Chapter 44:
All eyes turned to Evan as he entered the room. The workers in the factory, who had never seen him before, hastily moved aside. Despite their lack of familiarity with him, the sheer authority he carried silenced everyone in an instant.
Evan, his face grim, strode to the center of the conference table. “Have you found her?” His cold, commanding voice reverberated through the room as his gaze swept across everyone present. Silence settled in.
Factory Manager Derek, representing the group, nervously replied, “Mr. President, we… we haven’t found her yet.”
Evan’s piercing eyes focused on him. “You’re Derek?”
“Yes, sir,” Derek stammered, his voice trembling.
“I understand you were the one who met with Ms. Frost today. Therefore, you should know her whereabouts.” Evan’s voice remained calm, but it carried a weight that felt like an invisible pressure bearing down on Derek.
Derek’s heart raced as he struggled to catch his breath, his eyes darting nervously. But he forced himself to answer, “It was I who met with Ms. Frost. I was the one who saw her leave, but I only took her to the factory gate, then returned inside. I truly don’t know where she went after that.”
Evan leaned forward, his finger tapping against the table as his gaze never left Derek. “Truly don’t know?” His voice was low, yet the intensity in it suggested a force ready to crack open the truth. “What if I show you proof you’re lying?”
Derek’s face went ashen. “No… no, Mr. President, I’m not lying! I truly don’t know where Ms. Frost is.”
Evan’s silence was deafening, but it spoke volumes. That single question had already exposed the cracks in Derek’s story. Olivia’s disappearance was undoubtedly connected to the people in this room, and Derek was no exception.
Julian, his fury boiling over, lost his patience. Without warning, he grabbed Derek by the collar and shook him. “Where is my wife? What did you do to her?”
“Who… who are you? Let go!” Derek gasped, struggling for air.
“BANG!” Julian slammed Derek’s head against the table with a force that left everyone in the room stunned. Some attempted to intervene, but Evan’s cold gaze stopped them in their tracks. They knew that Julian’s actions, though violent, had been tacitly approved by Evan himself.
Julian yanked Derek’s head up by his hair, lifting him from the table. His voice was a low growl, full of venom. “Tell me, where is my wife?”
“I…” Derek’s face was bloodied, but he still refused to answer, his terror evident. He could see the look in Julian’s eyes – a look that said if he didn’t speak, he would snap his neck without a second thought.
Derek couldn’t speak. Fear had completely frozen him, and the only thing that held him back from revealing the truth was his overwhelming fear of what Julian might do next.
