Chapter 264

Chapter 264

He wasn't comfortable letting her handle the emergency alone, especially since it involved investigating the factory. How could he feel at ease if he wasn't by her side?

But Olivia gently raised her hand to stop him. She could handle the factory visit herself with the staff she had.

"It's fine, I can deal with it here. There's something more important I need you to do."

Her expression was serious as she said this. Andrew immediately stood up straighter, a sense of responsibility washing over him.

The way she said it made it sound like things couldn't move forward without him.

"What is it?"

Even Andrew didn't realize how serious his own tone was when he asked.

"If the raw materials at the factory really are the problem, given our current shipment volume, our existing stock won't be enough to cover us. That means Holden's materials are both an opportunity and a lifeline for us right now."

Olivia's thinking was clear. Even before they got to the bottom of things, securing a reliable source of raw materials could only be good for Lantine Jewelry.

Andrew understood her reasoning and gave an approving nod.

"Got it. I'll follow up with Holden as soon as possible. From what I know, the Anderson Group and Holden have been leaning toward renewing their contract in other areas recently. I'll head back to the Anderson family in the next few days."

It sounded like he was reporting to Olivia, but really, Andrew was sneaking in a heads-up about his own plans.

Olivia, with her mind completely on work, missed it entirely. All she could think about was moving fast.

"Good. No time to waste — let's head out now."

With that, Olivia got straight into the car the warehouse manager had arranged, and the whole group set off toward the factory.

By the time they reached the factory, it was already evening. The three guys each had their role — one driving, one in the passenger seat navigating, and one sitting next to Olivia, barely daring to breathe the whole way.

"When we get there, keep a low profile. Try not to reveal who we are."

"Yes, ma'am."

The moment Olivia spoke, the guy sitting next to her felt his face go red. He hadn't even caught what she said — his mind was completely taken over by the faint scent that had drifted his way.

It wasn't until the guy in the passenger seat started frantically signaling him that he snapped back to reality and realized he was the only one who hadn't responded.

"Don't worry, Ms. Smith, I'll protect you!"

That made Olivia laugh. She turned to look at him — he seemed a few years younger than her.

"What's your name? How long have you been here?"

"Bryce. Tomorrow makes three months."

Bryce was a man of few words. Unlike most people, he didn't look out the window during the ride. He sat perfectly upright the whole time, eyes straight ahead, like a statue.

"Alright. Good."

By the time the car reached the factory gate, it was completely dark outside.

What caught them off guard was that this was an unannounced inspection — no one in management had been notified. Yet the entire factory was lit up, and from a distance they could see workers loading cargo onto trucks one after another.

Standing nearby was a man in a suit, watching over things like a foreman.

"Come on, hurry up! Get it loaded and you can go home. Otherwise you're all staying late!"

He glanced into the truck bed — after all this time, it wasn't even half full.

At the mention of overtime, the workers picked up their pace, quickly loading a batch of rough, defective goods onto the truck.

Watching the workers load and unload without following any safety regulations, Olivia's expression darkened.

"I'm going to take a look. Wait in the car."

Bryce's instincts told him something was off, but when he glanced over at the security booth, he held back. The guards would surely recognize the boss — they wouldn't give her a hard time.

Olivia figured the same. She pushed the door open and stepped out. She'd barely taken a few steps when the guard on duty rushed over, waving his hand aggressively to drive her away.

"No parking here! Move your car now! You're blocking the entrance — do you know how much trouble that causes for the transport trucks?!"

The guard was sharp and impatient, waving both hands as he moved toward Olivia.

His words only deepened Olivia's suspicion. She frowned and shot back coldly,

"The factory hasn't taken any new orders these past few days, and no purchase orders have come from the warehouse either. Why would there be transport trucks?"

She had just confirmed the warehouse's schedule with Bryce before getting out of the car — there was absolutely no need for restocking or transfers.

The factory should have been shut down by this hour. So why were trucks coming and going?

The others in the car were watching Olivia closely. The moment they saw the guard aggressively closing in on her, Bryce was already out of the car and standing in front of her.

"Ms. — Ma'am, what's going on?"

He'd almost called her Ms. Smith, then remembered Olivia's instructions not to reveal their identities. He caught himself just in time.

"You're the driver, right? Parking's not allowed there — move the car before the trucks come out and you block the road."

Seeing that Olivia had a man with her, the guard's tone softened slightly — though only slightly. He was still rude.

Bryce didn't move. He turned his head to read Olivia's expression.

While the two sides were at a standoff, two large empty cargo trucks slowly pulled up outside the gate and came to a stop alongside Olivia's car.

The moment the guard made out the license plates, he hurried over with quick little steps. The driver rolled down the window and exchanged a few quick, hushed words with him. The exact words were hard to catch, but what was clear was the instant transformation on the guard's face — the tense, hostile look vanished, replaced by a fawning smile as he pressed the gate button without hesitation.

The heavy factory gates slowly swung open, and the two empty trucks drove straight in without any trouble.

Once that was done, the guard turned back to Olivia and her group, his attitude worse than ever. He stepped forward and shoved his hand out, pushing them away.

"Get out of here while the other guards aren't here yet. The factory's got something important going on tonight — no outsiders allowed. Leave now or I'm calling for backup!"

He looked like he was about to physically push them. Bryce stepped forward immediately, planting himself firmly between the guard and Olivia.

"You'd better think twice. Do you know who we are?"

"I don't care who you are! I said no entry, and that means no entry!"

The guard was furious at Bryce's threat, and though he wanted to get physical, he was wary of Bryce's solid build.

Olivia stood her ground, back straight, eyes cold as ice.