Chapter 2

Looking at the smug look on Brandon's face—like he already had me right where he wanted me—all the blood in my body instantly surged straight to my head. I shoved away his hand, which was holding his phone. "Go ahead and post it. I'm calling the cops right this instant! We'll wait for them to get here and have a third-party organization conduct an inspection. Then, we'll see whether these are wild Cerulean sturgeon or farm-raised hybrid sturgeons!"

"You're going to call the cops?" Brandon scoffed, as if he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. He then slipped his phone back into his pocket. "Fine by me. Go ahead and call them. I'd love to see whether the cops will believe your stack of papers or the public opinion from my three million followers. When my fans surround your restaurant and splash paint all over your storefront, when you can't run your business anymore, and your daughter gets judged by everyone around her, don't say I didn't warn you!"

Having said his piece, he swaggered away. When he left, he deliberately kicked over the plastic stool by the entrance, startling the stray cat who had been crouching there waiting for leftover fish. It let out a sharp meow and darted off.

He walked to the bus stop across the street and came to an abrupt halt before turning back around. Standing at the entrance of my restaurant, I watched as he waved his phone at me. A sinister smirk tugged at the corners of his lips, and he mouthed the words. "Just you wait!"

I stood rooted to the spot, watching his figure disappear into the crowd. My grip on my phone tightened until my knuckles turned white.

I pulled out my phone and was about to dial emergency services when the customer service phone on the counter suddenly blew up. A relentless barrage of WhatsApp notification chimes began ringing out in rapid succession.

My heart sank. I hurriedly grabbed it and unlocked it.

Brandon's video was already live. Within ten minutes, it had already surpassed 100 thousand likes. The comment section was completely flooded with insults directed at me.

"A ten-year-old establishment is actually selling endangered fish? Absolutely despicable!"

"I went there with my kid last week. If anything happens to my child, I won't let him get away with it!"

"Drop the address! I'm heading over right now to splash paint all over his storefront. Scum like him shouldn't be allowed to run a restaurant!"

A deafening crash shattered the air as a brick smashed a gaping hole through the glass door of my restaurant, showering the floor with shards of glass. Someone outside shouted at the top of their lungs. "Get the hell out of this street, you wicked business owner! How dare you sell endangered fish! Why don't you drop dead already?"

I rushed outside to catch them, but they were long gone. Only half a brick remained lying on the ground, with the word "DIE" painted right on it.

The wail of sirens drew closer from a distance. Inspectors from the market regulatory office arrived alongside officers from the police department.

I recognized the officer leading the group, Officer Miller. He had greeted me before during previous hygiene inspections.

Holding up his body camera, his expression was as dark as a thundercloud. "Peter, we received a report that you're selling protected endangered fish. Please come back with us to cooperate with the investigation."

I hastily pulled out all the documents in my drawer—the purchase invoices, quarantine certificates, breeding permits, my chat history with Justin, and payment receipts—and shoved the thick stack into his hands. "Officer Miller, look! These are all legitimate! These are farm-raised hybrid sturgeon, not wild Cerulean sturgeon. That blogger deliberately spread false information! He even demanded 15 grand from me as hush money!"

Officer Miller flipped through the documents in his hands. When he looked up at me, there was a trace of sympathy in his eyes, but also cold professionalism. "Peter, we'll verify these documents. But the video has already gone viral, and tens of thousands of people are watching. We've been ordered to shut down your restaurant immediately.

"The sturgeons will be confiscated and sent for official inspection. Now, you're coming with us to assist with the investigation."

"Inspection?" My voice trembled from anxiety. "In that case, inspect them now! I'll go with you. If the results prove I'm telling the truth, I'll sue that blogger for defamation!"

The young officer beside us frowned. "The results won't be ready for another 15 working days. The public backlash is already getting out of hand. We've been ordered to detain the individuals involved, shut down the restaurant for rectification, and wait until the results come out."

Those words were like a bucket of ice water, instantly snuffing out every last shred of my hope. I'd miss the entire summer peak season in 15 working days. It was bad enough that my down payment on a house in a great school district had gone up in smoke, but how was I going to pay back my suppliers?