Chapter 71 Piecing Everything Together
Olivia's grip tightened on her phone, her heart sinking like a stone, a heavy ache spreading through her chest.
Something happened to Windy again? A surgery or what?
She took a deep breath, pushing down the strange feeling inside, and asked, "What did Henry say?"
"Mr. Brooks is furious. He said we disrespected him. He already canceled the video meeting and even hinted at pulling out of the partnership!" The assistant's voice grew more urgent. "We're at a critical stage in the project. If this deal falls through, all our hard work will be for nothing!"
Olivia closed her eyes for a moment, her mind racing. The partnership with the multinational corporation was crucial; there couldn't be any mistakes. She glanced out the window. The car had already left the city, and the surroundings were growing increasingly remote.
"I got it," Olivia said calmly, her tone revealing little emotion. "I'll finish checking the warehouse as soon as possible. I'll be back to handle this within an hour at most."
"Please hurry, then. I'll try to talk to Mr. Brooks in the meantime, but he's very firm. I don't think there's much hope." The assistant sighed. "Also, I can't reach Mr. Vettel at all. It's all up to you."
After hanging up, Olivia tossed the phone onto her lap, her expression darkening.
Luca was the same as always. Whenever something happened with Windy, he'd drop everything. He even skipped such an important partnership meeting. Did he ever think about how much effort she had put into this project?
Mia sneaked a glance at Olivia's face, secretly pleased, though she put on a fake comforting tone. "Olivia, don't be upset. Mr. Vettel can't help it. After all, Windy saved his life."
Olivia ignored her, only urging the driver, "Please hurry. I'm in a rush."
The driver nodded and pressed down hard on the gas pedal, the car speeding up noticeably.
Seeing that Olivia wasn't responding, Mia wisely kept quiet, though a calculating glint flashed in her eyes.
Twenty minutes later, the car finally stopped at the entrance of Warehouse No. 3 in the suburbs.
The warehouse entrance was deserted. There wasn't even a guard in sight, just a few forklifts parked alone in the corner.
Olivia frowned and checked the time on her phone. It was 3 p.m. on a weekday; it shouldn't be this empty.
"Strange, where is everyone?" Mia got out of the car, looking puzzled as well. "I called the warehouse manager before we came. He said we could just go straight in."
Olivia didn't say anything and walked directly inside.
The warehouse was dimly lit, with rows of shelves neatly arranged, stacked with packed equipment parts. The air carried a faint dust smell, but nothing else seemed out of place.
"Maybe the manager had to step out for something," Mia said, catching up quickly with a smile. "Olivia, my cousin mentioned there's some new core equipment just arrived in the northwest corner. Should we go check it out first?"
Olivia nodded and followed Mia toward the northwest corner.
After a few steps, Mia suddenly stopped and pointed to a small, closed room nearby. "Olivia, I overheard a warehouse worker say there's a machine in there with some glitchy settings. Should we check it out?"
Olivia glanced in the direction Mia pointed. The door to the small room was slightly ajar, looking no different from the other rooms used for storing files.
"Why would equipment be in a file storage room?" Olivia asked, suspicious.
"Maybe it's just temporary storage. The warehouse has been reorganizing shelves lately," Mia explained, stepping forward to push the door open. "Let's check it out. It'll save us a trip later."
Olivia hesitated for a moment, thinking about the multinational corporation issue waiting for her back at the office. She didn't have time to waste.
"Fine, let's make it quick," Olivia said, stepping inside first.
But the room was filled with file boxes—there was no equipment at all.
A strange smell lingered in the air, like the sharp scent of burning chemicals mixed with a sickeningly sweet undertone.
Olivia was about to speak when she noticed a layer of white powder on the file boxes. Her fingertip accidentally brushed against it, and a burning sting shot through her. A wave of nausea hit her, and she covered her mouth, bending over to retch. When she felt a bit better, she wanted to get out of the room immediately.
But as she turned toward the door, there was a loud bang. Mia had slammed the door shut from the outside, and the sound of the lock clicking echoed in the room.
"Mia! Open the door!" Olivia pounded on it, the nausea in her stomach growing worse.
There was no response from outside.
A sinking feeling gripped Olivia.
She banged on the door harder, shouting Mia's name, but all she heard was her own echo.
Just then, the sharp smell grew stronger, and the white powder on the file boxes started to smoke.
"Oh no!" Olivia's heart skipped a beat as she realized what the white powder was.
It was phosphorus!
Phosphorus ignites easily in air when exposed to oxygen, burning at extremely high temperatures and releasing toxic fumes.
She was about to find something to extinguish the source when she saw flames sprouting from several file boxes at once. The fire spread rapidly, reaching the door in an instant.
Thick smoke filled the room, choking Olivia until she coughed violently, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
"Help! Is anyone there?" Olivia pounded on the door, her voice hoarse from the smoke.
She regretted it so much now. She shouldn't have walked into this room without thinking. Was she going to die here, trapped like this?
Just when she was about to lose hope, Mia's voice came through the door, dripping with undisguised mockery. It was cold and vicious, completely different from her earlier eagerness to please. "Olivia, stop shouting. No one's coming to save you here. Did you think the warehouse was really empty? I used your name to give the workers a day off."
Olivia froze, unable to believe it. "You planned this? Why?"
"Why?" Mia sneered, her voice sharp and piercing. "Because you're in the way! You've taken Mrs. Vettel's place and stolen Windy's chances at the company. You think you're so special? You're just a woman who married her way to the top. Luca doesn't even really love you—he loves Windy!"
Mia's voice grew more agitated, full of venom. "If it weren't for you, Windy would've been Mrs. Vettel by now, and she wouldn't have been fired! This is all your fault!"
Olivia's mind raced, piecing everything together in an instant.
The assistant's sudden leave, Mia showing up out of nowhere to suggest they come to the warehouse, and the call from the special assistant...