Run, Scarlet, Run!

Wilmer heard a knock on his door and snapped back into his serious work mode. While Carol was with the children, the CEO decided to take a short nap. Recently there had been too many things requiring his attention both at home and at work. The man barely had any time to rest, much less time for himself. 

"Good afternoon, Mr Wilde. The meeting with the interns has just ended. This is their progress report. If there isn't anything else, I shall return to my desk."

Wilmer nodded and thanked Carol for her hard work before flipping through the contents. He was slightly shocked but incredibly impressed by what the kids managed to dig up. Most of the more damning evidence weren't things that Claire fed into the system for them to sieve out. They definitely exceeded expectations and Wilmer was thinking of moving them out from the admin department to avoid suspicions as well as unwanted attention.

However, before the CEO could plan for anything, the head maid barged into the office with a panicked look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Wilmer asked.

Claire frowned. "The guards reported suspicious activities. Scarlet is currently missing. Jasper is currently with Alex in a meeting with Ms Lawrence. The last person who saw Scarlet said that the girl was seen trying to run away with a briefcase. Her crutches were found in a toilet on the second floor."

Wilmer felt his body turn cold at the news. Claire glared at the CEO with determination burning in her eyes. "Permission to lead the search party and fire when necessary, Sir?"

Wilmer Wilde looked at the ex-commando officer from the special force and remembered the day Claire applied for a position as a personal bodyguard. Jenna wasn't sure if the young lady would be able to cope with her cover job as a maid while watching over Alex and Orita. Initially, the female butler didn't think that Claire could make it but she was proven wrong. The head maid was a fast learner and although she was raised in a military school, she was quick to adapt.

The CEO didn't need to think twice. "Please find her," he pleaded with a hoarse voice.

Without another word, Claire left. Wilmer could only wonder what Scarlet was thinking. They'd already gathered enough evidence to get rid of the mole. He'd also made it very clear to the children that they were not to dig deeper. The mastermind was someone powerful enough to cripple an empire like the Wilde Group. Kidnapping a few children and causing a few convenient accidents to close friends wouldn't be difficult for them. Wilmer and Orita were wary. They didn't want to make enemies with the underworld but with the children diving too deeply into it, he wondered if he'd made a mistake by agreeing to bring them in as interns. Was evidence obtained at the cost of a family member worth it?

Wilmer inhaled deeply and prayed. If he could unwind time, he would have never agreed to his wife's suggestion. If the Wilde Empire fell, with his skills and connections they could rebuild another company. However, if he lost his family... the man would be broken without salvation even with an empire.

Scarlet that foolish kid had better be safe!

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Scarlet was hiding. She didn't mean to stick her nose into places it didn't belong but this time, it was purely by chance. Larissa had called the three of them into a meeting room for a review of their intern progress. It's purely coincidental that Scarlet needed to go to the toilet.

Larissa didn't look pleased with the idea of having two out of three interns going to the toilet so Scarlet went alone, with the help of her crutches. She hobbled along slowly to the nearest toilet located at a quieter side of the building. Nobody really visited the washrooms here because it was near the stairwell to the loading bay. It was also a common spot for cleaners to hang out around when they wanted to kill time and a spot for smokers to take their smoke breaks.

Scarlet was washing her hands when she overheard people talking. At first, she thought that they were cleaners or workers on their smoke break but as she listened to their conversation, she felt like something was off.

"So? Is it ready? You do realise that this is the last chance for you to redeem yourself. If you still cannot get anything useful, consider your days numbered. We've given you enough chances and the boss isn't happy with your lack of progress."

At this point, Scarlet was holding her breath in the toilet. The voices were muffled but still loud enough for her to listen to.

"I got something good this time, I promise! It's the latest news about a big takeover project in the South Asia market. The board has just approved of it and the plan will commence next quarter... I-I have all the details inside a locked briefcase hidden inside the tank of the second toilet cubicle. It took a while for Larissa to hide it there because of three meddlesome kids but she managed to find some time to get it there. It's in the female's toilet on the second floor now..."

Scarlet didn't have to listen to the rest of the conversation and hopped over to the second cubicle. With some difficulty, the girl managed to lift the ceramic toilet cover and saw that inside the water tank was a small briefcase. She didn't think much and grabbed it before hopping off in a hurry.

The noise upstairs attracted the attention of the men in the stairwell. Someone was in the vicinity and there was no way they didn't hear them talking about it.

By now, Scarlet's heart was in her mouth. She had the evidence that could help Wilmer find out who the mastermind was. However, she had a much bigger problem at hand. She was being pursued. Without her crutches, Scarlet grew tired quickly. There was no way she was able to outrun the men now. It would also attract too much unwanted attention if she returned to the office now. The risk of being spotted by Larissa was too high and the admin manager would recognise the briefcase without fail.

Thinking fast, Scarlet darted into a random janitor closet and shut the door behind her. For the first time in her life, the young writer was thankful for her small physique. A regular-sized adult would never be able to fit inside the cramped and smelly broom closet. Alex would also have difficulty fitting into it completely so Scarlet prayed that the people looking for her would not think of checking closets.

As expected, the men found her crutches abandoned in the toilet on the second floor. However, they didn't bother to bring it along with them. Through the gap of the closet, Scarlet remained very still and watched as Mr Collins and a bulky looking man walked past her. The director didn't look pleased. In fact, Scarlet would bet her newest work that he knew who the culprit was. There was only one person in the entire company who was using kid-sized crutches.

The footsteps faded away into the distance and Scarlet relaxed a little. now that the pursuers were gone, the girl had to make a choice. To stay here until she was found or to risk it and run to turn in the evidence to Carol.

It wasn't very comfortable in the broom closet even if Scarlet was safe for now. The young writer didn't know what to do. She knew that everyone would be very disappointed with her for not listening to instructions to stay out of risky business. Carol even made it very clear but just as soon as they'd warned her to stay out of trouble, Scarlet found herself in the middle of a dangerous situation once more.

Occasionally Scarlet would hear people passing by. Sometimes she would hear some activities outside nearby and the girl would fear that her hiding spot would be given away. The worst was when Scarlet heard unfamiliar voices calling out for her name. It was even broadcasted by a lady she didn't know. The entire company was now searching for one missing intern and Scarlet wanted to cry. Currently, there was no way of knowing who was friend or foe.

"Please," she prayed. "Please let Alex or Jasper find the clues I left behind before anyone gets to it!"