Clara's lips twitched up in a quick smirk.
Meanwhile, across town, Quinn was nestled in her luxury car, her mood sour as she eyed the group of farmers surrounding her ride. Seriously, why were they pinning the blame for the spoiled apples on her? She'd already forked over a million bucks to help out these rural folks, and now they had the nerve to ask her to cover the platform's penalty fees, too?
The online platform was getting hammered with negative reviews from thousands of unhappy customers, which meant their fines were extra steep this time around. The farmers were supposed to shoulder these costs themselves. If they didn’t, South Ashford apples wouldn’t see the light of day on the platform again.
Even with her stacks of cash, Quinn had no intention of being the fall guy. She’d been streaming non-stop, and instead of a thank you, they were blocking her car. She wasn't about to budge.
The farmers had initially put their faith in her, especially after she ponied up a million dollars. But people could honestly be pretty self-centered. Those penalties meant they'd be emptying their own pockets, and after busting their butts all year with nothing to show for it, they weren’t about to be swayed by Quinn’s good looks.
"This mess is on you. You owe us an explanation."
"We shipped out tons of apples, and now we're hit with fines?! Where's the fairness in that?"
"Unless you give us some answers, you’re not leaving here!"
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