Chapter 2 - The Silent Assembly Line
The Caldwell Industries manufacturing plant was a towering monument of black steel and concrete, casting a dark shadow over the outskirts of town. Normally, the facility hummed with the deafening roar of machinery, but tonight, on Christmas Eve, it was eerily quiet. Only a skeleton crew remained.
Ethan strode through the main entrance, his face set in stone. Ella clung to his hand, her small boots squeaking against the polished concrete floor.
"Mr. Caldwell!" The shift supervisor, a nervous man named Marcus, ran up to them, wiping sweat from his forehead despite the freezing draft. "You shouldn't be here. The facility is practically closed for the holiday."
"Where is Scarlett Morgan?" Ethan demanded, stepping directly into Marcus's personal space.
"I—I told you, sir. She must have slipped out through the back door without scanning her card. It happens sometimes," Marcus lied, his eyes darting frantically toward the security office.
"She wouldn't do that," Ella cried out, her small voice echoing in the vast, empty corridor. "My mommy always signs out! She told me she has to, or they won't pay her!"
Ethan’s gaze hardened. "My company has a dual-authentication system. No one exits this building without a scan unless the emergency fire doors are triggered. Were the fire doors triggered last night, Marcus?"
"No, sir..."
"Then she is still inside this building," Ethan said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, quiet rumble. "Or someone made sure she could never leave."
Ethan bypassed the supervisor and marched straight into the security room. He booted up the master server, bypassing the local deletion. As the owner, he had a backdoor encrypted cloud backup. He fast-forwarded the footage from Sector 4 to 1:15 AM the previous night.
The screen showed the assembly line. Scarlett was there, wearing her blue uniform, diligently packing medical equipment. Suddenly, the camera feed flickered. A figure in a heavy winter coat, their face hidden by a hood, approached Scarlett. They pointed toward the basement stairs—the restricted storage area known as Sector 9.
Scarlett looked hesitant, but she nodded and followed the hooded figure down the stairs.
Two minutes later, the hooded figure returned up the stairs alone. They walked straight to the security camera, reached up with a tool, and the feed went entirely black.
But just before the screen died, the hooded figure adjusted their glove. Under the harsh fluorescent light, a brilliant, custom-made pink diamond ring flashed on their finger.
Ethan’s breath hitched in his throat.
May you like
He recognized that ring. It was a one-of-a-kind, five-carat pink Argyle diamond. He had purchased it himself three months ago.
It was his fiancée Victoria's engagement ring.
