. The skill had not completely left him. Since getting married, he had had one too many peaceful days, and never really had the need to practice. Surprisingly, the situation that day gave him a chance to exercise his muscles. One by one, he lifted the members of the press with ease. It did not matter they were male journalists at six feet tall, or female journalists weighing about a hundred pounds. Caspian picked them up like he was carrying chickens.
After getting rid of the last journalist who got in his way, Caspian spotted Larry who was trapped with no way out. He rushed to his front and gave the scowling journalists a telling off, “Look, you’re all well-known figures of the media. I’m sure you abide by your professional work ethics. The way you guys block the entrance to our company has greatly impacted our operations. If you still have the minimum level of conscience, please leave before we call the police. We will make an announcement about our company affairs in due time.”
Caspian’s statement had not completely fallen on deaf ears. Several journalists actually lowered their microphones, but there were still some restless troublemakers who would not take no for an answer.
“Then, tell us, sir. Why isn’t Mr. Norton, the president, responding to any of this? Why must you stand up for him?” The journalist raised her microphone so high that it almost poked another person in the eye.
Caspian detested these people and wanted to throw them over his shoulder countless times. Fortunately, he had managed to send Larry into the building before the journalists got them. Otherwise, he feared that they would ask more loaded questions.
One troublesome journalist was like a stubborn piece of gum. She stepped forward and clung onto Caspian, leaning towards him with her microphone, its logo facing the camera. It was like she needed the audience to know that she represented a weekly online news agency in Marsingfill.
If it weren’t for the fact that you’re a woman, and I don’t hit women, I would have taken you out moments ago. Gosh, these nosy journalists are even more insufferable than my wife! Those were the thoughts running through Caspian’s mind. He soon realized that the journalists who had previously lowered their microphones were raising them again. Perhaps the irksome journalist’s question happened to be right up their alley.
The situation escalated and got physical really fast. Some had resorted to grabbing Caspian by the sleeve, demanding an explanation.
