Chapter 2

2

Hearing his words, my heart plummeted into my stomach.

The nearest technician for this high-end system was at least an hour away.

"Bennett, are you playing me?"

"How could you say that?"

His voice held a note of smug satisfaction he couldn't quite hide. He was enjoying my desperation.

"Maybe it's fate. Maybe the universe wants you to stay in there and chill out for a bit."

Shelby chimed in, her voice dripping with fake sympathy.

"Elena, since you're stuck anyway, why don't you help our stream?"

"The viewers are saying they want to see the Ice Queen looking a little more… vulnerable."

"The top donor just sent ten more high-value gifts. He said if you do a little dance for us, he'll double it!"

I trembled with a mix of fury and bone-deep cold.

They never intended to let me out.

The lock-out was just a convenient excuse to prolong their cruel entertainment.

"Bennett, do you really think I won't do it?"

I raised the flare gun again, though my hand was shaking so badly I could barely hold it.

"No, you won't."

Bennett's voice was full of arrogant certainty now.

"I know you, Elena. You're obsessed with your job. You care more about this company's bottom line than your own life."

"Last year, you stayed in the warehouse with a hundred-degree fever just to finish an audit. You're a martyr."

"You'd never destroy something this valuable. You don't have the guts."

His words were a knife twisted in my chest.

He knew me, alright. And he was using my integrity to kill me.

"And honestly, I wouldn't recommend it," he added, his voice turning cold.

"I've already messaged Victoria. I told her you were doing a late-night solo audit to ensure the safety of the specimen."

"She even praised your dedication. She said she'd give you a bonus."

"If you destroy that thing now, how are you going to explain it when she gets here?"

He was a monster.

He had rewritten the narrative to trap me.

If I died, it would be a tragic accident involving a dedicated employee.

If I destroyed the cargo to save myself, I would be a disgruntled worker committing sabotage.

Either way, I was the one who lost.

A wave of numbness began to crawl up my legs, spreading through my veins.

My vision was starting to blur, and my head felt heavy.

No. I couldn't die here.

I leaned against a cold rack, forcing myself to stay upright.

"Bennett… please… we're supposed to get married next month…"

I let a note of pleading enter my voice. It was my last gamble.

"If you let me out now, I'll forget everything. I won't say a word."

There was a long silence on the other end.

For a heartbeat, I thought his humanity might win.

But then, Shelby spoke, her voice light and cruel.

"Oh, Elena, you really don't know, do you?"

"Bennett is calling off the engagement. He already filed the paperwork for the venue refund."

"He says being with you is exhausting. It's like living with a block of ice that never melts."

"And besides…"

She paused, the smirk practically audible in her tone.

"I'm pregnant. It's Bennett's baby. We're getting engaged next month."

The world seemed to spin. My mind went blank.

Pregnant?

The wedding was canceled?

This wasn't a spontaneous prank.

This was a calculated, cold-blooded murder.

They wanted me gone so they could step into the life I had built.

"Don't hate me, Elena," Bennett said, his voice devoid of any warmth.

"Hate yourself for being so boring and controlling."

"Shelby is soft. She knows how to take care of a man. She isn't like you."

"Just go to sleep, Elena."

"Shelby will take good care of your career, your house, and your man."

Despair wrapped around me like a shroud.

I slid down the side of the rack, my energy draining away with every second.

Just then, I heard heavy footsteps outside the vault, and an older man's voice called out.

"Bennett? Why are you still here? What's going on in the tech room?"

It was Arthur, the night security guard!

A spark of hope flared in my chest. I grabbed the intercom with all my remaining strength and screamed.

"Arthur! Help! I'm locked in the freezer! Arthur!"