“May I say something?” she asked cautiously. “Of course, we need to find Secretary Celina, but accusing the factory staff without evidence isn’t fair. You haven’t reviewed the security footage or called the police yet, and now you’re threatening to fire everyone if she isn’t found. That’s unreasonable.”
I narrowed my eyes dangerously. “How do you know I haven’t reviewed the footage or gathered evidence?”
The question hung in the air like a razor’s edge.
Sebastian
Zoe sank back into his chair, his voice strained but laced with defiance. “Accusations without any proof? If you intend to remove me from my position, Alpha Sebastian, just say it outright. There’s no need for these baseless claims.”
My patience shattered abruptly, like a brittle twig snapping under winter’s weight. “I’m asking you about Secretary Celina’s whereabouts!” I barked, slamming my fist onto the conference table. The sharp sound reverberated through the room, cutting through the tense silence like a gunshot.
In an instant, I shifted from my usual calculated coldness to a raw, seething fury. Zoe’s eyes widened in fear, his pupils dilating noticeably, but he quickly masked it, forcing a brave front. “I have no idea where Secretary Celina is! If you’re accusing me, Alpha Sebastian, show me the proof!”
His words carried a veneer of confidence, but the subtle quiver in his voice betrayed his nerves. I reined in my anger, my face hardening into an icy mask. The chill radiated from my expression, sinking deep into my core as my suspicions grew darker.
I had deliberately provoked him, hoping to catch a reflexive reaction. Unlike Thomas Dunn’s panicked response, Zoe’s demeanor betrayed no genuine shock-especially when I hinted I might find Celina. For a brief moment, a smug flicker of relief crossed his face.
Could it be that Celina really was nowhere to be found?
My hand clenched into a tight fist, knuckles blanching under the pressure.
“I have what some might call an unfortunate habit,” I said, lowering my voice to a dangerous whisper. “I protect what belongs to me. Anyone who dares to harm someone under my protection-proof or not-will face a particularly unpleasant fate. Zoe, you seem eager to experience that firsthand.”
Zoe swallowed audibly, meeting my gaze with forced composure.
“Alpha Sebastian,” he said with a strained sincerity, “I understand your concern about Secretary Celina’s disappearance-we’re all worried. If you need a scapegoat, pointing fingers at Thomas Dunn and me… well, we won’t protest.”
He gestured around the room. “But please, don’t punish the others. They’ve done nothing wrong.”
Everyone here had dedicated themselves to this company. Punishing loyal employees over some… pretty face… would only crush morale.
As he spoke, tears glistened in his eyes-crocodile tears, clearly designed to manipulate. The uninformed staff in the room visibly softened, their disapproval of me radiating in waves.
This was exactly what Zoe intended: to sway everyone’s emotions, especially Amara’s.
And sure enough, Amara’s face darkened with jealousy.
I remained motionless, radiating a deadly calm, an aura of lethal cold surrounding me.
Just then, Beta Sawyer returned from a phone call. He hurried to my side, his face lighting up with news, and leaned in to whisper, “Thomas Dunn has confessed. Celina is being held at his family estate.”
“Alpha Xavien will lead the search,” I ordered quietly. “Take some men and comb the area within a five-mile radius of the estate.”
“But the estate is right by the ocean,” Beta Sawyer reminded me.
A sharp pang struck my heart.
The cold inside me deepened, sinking into my very bones. Disposing of a body in the ocean would make recovery nearly impossible.
Without waiting for further questions, Beta Sawyer swiftly left the room to carry out the orders, organizing a search party to sweep the surrounding area.
Everyone in the conference room watched our brief exchange and Beta Sawyer’s hurried departure with curious, questioning looks.
“Any news about Secretary Celina?” Zoe asked, feigning concern.
I caught the fleeting smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth before he could hide it. For a moment, I envied Alpha Xavien’s straightforward approach-smashing this vermin’s skull first and asking questions later had its appeal.
“Indeed…” I drawled, watching Zoe’s face tighten. “Are you afraid, Zoe?”
He hesitated briefly, then forced a laugh. “What would I have to fear? If she’s been found, I should be celebrating! Finally, my innocence can be proven. This is excellent news.”
“Is Secretary Celina really that important?”
Amara finally snapped.
She slammed her purse onto the table with such force that papers scattered across the surface. “Since I arrived, I’ve heard nothing but you worrying about some other woman!”
Her eyes blazed with jealousy. “You’ve never been this concerned about anyone before.”
I lifted my gaze to meet hers directly.
My expression was stern-commanding without raising my voice. “Do you even know why she came to the factory, or why she disappeared?”
