Not A Small-Town Girl

"Danielle and the others walked out of the office. Both Howard and Vivian looked upset after learning their daughter had been mistreated at school.

"Vivian turned to Joseph and said, "Joseph, call your brothers. Let’s hold a family meeting tonight. Everyone who can make it should come. We need to discuss organizing a homecoming party for Danielle. I want everyone to know she’s the daughter of the Darling family."

"Alright," Joseph agreed. He had been planning to discuss this with his parents. Danielle had been back for some time now, and it was time to make this official.

Just then, a phone started ringing urgently.

"Danielle glanced at her phone. It was a call from Lyla.

“Miss Darling, there’s a problem with our new skincare products. Several people claim that it ruined their skin. They’ve brought a bunch of reporters and are making a scene at our company.

“I went downstairs to try to calm them down, but it didn’t work, and they were getting more agitated. Our PR team is already negotiating with them, but these people are insisting in front of the media that our products have caused their skin problems. On top of that, a few other customers have shown up, saying they developed skin conditions from wearing our clothes.

"Skin issues, allergic reactions, and now a flood of media surrounding the building. Its chaos. We’ve deployed all our security just to keep them from storming upstairs.

“The PR team wants your input. Should we call the police or handle this quietly?" said Lyla.

Danielle frowned. She had been using the new products herself, and they worked perfectly. The skincare products were specifically designed for problematic skin, and this was the first she had heard of anyone having an allergic reaction to their clothes. The fact that the two groups of people arrived at the same time strongly suggested someone was behind it.

"Have you confirmed that they actually used our products and bought our clothes?" asked Danielle.

Lyla replied, "Yes. They’ve shown purchase receipts and even posted videos online of their skin issues, claiming it’s from our product. They also provided third-party test results showing our product contains prohibited ingredients that caused the damage.

“As for the clothing complaints, they’ve also produced receipt and testing which shows the fabric we used is of substandard quality and causes skin ulcers with prolonged wear."

“Are these third-party test agencies reliable?" Danielle asked, sensing how well-prepared these people were.

Lyla answered, "The agencies are well-known and have excellent reputations."

“Our products can’t possibly contain prohibited ingredients. I personally worked on the formulas, and they were released through proper channels. If there was a problem, customers would’ve reported it long before this. These two groups are clearly prepared. Talk to them and find out what they want. I’ll head over right away," Danielle said.

"After hanging up, she quickly explained the situation to David and her parents.

“Danielle, let us come with you. Obviously, these people are targeting your company. Having us there might help resolve things more quickly if any problems arise," Joseph said with concern.

Danielle glanced at everyone. She knew they would worry if she refused. "Alright, let’s go together."

*****

At Grace Group, a girl wearing a mask complained tearfully in front of the camera, "I’ve always been a big fan of Grace’s products.