Chapter 400

Hannah halted briefly, the faintest trace of amusement tugging at her mouth. "I just came back from Warehouse No. 3," she remarked casually."Managed to uncover quite a lot,in fact."

Warehouse No. 3? Leonard's artificial grin froze instantly. His gut churned as dread clawed at him with sharp insistence.

He forced his voice into an imitation of command,but the quiver riding underneath betrayed his unease. "Who instructed you to head over there?Who cleared you to leave your assignment? You're brand new here; you lack the faintest clue about warehouse operations! What in God's name were you doing poking around?"

Hannah nudged her black-rimmed glasses up her nose with measured composure, the icy gleam in her stare making his delivery stumble. "No one cleared

me," she answered calmly. "But as I'm still on probation, Mr. Yates, and survival here depends on proving initiative. I need to understand the trade.Contribute something tangible."

Her head angled faintly, her features easing into something almost questioning, almost guileless, as she held his gaze unflinchingly. "Otherwise, if someone were inclined to tag me as 'idle' or 'uncommitted' simply to rationalize dismissal,wouldn't that be a little unjust?"

Heat surged through Leonard's cheeks. His hand jabbed at her, fingers trembling wildly as fury and dread fed the shake. "You... You're spewing garbage!When did I ever-"

"Why the agitation, Mr. Yates?" Hannah interjected seamlessly, her tone sharp as a razor. "Worried I stumbled into something you'd rather stay buried?"

The strike landed. His pitch climbed a nervous octave."You-you dare talk back to me? Get yourself back to your station. Immediately!"

Hannah remained motionless. Her words flowed with flatness and unyielding authority. "I haven't finished speaking.Why would I return?"

She allowed the silence to breathe for a moment and then dropped the hammer. "Inside Warehouse No.3,I uncovered critical irregularities-management gaps,conflicting records, and undocumented faulty consignments. These are not trivial mistakes."

Her declaration landed like an explosion. A current of alarm swept visibly through the department.

Marissa's complexion drained. Leonard looked as though he'd had the wind punched from his chest.

Leonard snapped, voice tearing upward into a ragged scream. "Rubbish! You're completely out of line! The warehouse is none of your damn concern. If something's wrong, you bring it to me, privately.Got it?"

"I'm afraid that won't work, Mr. Yates," Hannah answered, unshaken and absolute. "The problems I discovered involve central material batches,

concealed rejects, and stock sheets clashing with system records. That moves this far beyond an internal sweep."

Her arms crossed, eyes steady and cold. "By company rules, I must escalate directly to the department manager or higher. You lack the authority to handle this directly."

Gasps crackled across the room. Several employees exchanged stunned glances. Natalie had slammed shut any door Leonard could slip through.

"You-you're full of crap!" Leonard's composure collapsed utterly. Perspiration shone across his forehead, his bulk rattling with fury and the edge of fear. "I run this team! I decide what gets reported.And if you sidestep me,I'll-"

"You'll what?" The commanding baritone came from the doorway.

The entire floor froze at once. All attention shot toward the entrance. There stood Calvin Briggs, the department manager, his expression a thunderous

storm. It was plain he had heard at least Leonard's frantic ultimatum.

Calvin's eyes scanned the room, pausing briefly on Leonard's blotchy, stricken face before settling on Natalie with a hint of scrutiny.

"Leonard," Calvin said at last, his tone deceptively calm but heavy as judgment, "who exactly were you threatening just now?"

"Mr. Briggs-no, you've misunderstood!" Leonard babbled, dragging a sleeve across his wet brow."I wasn't-I didn't mean it that way-"

Calvin's gaze dipped toward the ID badge on Natalie's lanyard, his voice crisp, procedural,unbending. "Natalie, did you just claim to have uncovered major problems in Warehouse No. 3 that must come directly to me?"

"Yes, Mr. Briggs." Hannah inclined her head slightly,her delivery steady, professional. "The situation within Warehouse No. 3 is critical and demands swift intervention. I've already drafted some preliminary notes."

"Very well. Tomorrow morning at ten, I expect your account personally." His focus cut like ice toward Leonard, his command sharp as steel. "You and Leonard, together with the senior data analytics leads, will attend this session in my office."

Calvin allowed a breath of silence before adding, his tone edged with authority. "Until then, any detail regarding Warehouse No. 3 is to remain classified.No individual-and I repeat, no individual-will leak or contact warehouse staff privately. Do you all understand?"

"Y-yes!" Leonard sputtered, ducking his head in immediate submission.

As Calvin moved to depart, his gaze lingered on Natalie briefly. Something unreadable flickered behind his stern facade, a subtle complexity."Natalie," he concluded, his voice low, deliberate, "I remember you now. Don't let me down tomorrow."

"Yes, Mr. Briggs," Hannah answered smoothly,her

demeanor composed.

Once back at her station, Hannah immersed herself in structuring her notes. Yet, an unease clung to her -the memory of Calvin's gaze left her unsettled,as though beneath that look lay something she couldn't quite define.

For the moment, the turbulence inside the Data Analytics Department ebbed into uneasy stillness.

At the same time, elsewhere, Erica was already moving to find Claude.