Filed to story: Watch Me Win Alpha (Olivia & Ethan)
I straightened a little in bed. “Alpha.”
Alexander gave me a slight nod, his usual composed expression softening just a bit. “How are you feeling?”
“Better enough to start working soon,” I smiled, just enough to be polite.
Before he could respond, Ethan suddenly stood from the chair in the corner, tapping frantically on his phone. “Sorry, I have to take this. Urgent call.”
He left in a hurry. I didn’t even bother to pretend I cared.
“Thanks Ava,” I muttered to myself.
Gai handed me the bag. “We brought you some fruit and broth from the restaurant downstairs. Thought you might be sick of that hospital menu.”
“Thank you.” I glanced at the contents with real appreciation.
“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 planned it.”
Alexander gave me a slow, thoughtful look, “What else do you think it was?”
“I think…” But then I stopped myself from completing my 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 words landed heavier than I expected. My fingers tightened around the blanket, 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 was laced with amusement. “Just employees?”
I glanced 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-term compensation scam, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I thought they were a disabled couple getting hush money!””
“They’re killed,” Gai said flatly.
I stared at him, confused. “Wait-what?”,
“Yes. Not injured. Not hidden. But killed.”
I blinked, stunned. “You’re saying John and Jimson… committed 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 Alan Fraco-were among the plant’s earliest hires. Something went wrong one day. John got into a violent fight with Alan. Alan 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 claimed it was manslaughter. 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 accident. Then he spread the story that they were alive and just taking medical leave. Sick pay kept coming in. People stopped asking questions.”
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 accountant, 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 shell company. A fake name, fake board members.
Then he started smuggling raw materials, stealing data from the R&D lab. John helped. The accountant forged entries. The whole factory slowly emptied out-people who knew too much were transferred or silenced. He even hired distant relatives 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 plan for so many years without any exposure.”
“You are right to wonder,” he said bluntly. “We should have known about it a long ago.”
There was a moment of silence. We were still trying to digest the fact that John and Jimson had carried out this plan well under people’s eyes for more than a decade.
Finally, I drew in a breath and asked, “So… what now? Will you be replacing the employees? I mean… the plant is practically riddled with problems.””
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?