I stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of the branch office, my gaze fixed on the city outside as I slowly sipped my coffee.

The atmosphere in the room was suffocatingly tense.

When the two senior managers entered, I gestured toward the sofa without looking back.

"Sit."

The moment they sat down, I finally turned around and looked at them calmly.

"So," I said evenly, "tell me what happened."

The manager in charge of the warehouse straightened immediately, looking visibly nervous. Sweat lined his forehead as he spoke.

"CEO Blackwood, this matter is my responsibility. But I personally checked everything the day before the incident. All the safety systems and equipment were functioning normally."

He paused before continuing carefully,

"As for the deceased employee... no one expected him to drink during working hours, especially inside the electrical control room. His coworkers tried persuading him to stop, but this kind of thing has never happened before..." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

I lowered the coffee cup slightly.

"So you’re saying," I asked calmly, "nothing was wrong with the electrical room... yet a fire still broke out?"

"..."

The manager’s face instantly turned pale.

He shifted uncomfortably under my gaze.

If those employees had truly wanted to stop him, they could have.

Clearly, no one had taken the situation seriously until the fire erupted.

And afterward, fearing responsibility, they simply pushed all the blame onto the dead man.

The office grew even quieter.

Steve Harts, who was in charge of the branch, finally spoke up. He had rushed over from Velaridge City overnight the moment the incident happened, hoping to minimize the damage before things escalated further.

Unfortunately, by the time he arrived, the situation was already out of control.

"CEO Blackwood," Steve said seriously, "what’s done is done. The most important thing right now is calming public opinion and minimizing the company’s losses."

"Afterward, I’ll personally visit the deceased employee’s family to discuss compensation privately."

"That’s the most prudent solution for now."

I shifted my gaze toward the branch director sitting nearby.

The man stiffened immediately.

"I agree with Director Harts," he replied quickly. "First, we need to reduce the public backlash. Then we can privately negotiate compensation with the family."

"If this continues escalating, it’ll be extremely damaging to the company."

I remained silent for a few seconds, lightly tapping my fingers against the coffee cup.

The media pressure...

The stock market chaos...

The online outrage...

None of that truly concerned me.

What bothered me was something else entirely.

The missing employee.

According to the survivors, he had been inside the warehouse before the fire started.

Yet after the explosion, he vanished completely without leaving behind a single trace.

Something about it didn’t feel right.

And instinctively—

I felt that man was the key to everything.

I looked between the two of them calmly.

"Reporters are already focusing all their attention on Blackwood Dominion Enterprises," I said evenly. "Do you really think quietly settling compensation will suddenly change public opinion?"

Neither of them spoke.

"If we handle this privately now," I continued, "then what happens the next time a similar incident occurs? Do we solve it the same way again?"

My gaze darkened slightly.

"And what about the missing employee?"

"If we rush to settle compensation before the investigation is complete, people will only become more suspicious. The pressure surrounding his disappearance will increase even further."

The office fell silent.

"The company does not like becoming an easy target," I said coldly. "If this incident is truly our responsibility, we’ll compensate willingly."

"But if it isn’t..."

My tone turned firmer.

"Then Blackwood Dominion Enterprises will not take the blame for something it didn’t do."

The branch director subconsciously glanced toward Steve.

Seeing my attitude, Steve sighed quietly before nodding.

"Then we’ll proceed according to CEO Blackwood’s approach," he said.

He turned toward the branch director.

"The reporters are already downstairs waiting. Be careful with your wording when speaking to them. Don’t sound overly aggressive... but don’t appear weak either."

"We’ll wait for the police investigation results first."

The branch director immediately nodded.

"Understood."

Just then, a knock sounded from outside the office door.

"CEO Blackwood."

Jane’s voice followed shortly afterward.

"Come in."

Jane entered quickly, carrying several documents in her hands.

"CEO Blackwood, the government agency has responded. They want to meet with you this evening."

I nodded slightly.

"I understand."

In truth, the online outrage and compensation issue were secondary concerns to me.

What actually mattered...

Was whether the government intended to use this incident to pressure Blackwood Dominion Enterprises.

That was the real reason I personally came to B City.

As for the missing employee—

The police were still searching.

Steve seemed visibly relieved after hearing the update.

"In recent years, the branch’s safety inspections have all passed without issue," he said. "As long as the investigation proves that, things should gradually stabilize."

"Right now, the priority is restoring order as quickly as possible. Every extra day this drags on costs the company heavily."

The branch director hurriedly smiled in agreement.

"With both you and Director Harts here personally, I’m sure everything will turn out fine."

I didn’t respond immediately.

Instead, I lowered my eyes toward the city outside the windows once more.

<<<<<>>>>>

Three days later, the situation surrounding the warehouse fire had finally begun settling down.

At the private airport, I walked toward the jet with one hand tucked into my coat pocket, the cold wind brushing past me.

In truth, we could have returned to Velaridge City yesterday.

But I deliberately stayed an extra day.

Perhaps because...

I didn’t know what I would face once I returned.

Over the past few days, I had once again witnessed firsthand just how terrifying public opinion could become.

People online were driven entirely by emotion.

They made endless speculations, spread rumors recklessly, and once a narrative took shape, even evidence became meaningless.

No matter how much explanation was given, someone would always refuse to believe it.

For the first time, I truly understood how helpless Alicia must have felt during those days.

Back then, when the entire internet branded her as the other woman...

How desperate must she have been?

Did she quietly read all those comments alone?

How did she feel?.

I couldn’t help but wonder,

Has she seen the interview already?

And if she did....then

What is she thinking ?

When I agreed to that television interview, I hadn’t done it for the company.

Nor was it simply to calm public opinion.

Deep down, I only wanted one thing

To publicly acknowledge Alicia’s existence.

To let everyone know that she was my wife.

Sometimes, rumors were just rumors.

The truth could only truly be understood by the people involved.

As for Lilian...

In my heart, our relationship had always been about compatibility and responsibility.

After everything that happened back then, I genuinely believed I should spend the rest of my life making it up to her.

If Lilian hadn’t been the one to end things first...

Then perhaps the woman standing beside me today really would have been her.

But there were no "what-ifs" in life.

Lilian chose to leave.

And afterward...

I married Alicia.

A woman who could make me willingly put work aside just to stay with her.

A woman whose sadness could genuinely make my chest ache....