Watch Me Win Alpha (Olivia and Ethan) novel Chapter 38

Chapter 38

“Miss Olivia!” he said with a wide grin, extending both hands.

“We’ve heard about you. You’re the one working directly under

Alpha Alexander, aren’t you?”

I smiled politely. “I suppose that’s one way to put it.“”

He chuckled like he already considered me one of their own.

“We were all hoping Alpha Alexander would visit in person.”

I played along, waving one hand lightly. “He’s neck–deep in

summit prep. You know how it is.”

John laughed. “Of course, of course. We’re honored all the

same.”

He then introduced me to the heads of administration and

finance. Everyone seemed eager to make a good impression,

though a few eyes lingered on me a little too long–not with

suspicion, more like nervous curiosity. Still, I kept my tone light

and friendly as John led me on a tour of the facility. The office

was neat. The workshop was noisy and smelled of metal

shavings and sweat. The dining hall was surprisingly spacious.

I asked innocent questions here and there about operations,

staffing, and overtime pay. I occasionally took pictures, telling

them they were for Alexander’s visual records.

When lunch arrived, I chose to stand in line like everyone else and made my way to a long bench near the corner of the dining hall. I set my tray down beside three women in faded uniforms who were clearly startled at first but gradually warmed up to

me as we ate.

“Been working here long?” I asked, stabbing my steamed vegetables with my fork.

“Six years,” said the one with a braid, maybe in her early thirties.

“This one’s been here ten.” She pointed to a shorter woman

across from her.

I nodded thoughtfully. “Ever run into any issues clocking in?”

They exchanged a look.

“The machine’s right at the shop entrance,” said the third

woman. “Sometimes it glitches.”

“No cameras?” I asked.

“Nope,” said the one with the braid. “No one checks.”

I leaned in a little. “I heard something odd, actually. Some say

the factory’s haunted.“”

They stiffened. The braid woman set her spoon down slowly.

“Who told you that?” she asked, her voice low.

1 shrugged. “People talk”

The shorter one whispered, “There are two names that show up

on the register every day. But no one’s ever seen them. Not

once.”

“Jennie Williams and Alan Fraco,” the third added, then quickly

looked around.

I stayed quiet, pretending to pick at my food, while the recorder

in my bag captured everything. They said the shop supervisor

employees here. Good people. Until the accident.”

My brows knit. “Accident?”

“A safety issue–years ago,” he said quietly. “It left them both

with permanent injuries. They couldn’t work after that.”

I looked around the room. No one corrected him. No one met

my eyes either.

John continued. “We offered compensation. Kept it out of court.

But they didn’t want a one–time settlement. They insisted on

monthly wages for the rest of their working years. We agreed…

off the record.”

I crossed my arms. “So for over a decade, they’ve been receiving

salaries as if they were still working.”

“Theywereloyal,” John insisted. “We didn’t want to drag the

company’s name through mud. It’s just two names. Small thing,

really.”

“And Alpha Alexander doesn’t know?”

He hesitated, then gave me a pleading look. “He doesn’t need to. He’s got bigger things to worry about. This is internal. It’s

handled.”

I nodded slowly, pretending to consider it. “Fine. But I still want

to meet them. Just for verification.””

John paused, then nodded. “Of course. I’ll have someone bring

them in.”