“That’s ridiculous,” Amara scoffed, her voice sharp and defensive, like an animal cornered. “I’m the general manager of this branch. Why should I care about a secretary who’s barely been here three days?”
Her voice cracked with pain. “But you-the CEO of the entire company-causing all this fuss over a secretary? Anyone would think she was your mate, not just an employee!”
“Amara,” I said coldly, “if you devoted even a fraction of the attention you waste on me to your actual duties, maybe your mind wouldn’t be so dull.”
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“I can’t believe I’d humiliate myself like this over Celina,” she whispered. “Yes, I’m dull-witted. I don’t deserve to be general manager. I’ll resign immediately!”
She pulled out her phone and called my father, Alpha Yardley, putting the call on speaker for everyone to hear.
I watched silently, making no move to stop her.
As soon as the call connected, Amara poured out everything that had happened, her voice trembling with emotion.
She painted me as a tyrant, tormenting everyone and protecting a newly arrived secretary, while casting Celina as a dangerous seductress who had bewitched me.
Zoe loudly comforted her, making sure his voice carried clearly to my father. His words dripped with manufactured sorrow.
“Alpha Yardley,” he sighed dramatically, “if General Manager Amara resigns, I will resign as well. Better to leave on my own terms than be removed. At least I’ll keep some dignity.”
With both of them threatening to quit, others in the room chimed in, claiming they would resign too.
Amara, seeing how quickly the situation spiraled, began to realize she was being manipulated. She glanced nervously toward me, but I stood firm with my arms crossed, completely composed, ignoring her gaze.
“Sebastian,” my father’s voice came through the speaker, “what do you have to say about this?”
I finally spoke, my voice calm and steady like still water, but cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
“Father, haven’t you noticed that the performance you’re witnessing is exactly the real face of what this inspection was meant to uncover?”
My words stripped away all pretense, exposing the ugly truth beneath.
Amara’s face flushed through shades of red and purple.
“You’re the one who’s lost all reason over a woman!” she accused. “You’re mixing personal feelings with business! Why are you protecting her? Why do you care so much? Have you fallen for her? She has a husband!”
“AMARA!” I barked sharply.
My eyes filled with disappointment as I stared her down. “Is there nothing in your mind besides romantic entanglements? I asked if you knew why Secretary Celina came to the factory, but you don’t even care to find out. All you care about is whether I like her or am interested in her.”
I took a deep breath. “Yes, I do care about her right now, because she uncovered problems you failed to notice in two years! She was sent here to investigate the accounts on my behalf!”
Amara froze, but stubbornly pressed on. “Just because she claims there’s a problem doesn’t mean there is one! Just because she found something doesn’t mean she’s right!”
Zoe quickly backed her up. “I agree with General Manager Amara. Who says there’s actually a problem just because she says so? Even if there were accounting issues, why didn’t she inform the company first? Why not tell General Manager Amara? She just wanted to impress you, Alpha Sebastian!”
“Because the company has a traitor like you!”
A weak female voice spoke up from the doorway.
Everyone in the room froze, stunned by the sudden revelation.
Celina
All eyes snapped toward the doorway where I stood, drenched from head to toe, my face ghostly pale, and fresh scrapes marking my forehead and cheeks. Despite the battered state I was in, I could feel the weight of their stunned, recognizing gazes pressing down on me.
I leaned heavily against the doorframe, my energy nearly drained. The sharp pain from the deep cut on my leg pulsed with every beat of my heart, but the fierce fire of revenge simmering inside me burned hotter than any physical agony.
Alpha Sebastian’s eyes widened, sparkling like distant stars against the night. Without hesitation, he rose from his chair in a smooth, deliberate movement and approached me.
“Celina… you’re alive,” he breathed out, relief thickening his voice.
I managed a weak, weary smile. “Looks like I’m tougher to kill than they expected.”
He exhaled sharply, “Thank God it was my leg that took the hit, not my head against those rocks.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Zoe’s face draining of color. His expression of disbelief confirmed everything-he had assumed I was dead, not standing here, exposing him.
Alpha Sebastian’s sharp gaze caught sight of the blood-soaked towel wrapped tightly around my thigh. “You’re hurt. We need to get you to a hospital right away.”
“The business comes first,” I insisted stubbornly, my eyes locked on Zoe’s pale face. “I can hold on.”
He studied me silently for a long moment, clearly weighing the situation. Finally, he nodded curtly.
“Take it slow,” he murmured, slipping an arm around my shoulders to steady my trembling form.
The warmth of his body was grounding, a steady anchor amid the chaos, but every step sent a stabbing pain through my leg. Sweat quickly dampened my back as I staggered slightly.
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