Chapter 52

Vespera's expression shifted slightly. Suppressing her growing frustration, she kept her composure and asked, "Why did he lock the door? Does my question…" She paused, glancing around the room. "Require confidentiality?" Derek quickly forced a laugh. "No, no, Ms. Gildon, please don't misunderstand. Mr. Westwood didn't mean anything by it. It's just… well, this isn't something we typically discuss openly." "So there's more to this story?" "Indeed, Ms. Gildon. You may not be aware, but the names you mentioned belong to a married couple—some of the factory's earliest employees. Unfortunately, they were injured in a workplace accident and became permanently disabled, no longer able to work. "To avoid any further issues, we reached an agreement with them and provided financial compensation. Interestingly, though, the couple had one condition—they wanted to remain on the payroll and continue receiving salaries for 15 years, even though they were no longer working." An elaborate story in