Chapter 40
My expression changed slightly. Suppressing my displeasure, I said in a low voice, “Why lock the door? Is this… confidential?”
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Derek immediately smiled.“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 making a big deal, we agreed to compensate them. The couple, rather uniquely, asked for fifteen years of disability pay.”
I scoffed internally; this lie was too far–fetched. I paused, feigning belief, nodded, and continued, “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 bunch of people would be implicated. It’s not easy to find a job. Besides, a lump sum payment versus smaller installments is basically the same.”
“Director Du, I understand your personal perspective, but officially, this violates regulations and procedures. And look, this has led unsuspecting workers to believe the factory is haunted. How scary is that?”
“Yes, yes, we know it’s against the rules, so we wanted to ask Ms. Frost if we could… get a pass on this. It’s a minor matter, no need to bother the President. He manages such a huge corporation; to bother him with something so small… it’s… unconscionable.”
I feigned consideration.“Alright, but I need to meet this disabled couple, verify everything. If everything checks out, I won’t report it.”
Derek was momentarily taken aback.“Okay, no problem.”
Around five in the evening, Evan finished the summit and attended a dinner, returning to the hotel around eight. He was about to start a video conference when 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 came up. She didn’t call, so I assumed she was back at the hotel.”
“Call the factory and ask what happened.”
Zach hung up, looking even more worried. “The factory said she left around one this afternoon. She should have been back by now.”
Evan’s expression hardened. He canceled the video conference and, together with Zoey, the vice general manager in charge of the factory, went to the factory, instructing them to check security footage and search the surrounding area. Ann Maxwell insisted on joining them.
