Chapter 40:
My expression tightened. Suppressing my displeasure, I asked, “Why lock the door? Is this… confidential?”
Derek smiled immediately. “No, no, Ms. Frost, please don’t misunderstand. Director Yang just didn’t want this to get out.”
“Oh, so there’s something you’re not telling me,” I said pointedly.
“Yes, Ms. Frost, you see, those two people were among the factory’s first employees, a married couple. They were injured in a work accident and are disabled. To avoid a scandal, we agreed to compensate them. The couple, quite uniquely, asked for fifteen years of disability pay.”
I scoffed internally. This story was way too far-fetched. I feigned belief, nodding and continuing, “Why wasn’t this reported to the company?”
“Well, office workers can’t understand the hardships of the factory floor. If we reported it, a lot of people would be implicated. It’s hard to find jobs here. Besides, a lump sum versus smaller installments is basically the same.”
“Director Du, I understand your perspective, but officially, this violates regulations and procedures. And now look — this has led people to believe the factory is haunted. How terrifying is that?”
“Yes, yes, we know it’s against the rules, so we were hoping Ms. Frost could… give us a pass. It’s a minor issue, no need to bother the President. He’s managing such a large company; it would be unconscionable to burden him with something so small.”
I pretended to consider. “Alright, I’ll meet this disabled couple and verify everything. If everything checks out, I won’t report it.”
Derek paused for a moment, caught off guard. “Okay, no problem.”
Around five in the evening, Evan finished the summit and attended a dinner, returning to the hotel around eight. As he was about to start a video conference, Zach rushed in. “Olivia hasn’t returned, and her phone’s off.”
Evan frowned, pausing. “You haven’t contacted her today?”
“No. We agreed to stay in touch if anything happened. She didn’t call, so I assumed she was back.”
“Call the factory and ask what happened.”
Zach hung up, looking even more concerned. “The factory said she left around one this afternoon. She should have been back by now.”
Evan’s face hardened. He canceled the video conference and, with Zoey, the vice general manager of the factory, went there, instructing the staff to check security footage and search the area. Ann Maxwell insisted on joining them.
