Chapter 194 194: Petty

{More troll accounts seem to be popping up by the second,} Athena explained, {but for some reason, they seem a little less aggressive than the previous few hours.}Ethan placed a hand above his lips as he silently looked at the outcome. He hadn't even had to raise a single finger and the narrative had changed this much.

Though, there was the rare few that believed and spread the false information that was currently circulating the internet about the Vitaband, but that was inevitable.

You can't change everyone's mind and you don't need to.

"Of course they are," he finally answered, "hey're losing momentum."

"After all, trolls only bark loud when they think the crowd is on their side," he replied simply, "but right now?"

He scrolled through the posts, it was just one genuine testimony after another.

#VitaBandSavedMe rising.

Real nurses were commenting, acctual doctors were countering misinformation and people were willingly posting their medical reports.

"They're starting to look outnumbered," Ethan continued, "and trolls hate fighting uphill battles, it's too much effort."

He tapped the desk lightly.

"And more importantly… the ones funding the trolls are realizing their money isn't going as far as they hoped."

Athena paused as she looked through the bot patterns.

{You're right,} She nodded, {paid amplifiers just decreased by twenty-seven percent within the last forty minutes, funding is being pulled mid-campaign.}

"Mm," Ethan nodded as he leaned back lazily.

Another notification popped up, this time from a legal news forum.

He skimmed it and his smile widened.

"Mm, looks like the hospital is backtracking already."

Athena opened the article.

The same hospital spokesperson from earlier, the one claiming VitaBand caused 'unnecessary alarm', now posted a clarification:

[We regret the earlier statement. We are currently reviewing the accuracy of the case reported, our hospital does not endorse misinformation about medical devices without verified evidence.]

{They folded quickly,} Athena observed.

"They should," Ethan said calmly, "after all, they slandered a medical device without proof, that's lawsuit territory."

{Do you want me to inform the legal team to send them a letter?} She asked with a small smile.

"Of course," he said with a grin, "after all, they gave my customers quite the scare in just a single day of the product being released."

Yup, Ethan Carter was being petty again, there was no way he was going to let it end at just an apology, they had to learn a lesson they wouldn't forget.

And if they somehow survive this, they'd carefully pick their battles.

{You sound petty, right now,} Athena commented before adding, {how bad should we make it seem?}

"More than it actually is," he answered, a small smile playing on his lips.

{Define 'more,'} she asked innocently, though her eyes gleamed with amusement...

This AI was enjoying this as much as her creator was.

Ethan tapped his pen against his desk.

"Make it sound like they caused a nationwide panic," he said calmly, "even though it was, what… two hours of chaos?"

{Two hours and seventeen minutes,} Athena corrected.

"Exactly," he said, "stretch it, exaggerate their recklessness."

{Is that all?} She asked, already knowing the answer to that question.

"No, that's not all," Ethan said as he sat up straighter, "add a section about how their statement may have caused unnecessary panic, discouraged medical compliance, and potentially risked real patient lives."

{And damages?}

"Mental distress, brand harm, false medical claims, and," Ethan tapped his desk lightly, eyes narrowing, "reckless endangerment. That should be enough grounds for us to milk them dry."

Athena nodded.

{Drafting now,} She went silent for a while as she drafted and sent the letter to Lillian, who'll pass it to OmniTech's legal team.

A moment later she asked, {Should I also prepare the public filing? The one that becomes visible the moment they try to deny receiving our letter?}

Ethan's smile sharpened.

"Oh, absolutely. If they try to play ignorant…" he tapped the desk twice, "we'll make it look like they're trying to dodge accountability."

{On it,} she answered before pausing for a short while and asking, {I'm curious, why go this far on someone that's most likely a pwan.}

"Mm?"

{Are you doing this because they endangered patients… or because they annoyed you?}

Ethan smirked.

"Both."

He leaned back, fingers steepled together and his expression filled with satisfaction.

Hospitals were normally difficult to go after.

But one that willingly made a false medical claim?

They had basically walked into the lawsuit themselves.

"Besides," he added, "they'll serve as an example, maybe that'll cause most to hesitate, when they even thinking about plotting against OmniTech Corp."

{I see,} Athena nodded in response before adding, {Lillian sent the letter about fifteen minutes ago.}

"Great, now let's see how soon they fold," Ethan muttered, "my guess? Before noon tomorrow."

{…Actually, you're wrong.}

"Hm?" He was a bit confused at her words, did she want to bet...though he doubted he'd win since she had a bit of an unfair advantage.

Though he could take away that advantage and find a way to win..

But Athena wasn't interested in a bet, rather pulled up a new notification window, which was a highlighted email from the hospital.

A very desperate one.

{They folded five minutes ago,} she said, trying not to sound smug, {they're requesting a private meeting and offering an immediate public apology… along with compensation talks.}

Ethan's brows lifted slightly, before a small smile appeared on his face.

"Already?"

{Mm-hmm,} she nodded, {I believe your terms were pretty convincing.}

"I guess so," Ethan mused, leaning back in his chair as he read through the hospital's frantic email.

They weren't just apologizing, they were begging.

Requesting a private meeting "at OmniTech's convenience."

Offering a full retraction, promising a corrected statement praising the VitaBand's accuracy.

And, Ethan had to smirk at this, mentioning they were "open to compensation discussions for any inconvenience caused."

It seemed their supporter had abandoned them and they were now left to clean up their own mess.

"Ah," he let out a satisfied sigh, "I love when people write the noose for themselves."

{What should I send as a reply?} Athena asked.

"Let Lillian handle it," he decided. "She needs the confidence boost… and crushing a hospital on her own will do wonders."