Chapter 5 - The Snake’s Celebration
At 8:00 AM the following morning, Derek Bennett stood in the living room of his luxury suburban home, checking his reflection in the mirror. He adjusted his dark tie, practicing his sorrowful expression.
He had spent the night at a high-end hotel downtown, meticulously establishing his alibi. He had sent three text messages to Grace’s phone throughout the night: “Where are you, honey?”, “Getting worried, call me,” and “Heading to the lab to check on you.”
He picked up his car keys and drove to the pharmaceutical facility, preparing to play the devastated husband who "found" his pregnant wife’s frozen body.
When he pulled into the parking lot, however, his heart skipped a beat.
The building was surrounded not by local police, but by sleek black SUVs bearing the emblem of Vance Security, alongside federal investigators from the Bio-Hazard and Safety Commission.
Derek swallowed hard, stepping out of his Mercedes, putting on his panicked face. He ran toward the front doors. "What’s going on here? Where is my wife? She didn't come home last night!"
A tall, sharp-dressed federal agent stepped forward, blocking his path. "Are you Derek Bennett?"
"Yes! My wife, Grace—she was working late here!"
"Mr. Bennett, your facility suffered a major secondary containment breach last night," the agent said coldly. "The main refrigeration vault underwent an internal explosion and electrical fire due to a power grid surge. The entire interior was incinerated."
Derek froze. Incinerated?
"W-what?" Derek stammered, his mind racing. "Fire? In a freezer?"
"The chemical cooling agents reacted with an overloaded electrical line," the agent explained. "The vault was completely gutted. Forensics is currently sifting through the debris, but we have found no human remains as of yet. However, the external camera feeds were wiped clean from your server three hours ago."
Derek’s eyes darted frantically. No remains? Wiped feeds? He hadn't wiped the feeds—he had only turned off the live monitors!
Before he could process the confusion, a sleek black Rolls-Royce pulled up to the curb. The rear door opened, and Carter Vance stepped out, impeccably tailored, stepping into the light with a cold, mocking smile on his lips.
"Hello, Derek," Carter said smoothly, walking up to the shell-shocked man. "Tragic news about your facility. Truly tragic."
Derek’s fists clenched. "Vance. What the hell are you doing here?"
"I own the land, remember?" Carter stepped closer, lowering his voice so only Derek could hear. "And as the principal creditor holding your company’s land lease, I’ve just taken emergency possession of all Bennett Pharmaceutical assets pending the federal investigation."
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"You can't do that!" Derek hissed. "My wife is missing!"
"Then you better hope she turns up, Derek," Carter whispered, his dark eyes boring into Derek’s soul. "Because if she doesn't... I’m going to make it my personal mission to tear down everything you’ve ever touched."
