Dominic surveyed the room as he entered. Those in his path scrambled aside in a panic. The factory staff had never seen the corporation’s new president before, but the moment he walked in, his commanding presence was enough to take control of the room.

With a stoic expression, Dominic made his way to the head of the conference table. “Has she been found?” His gaze swept across the room, cold and unyielding. No one dared to speak. Silence would only make things worse. As the factory manager, Derek held the highest rank in the room, so the responsibility fell squarely on him. One by one, the others turned to look at him. Dominic’s chilling gaze followed. Derek’s pulse quickened. Whether it was fear or the sheer weight of the man before him, he couldn’t tell.

“N–No. We haven’t found her yet, sir.”

“You’re Derek Chavez?”

“As I understand it, you were responsible for hosting Ms. Gildon today. That means you should be the one most familiar with her whereabouts.” Dominic’s voice was steady and deep, devoid of any emotion—but it carried a suffocating pressure, an invisible force that weighed on everyone in the room.

Derek’s heart pounded in his chest. He forced the words out, his breath shallow. “Yes, I was the one who hosted Ms. Gildon and I escorted her out. But I only walked her as far as the factory gates. After that, I went back inside. I swear, I don’t know where she went.”

“Are you sure about that? What if I have proof you’re lying?” Dominic replied. He leaned in, his towering frame casting a long shadow over the table. His long, slender fingers pressed firmly against the surface as he fixed Derek with an unrelenting stare. A deafening buzz filled Derek’s head. His tanned skin turned ghostly pale.

“N–No! Mr. Reid, I swear, I’m telling the truth! I really don’t know where Ms. Gildon went!” It was a hopeless situation, but out of sheer instinct, he couldn’t help but try to defend himself. Around the room, the other factory workers who knew the truth barely kept their composure. Some kept their heads down, while others sat frozen, drenched in cold sweat, afraid to make a sound.

Dominic remained silent. He had only thrown out a bluff—yet they had all exposed themselves. Vespera’s disappearance was no accident. These people knew something.

Luke, who had been silently observing, felt a surge of fury erupt inside him. Without hesitation, he leaned forward and seized Derek by the collar. “Where is my wife? What did you do to her?”

“W–Who the hell are you? Let go!” Derek gasped, his breath cut short by the crushing grip.

All of a sudden, a sickening sound echoed through the room as Luke smashed Derek’s head against the table. The impact was so brutal, it sounded as if his skull had fractured. The room plunged into stunned silence. A few people instinctively moved to intervene, but before they could, Dominic’s icy gaze swept over them like a blade, pinning them in place. In that instant, it became clear—Luke’s actions had Dominic’s approval. No one dared to move again.

Luke tightened his grip on Derek’s hair, yanking his head back with a brutal jerk. His face twisted with unrestrained fury, a demon incarnate. “Talk. Where is my wife?”

Blood trickled from Derek’s nose and mouth, his face a battered ruin. He wanted to cling to his lies, but the moment his eyes met Luke’s, he knew—one more false word would be his last.

“If you’re that eager to die, I’ll be happy to oblige.” Luke wrenched his head up again, ready to drive it straight into the table.

“Okay! Okay! I’ll talk!” Derek’s scream was soaked in desperation; one more hit, and he knew he wouldn’t survive. His head hovered mere inches above the table.

Luke pulled him back upright. “This is your last chance.” The threat sent a shiver down Derek’s spine—but he wasn’t the only one trembling. Around the room, his accomplices felt their chests tighten. They wanted to intervene, to stop this before it spiraled further. But the second they so much as flinched, Dominic’s gaze sliced through them like a blade. One wrong move, and it would be over. But if they let Derek speak, they were doomed all the same.

The air grew heavy with suffocating tension. “Ms. Gildon… she… she’s at—”