“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 nned it.”

Alexander gave me a slow, thoughtful look, “What else do you

think it was?”

“I think…” But then I stopped myself frompleting 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 wordsnded heavier than I expected. My fingers tightened around the nket, 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 wasced with amusement. “Just

L

employees?”

I nced 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–termpensation scam,

right?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I thought they were a disabled couple getting

hush money!“”

“They’re killed,” Gai said tly.

I stared at him, confused. “Wait–what?“,

“Yes. Not injured. Not hidden. But killed.”

I blinked, stunned. “You’re saying John and Jimson…mitted

murder?”

Alexander exhaled sharply, as if he’d been holding it in. Gai

nodded.

“It happened about fifteen years ago. That couple–Jennie

Williams and n Fraco–were among the nt’s earliest hires. Something went wrong one day. John got into a violent fight with n. n ended up dead. Jennie saw it happen. She tried

to run. John chased her. She didn’t make it far”

My stomach twisted. “He killed both of them?”

Gai looked grim now. “That’s what he eventually confessed. He imed it was manughter. Panic. Self–defense gone wrong”

I covered my mouth, feeling sick. “Why didn’t he turn himself

in?”

“Because Jimson found out,” Gai replied. “And Jimson… saw an

opportunity.”

I remained silent, absorbing every bit of the details, curiously.

Gai continued.

“Jimson helped John cover it up. No police, no press. Just silence.

In exchange, Jimson made John pretend the couple had only

been injured in a factory ident. Then he spread the story that

they were alive and just taking medical leave. Sick pay kept

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

manager, the ountant, 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 shellpany. A fake name, fake board members.

Then he started smuggling raw materials, stealing data from the R&Db. John helped. The ountant forged entries. The

whole factory slowly emptied out–people who knew too much

were transferred or silenced. He even hired distant rtives 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 n for so many years without any

exposure.”

“You are right to wonder,” he said bluntly. “We should have

known about it a long ago.”