Chapter 31 Kidnapped

Chapter 31 Kidnapped

Grace fastened the tracker in the hidden compartment of her bag, her expression calm and determined. "Don't worry, in broad daylight, they wouldn't dare make a move openly. I'm going to test the waters."

The two exchanged a knowing look.

Grace pushed open the car door and stepped out. In her high heels, she walked toward the factory entrance with full confidence.

Inside the factory, there was a stale smell of engine oil and dust.

Grace showed her credentials as the Executive Secretary to the President of Starlight Entertainment and made her way straight to the finance office without any obstacles.

"Pull out all the original purchase receipts, transaction records, and worker payroll details for this year." Grace set her bag on the desk and stared coldly at Sam Weber, the Finance Director sitting behind the desk.

Sam was a pot-bellied middle-aged man. Seeing Grace suddenly show up, beads of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.

"Grace, this... this isn't proper procedure. Auditing the books requires Mr. Hall's signature." Sam's eyes darted around, trying to buy time.

"I'm here on behalf of Mr. Wilson." Grace planted her hands on the desk, looking down at him with a gaze sharp as a knife. "What, do I need to personally call Mr. Wilson and have him discuss proper procedure with you?"

Sam's face stiffened. He forced a laugh. "Grace, you're joking. I'll get them right away."

Before long, Sam brought over several thick stacks of ledgers and piled them in front of Grace. Grace pulled out a chair and sat down, opening the books and cross-checking them at lightning speed. Her memory and sensitivity to numbers were exceptional, and she quickly spotted several unreasonable large expenditures in the accounts.

Sam stood nearby, watching Grace's skilled auditing, his anxiety growing. He bit his lip, picked up a cup of freshly ground coffee from the desk, and pretended to be courteous as he offered it to her.

"Grace, you must be tired from auditing. Have some tea..."

Just as the cup was about to reach Grace's hand, Sam's wrist suddenly jerked, and the coffee splashed straight toward the core ledger on the desk.

If the ledger was destroyed, there would be no evidence!

However, Grace was already on guard. Quick as lightning, she snatched the core ledger away.

The coffee spilled on the desk surface, splashing onto Sam's pant leg.

"Ouch!" Sam gasped from the heat.

Grace stood up and looked at him coldly. "Director Weber, with hands shaking like that, maybe you should retire early? If anything happens to these ledgers, what do you think—would Mr. Wilson report it directly to the police and have the economic crimes unit investigate?"

Sam's face went pale. He apologized repeatedly with a forced smile. "It slipped, my hand slipped..."

Grace ignored him. Not only did she audit the books, but she also took advantage of going to the restroom to walk around the factory's production floor.

The workshop environment was terrible. Workers were assembling a batch of props.

Grace keenly sensed something was wrong. The accounts showed purchases of imported high-grade wood and eco-friendly paint, but what the workers were using was clearly cheap composite board and harsh-smelling inferior paint.

She calmly approached the waste area and rummaged through a trash bin for a moment, actually managing to piece together a real purchase receipt.

Not only that, she also learned from several workers who were complaining privately that they hadn't been paid for three months, yet the accounts showed wages had been paid on time and in full.

Inflated costs, substituting inferior materials, withholding workers' wages.

The huge difference all went into the pockets of upper management. This was Starlight Entertainment's biggest money laundering loophole!

Grace's heart beat slightly faster. She quickly took out her phone, photographed the real purchase receipt and key data from the ledgers, and copied them onto the mini USB drive she carried with her.

Having obtained the core evidence, Grace didn't linger and gathered her things to leave.

Just as she walked out the office building door, a group of people blocked her path.

Leading them was Warren Hall, Vice President of Starlight Entertainment.

He was a smiling tiger, but his eyes held a venomous glint.

Behind him were several burly security guards, subtly forming a surrounding formation.

"Grace, you must be tired after auditing all morning." Warren walked forward with a smile. "It's almost lunchtime. I've reserved a private room at the restaurant next door. Join me for a meal?"

Grace tightened her grip on her bag, her expression indifferent as she declined. "No need, Mr. Hall. Mr. Wilson is waiting at the company for me to report back."

But Warren wouldn't take no for an answer. The smile on his face faded somewhat, and his tone carried a hint of force. "Grace, you're not giving me any face. Since you're in such a hurry to leave, I can't force you to stay. How about this—I'll have my driver take you back. It's the middle of nowhere, and it's not safe for a woman alone to get a cab."

Grace glanced toward the gate.

Dylan's car was parked in a blind spot not far away.

If she refused forcefully now, Warren might make a move right here.

To avoid alerting them and successfully get the evidence out, she could only comply for now.

"Then I'll trouble you." Grace nodded.

A flash of triumphant coldness crossed Warren's eyes. He waved his hand, and a black business van slowly drove over.

Grace opened the car door and got into the back seat.

The car door closed, blocking the view from outside.

The vehicle drove smoothly out of the factory.

Grace leaned against the seat back, her hand quietly reaching into her bag, preparing to press the tracker to send Dylan a signal.

However, at that moment, a faint sweet, cloying scent drifted out from the car's air conditioning vent.

Grace inhaled a breath and immediately felt her head spin with dizziness.

She suddenly realized something was wrong and struggled to open the car door, but her limbs felt like they were filled with lead—she couldn't muster any strength.

"You..." Grace gritted her teeth, staring hard at the driver in the front seat.

The driver looked at her coldly through the rearview mirror without speaking, simply locking the car doors.

Her vision began to blur. Her phone slipped from her powerless fingers and fell onto the floor mat.

Grace cursed inwardly but ultimately couldn't resist the powerful drug effect. She completely lost consciousness and slumped limply in the back seat.

Dylan sat in the driver's seat of the Maybach, his eyes fixed on the black business van leaving the factory. He keenly sensed something was wrong—Grace's posture when getting in the car was too stiff, completely unlike her usual efficient and composed manner.

He immediately started the engine and floored the gas pedal to follow.

However, just as the Maybach passed the corner at the factory gate, a light truck loaded with scrap wood suddenly came charging out from a side road.

A violent crash tore through the air. The front of the Maybach was hit hard, and the airbags deployed instantly.

The car was forced to stall, its tires screeching against the ground with ear-piercing black marks, raising a cloud of dust.