Chapter 296 Something Is Wrong 

“Hurry! There are tons of people and cars! Go take a look!” 

Outside, townspeople were yelling the news and running toward Dominic’s house. 

Jasper’s face darkened. 

A bunch of country bumpkins. No sense at all. Every little thing makes them panic. 

So what if a crowd shows up? 

Once construction begins, a whole team will roll in anyway. 

But when Alice decided to go check things out, it annoyed him even more. 

How dare she ignore me?! 

“You-” 

Before he could finish, someone rushed into the doorway. 

“Jasper, quick! Something big just happened!” 

Jasper’s expression changed instantly. He dropped Eric and the others and bolted outside. 

Emma looked excited, like she’d just heard juicy gossip. “This sounds serious.” 

Alice smiled helplessly. “Let’s go take a look.” 

More than ten cars were parked at Dominic’s gate. 

+10 Free Coins 

The people who got out were all in uniform, but it wasn’t clear which department they belonged to. 

Not far away, several SWAT vehicles were parked, clearly ready in case things went bad. 

An elderly man standing in the middle of the crowd spoke calmly. 

“Everyone, this hill town is a great place. But for special reasons, development has to stop for now. Please understand.” 

The townspeople immediately exploded. 

They’d already gotten the deposit. 

Once the Martinez Group finished the approvals, the rest of the money would follow. 

And now they were being told development was canceled? 

How was that acceptable? 

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Chapter 296 Something Is Wrong 

The crowd grew agitated, demanding an explanation. 

Some people got so worked up that they nearly lost control and tried to attack those people. 

The scene quickly turned chaotic. 

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Luckily, Dominic’s son stepped in, asking everyone to calm down for his father’s sake and at least listen first. 

Just then, Yvette and her group arrived. 

None of them looked pleased. 

Yvette had always believed this project was guaranteed. She’d just secured new funding. 

The Martinez Group wasn’t what it used to be. 

Money was extremely tight. 

After paying out the deposit, almost nothing was left. 

If that person didn’t invest again, bankruptcy was unavoidable. 

Michael even started suspecting those people weren’t real officials. 

Then he spotted Eric, Alice, and the others. 

He walked straight over, sarcasm dripping from his voice. 

“You really put on quite a show. You couldn’t win fairly, so you played dirty instead. 

“Eric, you used to brag about carrying the Nolan Group. 

“But now you act like this? Can’t even accept a loss? Isn’t that embarrassing for someone at your level? 

“You hired these actors to scare the townspeople and kill the project, didn’t you?” 

At first, Linda also felt something was off. 

But after hearing Michael, it suddenly made sense to her. 

She looked at Eric in disbelief. 

“Mr. Eric, are you really that despicable? 

“If we go through this project, the townspeople will get rich with it. It’s the best opportunity they’ll ever 

get. 

“Are you really that selfish? 

“Do you need every project to belong to the Nolan Group just to feel safe?” 

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Chapter 296 Something Is Wrong 

All the anger shifted onto Eric. 

Alice quietly moved to the back. She rarely got moments this relaxed. 

She just wanted to watch the drama unfold. 

Then Linda turned on her. 

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“Alice, even though you were switched at birth, you’ve lived here for years. Don’t you care about this place at all?” 

She deliberately raised her voice. 

With Dominic’s son calming things down, the crowd was now listening closely. 

Linda continued, “Once the project is finished, people could work right near home. 

“The pay would match city salaries. We stayed up all night planning everything carefully. 

“There are elderly, sick, and disabled people here. We even designed special jobs for them. 

“We want everyone to be able to earn a living.” 

Her words moved the townspeople instantly. 

Some women even started wiping their eyes. 

They usually stayed home caring for kids and couldn’t go to work in the city. 

Their husbands earned money but complained nonstop that the women only spent and never earned. 

Those women desperately needed jobs. 

If the Martinez Group was really thinking carefully about their livelihoods, then they were benefactors. 

But now it was all being ruined! 

Seeing she’d struck a nerve, Linda grew smug and pushed harder. 

“You brought in actors to scare everyone off, didn’t you? 

“Do you even realize what you’ve done? You’ve crushed so many people’s happiness!” 

The townspeople immediately lost their composure. 

“What do you mean? These are actors–not real officials?”