Chapter 47
“We’re heading back to New York tomorrow,” Gai said casually. “Everything’s been handled. The mess at the factory’s sorted.”
“Oh?” I raised a brow. “Was it John who finally cracked?”
Gai blinked, then smiled. “Wow! You really don’t miss anything, do you?”
“I had a feeling,” I said, easing back into the pillows. “John’s the
kind who folds under pressure. But I don’t think he was the
brains behind it.”
Alexander tilted his head. “Go on.”
“I think Jimson was the real puppet master,” I said firmly.
“John’s just the convenient fall guy. They had a deal—if
anything went wrong, John would take the fall so Jimson could
protect whatever they were hiding.”
Gai looked surprised. “That’s… exactly what John confessed. He
admitted Jimson planned it.”
Alexander gave me a slow, thoughtful look, “What else do you
think it was?”
“I think…” But then I stopped myself from completing my
Chapter 47.
deduction. “Never mind. I was just following my heart on what might have happened. It’s not like I am that important to listen.””
“You’re wrong,” Alexander frowned suddenly.
I looked up, startled.
His voice didn’t waver. “If you disappeared again… I wouldn’t
have peace until I found you.”
His words landed heavier than I expected. My fingers tightened around the blanket, and I lowered my eyes quickly.
Was he serious?
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My face flushed- hot, ridiculous–and I ducked my head slightly, clearing my throat. “Thank you, Alpha.”
I didn’t expect Gai to have anything more to say, but he
exchanged a strange look with Alexander before casually
folding his arms. There was something smug in his expression,
like he’d been waiting for the right moment to drop a bomb.
Alexander had just said, “I care about every employee,” and Gai tilted his head with mock curiosity.
“Is that so?” Gai’s tone was laced with amusement. “Just
L
employees?”
Chapter 47
I glanced between them, sensing something unspoken. Alexander gave him a warning look, but Gai just smiled wider,
then turned to me.
“Anyway,” he said, rubbing his palms together like a man about
to tell a ghost story, “Olivia, your analysis earlier? About John
and Jimson? You were about 80% right.”
“Only 80?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
“Well,” he shrugged, “you assumed the two ghost workers were
real people hiding due to some long–term compensation scam,
been injured in a factory accident. Then he spread the story that
they were alive and just taking medical leave. Sick pay kept
coming in. People stopped asking questions.”
My voice came out hoarse. “So the workers who were
supposedly injured… were never alive to begin with?”
Gai nodded. “And Jimson used the story to control everyone who got involved. He shared the paychecks with the workshop
Chapter 47
manager, the accountant, even a few security guards. All of them got a piece of the lie.
“But-“I paused. “Why steal so much?”
“Because Jimson got greedy,” Gai said. “About six years ago, he created a shell company. A fake name, fake board members.
Then he started smuggling raw materials, stealing data from the R&D lab. John helped. The accountant forged entries. The
whole factory slowly emptied out–people who knew too much
were transferred or silenced. He even hired distant relatives to
fill fake roles.”
It was more than corruption. It was rot. Deep, systemic rot that
made me feel cold to my bones.
I looked at Alexander, who had been listening quietly. “I wonder
how did he carry out this plan for so many years without any
exposure.”
“You are right to wonder,” he said bluntly. “We should have
known about it a long ago.”


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