“Miss Olivia!” he said with a wide grin, extending both hands.

“We’ve heard about you. You’re the one working directly under

Alpha Alexander, aren’t you?”

I smiled politely. “I suppose that’s one way to put it.“”

He chuckled like he already considered me one of their own.

“We were all hoping Alpha Alexander would visit in person.”

I yed along, waving one hand lightly. “He’s neck–deep in

summit prep. You know how it is.”

Johnughed. “Of course, of course. We’re honored all the

same.”

He then introduced me to the heads of administration and

finance. Everyone seemed eager to make a good impression,

though a few eyes lingered on me a little too long–not with

suspicion, more like nervous curiosity. Still, I kept my tone light

and friendly as John led me on a tour of the facility. The office

was neat. The workshop was noisy and smelled of metal

shavings and sweat. The dining hall was surprisingly spacious.

I asked innocent questions here and there about operations,

staffing, and overtime pay. I asionally took pictures, telling

them they were for Alexander’s visual records.

When lunch arrived, I chose to stand in line like everyone else and made my way to a long bench near the corner of the dining hall. I set my tray down beside three women in faded uniforms who were clearly startled at first but gradually warmed up to

me as we ate.

“Been working here long?” I asked, stabbing my steamed vegetables with my fork.

“Six years,” said the one with a braid, maybe in her early thirties.

“This one’s been here ten.” She pointed to a shorter woman

across from her.

I nodded thoughtfully. “Ever run into any issues clocking in?”

They exchanged a look.

“The machine’s right at the shop entrance,” said the third

woman. “Sometimes it glitches.”

“No cameras?” I asked.

“Nope,” said the one with the braid. “No one checks.”

I leaned in a little. “I heard something odd, actually. Some say

the factory’s haunted.“”

They stiffened. The braid woman set her spoon down slowly.

“Who told you that?” she asked, her voice low.

1 shrugged. “People talk”

The shorter one whispered, “There are two names that show up

on the register every day. But no one’s ever seen them. Not

once.”

“Jennie Williams and n Fraco,” the third added, then quickly

looked around.

I stayed quiet, pretending to pick at my food, while the recorder

in my bag captured everything. They said the shop supervisor

had warned everyone not to bring it up again. That even the

timekeepers looked the other way.

That was all I needed.

By afternoon, I had gathered everyone involved–John, the

shop supervisor, the personnel lead, the statistician, and the

ountant–into a medium–sized meeting room near the admin

wing. I smiled as I set my notebook down.

“I appreciate your time,” I said cheerfully. “There’s just a small

matter I’d like to clear up before I submit my report to Alpha

Alexander.”

Everyone shifted in their seats.

“I’d like to meet Jennie Williams and n Fraco,” I said, casually

flipping a page in my notes.

Cha

Dead silence.

No one moved. The room grew heavy.

Then the shop supervisor stood, face unreadable, and walked to the door. I watched his hand reach for the knob as he turned the

lock and quietly shut the door behind him.

Olivia’s POV

I kept my tone calm as I looked at John. “Why lock the door?”

John smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “There are some things better discussed privately.”

I didn’t say anything. Just waited.

He folded his arms and leaned forward. “Jennie Williams and

n Fraco… they’re real. They were among the earliest

employees here. Good people. Until the ident.”

My brows knit. “ident?”

“A safety issue–years ago,” he said quietly. “It left them both

with permanent injuries. They couldn’t work after that.”

I looked around the room. No one corrected him. No one met

my eyes either.

John continued. “We offeredpensation. Kept it out of court.

But they didn’t want a one–time settlement. They insisted on

monthly wages for the rest of their working years. We agreed…

off the record.”

I crossed my arms. “So for over a decade, they’ve been receiving

sries as if they were still working.”

“Theywereloyal,” John insisted. “We didn’t want to drag the

really.”

“And Alpha Alexander doesn’t know?”

He hesitated, then gave me a pleading look. “He doesn’t need to. He’s got bigger things to worry about. This is internal. It’s

handled.”

I nodded slowly, pretending to consider it. “Fine. But I still want

to meet them. Just for verification.””

John paused, then nodded. “Of course. I’ll have someone bring

them in.”