Chapter 45 Jemima Disappears.
“Oh, it seems there’s more than meets the eye.”
Finished
“Yes, Ms. Willis, there’s something you don’t know. The two people you asked about were among the first batch of workers in the factory, a married couple. They were involved in a safety incident at the factory, which left them disabled and unable to work. At the time, to keep the situation from escalating, we negotiated a compensation package with the couple. Interestingly, they proposed to continue receiving their salary for fifteen years on account of their injury.”
I’m amazed at how well you can spin the story.
Jemima pursed her lips, remaining silent for a few seconds. She furrowed her delicate eyebrows, pretending to believe it by nodding along. She then probed further. “Then why didn’t you report it to the company?”
“Ah, those in the office would never understand the hardships of a floor worker. If word got out, it would implicate many people. Finding a job isn’t easy after all. Moreover, there’s hardly any difference between receiving a lump sum and getting it in installments.”
“Mr. Dawson, I can understand your personal motives, but professionally, this is against protocol. And look, because of your actions, the uninformed workers are spooked, thinking there’s a ghost around. Do you know how frightening it is?”
“Indeed, we understand that we’re not following the rules. That’s why we’re hoping to negotiate with you, Ms. Willis. Could you possibly make an exception this once? That way, Mr. Sterling wouldn’t need to fret over such trivial matters. He manages a large corporation. It feels unreasonable to bother him with something so insignificant…”
Jemima pretended to consider his suggestion.
After a moment, she said, “Alright, but I need to meet the disabled couple, just to verify things. If there’s no issue, I won’t
report iL
Camron was stunned, “Sure, no problem.”
It was five in the evening when the business summit concluded. Scott went on to attend the evening banquet hosted by the organizers.
Around eight o’clock, the night ended and he returned to the hotel.
There was a video conference scheduled for the evening. He took a brief rest in his room, preparing to start when Zander rushed in, quite flustered. “Jemima hasn’t returned yet, and she’s unreachable on her phone,” he said.
Scott furrowed his thick brows, his hand poised over the laptop. “Haven’t you been in touch today?”
“No, we agreed to touch base if anything came up last night. She didn’t call me today, so I assumed she had returned to the hotel early.”
“Call the factory and inquire about the situation.”
“Right away.”
Zander immediately made a call. After hanging up, his face looked even more troubled. “The factory said she left around one in the afternoon,” he said. “By my calculations, she should be back by now.”
Scott’s expression grew somewhat colder.
He called off the video conference that was scheduled. Along with Daryl Cohen, the deputy general manager in charge of the factory, he headed toward the plant. At the same time, he instructed the staff at the factory to check the surveillance footage and search the area for Jenitna.
Upon hearing the news, Naomi insisted on going together.
When Scott and Zander left the hotel, they were confronted by a man in a dark blue shirt, whose expression was fierce and intimidating. Several people were accompanying hini.
Scott was absorbed in checking the time, oblivious to his surroundings. Seeing the approaching figure, Zander was taken aback. He quickly stepped forward, positioning himself between his boss and the supposed threat.
“Mr. Stahl!”
2:00 PM –
Chapter 45 Jemima Disappears
The mention of the name made Scott look up.
The gazes of the two men met under the moonlight.
Finished
“Where’s my wife?” Julius was tense, every muscle in his body coiled tight. It was as if he was a lion that had trespassed into another lion’s territory, ready to attack.
“She’s has disappeared.
Scott, with a calm demeanor, answered him.
He was slightly taller than Julius. When he returned the latter’s gaze, his eyes were calm and indifferent, much like the way one would look down at an insect. The inherent sense of superiority he exuded was telling.
“What do you mean she’s disappeared?” Julius‘ fist tightened, his knuckles cracking from the tension.
Fearing that his alpha–male boss would start a fight right at the door, Zander quickly stepped in between the two men
At the same time, he explained. “Here’s the situation, Mr. Stahl. Ms. Willis… she applied for the position of our company’s executive secretary, and now, she is Mr. Sterling’s personal secretary. Early this morning, she went to the factory under our branch office. However, she hasn’t come back and we can’t reach her by phone. We’re about to head over to the factory to look for her. That’s the current situation.”
Applied for the position of secretary? Scott’s personal secretary?
The two pieces of information were already enough to send Julius‘ blood pressure skyrocketing. On top of that, Jemima had gone to the factory and hadn’t returned. Moreover, she was unreachable by phone… Taking in all these events at once simply blew his mind.
Scott’s car was already parked at the entrance. The driver had the car door open and ready. Scott paid no further attention to Julius and got into the car.
His car pulled out of the hotel, closely followed by Julius‘ vehicle.
Zander glanced at the rearview mirror. “How did Julius find us? Mr. Callen clearly covered our tracks well.”
“As long as there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Scott wasn’t surprised, nor was he focused on this at the moment. The most pressing issue was the whereabouts of Jemima. “What exactly did she find out yesterday?” he asked.
