"I'm not a fan of this place, Chloe," I said standing at the work site fence with my phone to my ear. My eyes roamed the area as an uneasy feeling crept over me. "Something seems off here."
Chloe's voice cut through the speaker, clear as always. "What's wrong, Elena? Did Voss say something strange?"
I shook my head forgetting she couldn't see me. "No, it's not him. It's just a gut feeling. Like... someone's hiding something."
"Elena," she moaned, "don't let those spooky texts get to you. You're thinking too much. The project's got you worried. That's all this is."
"," I confessed, though I didn't believe it was just that. "But the site plans have some odd things. I'll look into it."
"Just watch yourself, okay? Voss doesn't seem like he enjoys being questioned," Chloe cautioned.
"Yeah, I get it," I said glancing around as workers moved about, their actions mechanical, as if they were steering clear of something. "I'll deal with it."
I ended the call and headed towards my team. We were on site to inspect and verify everything matched the approved plans. But something nagged at me, as if I'd overlooked a crucial detail. I couldn't quite figure it out yet.
We began our site walkthrough. Machines hummed in the background, but my thoughts focused on the discrepancies I'd spotted in the documents. The foundation measurements were off. The numbers didn't make sense.
As I surveyed the site, I frowned at the foundation work. "This isn't correct," I said under my breath. The plans indicated one thing, but the actual construction showed another.
I had to talk to Alexander about this, but I could already imagine his dismissive tone. He'd shrug it off, no doubt. Even so, I couldn't ignore it.
Right on cue—Alexander's fancy black car pulled up catching my eye. He got out with his usual self-assurance looking around the site before spotting me. I walked up to him trying to keep my voice calm.
"Mr. Voss, I've noticed some problems with the foundation work," I started showing him my tablet with the plans on display. "The measurements don't line up with the approved drawings."
He glanced at the tablet for a moment and shrugged. "It's a small issue, Miss Russo. These things occur. We've got it under control."
I scowled. "But it might lead to big problems down the road. Shouldn't we tackle it now?"
"Elena," he said, his voice quiet yet firm, "we've managed worse. I'm sure you'll take care of it without blowing it out of proportion."
I wanted to argue, but I held back. Was I just making a mountain out of a molehill? But as I turned to go, one of the workers grabbed my arm. His face was tense with concern, his eyes flicking around as if he feared being spotted.
"Don't tell anyone I said this," he spoke moving closer, "but this place has secrets. People vanish when they pry too much."
I felt chills down my spine. "What do you mean?" I asked.
He released my arm and shook his head. "Watch yourself," he said under his breath before melting into the crowd of workers.
I remained rooted to the spot, my pulse quickening. What did his words imply? And what kind of situation had I gotten myself into?
As I headed back to my vehicle trying to make sense of it all, my phone vibrated. I stopped for a moment sensing bad news. With trembling fingers, I looked at the message.
"If you keep digging, you'll uncover more than you expected."
The following day, I found myself facing Alexander in the identical glass-enclosed conference room, with the urban landscape stretching out behind him. His demeanor was icy, his gaze stern as he clasped his hands on the table between us.
"Miss Russo, I don't like people squandering time on needless worries," he stated, his tone cutting.
I held my ground. "Mr. Voss, I'm not one to waste time. But I also can't overlook warning signs. The groundwork"
"Is in hand," he cut in, his eyes growing colder. "We don't make choices based on gossip here."
"I'm not spreading gossip," I said, my temper flaring. "I'm pointing out real problems in the site plans. Something's fishy."
"Elena," he said leaning in a bit, his voice softening but still carrying a hint of caution, "you should watch your step. You're not privy to everything going on here."
I stopped thrown by his words. His usual calm demeanor cracked just for a moment, and I glimpsed something - was it fear? Weakness? Whatever it was, it vanished almost as as it surfaced.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked trying to get him to clarify.
"I've got this," he said ending the conversation with a firm tone. "Just do the job we hired you for, and I'll take care of everything else."
Anger bubbled up in my chest as I clenched my teeth. Why was he stopping me from looking into this more? What secrets did he have?
I stood up to go, but a folder on his desk caught my eye. The name on it made me pause.
"Isabella Voss."
I had no idea who Isabella was, but Alexander's quick move to hide the folder and his tense expression told me all I needed to know. This was big. And he didn't want me to find out about it.
"We're finished," he stated rising to his feet and moving towards the exit. "Keep your attention on the project, Miss Russo."
I exited his office, thoughts swirling in my head. Something seemed off. Now, the name "Isabella Voss" kept circling in my mind like a riddle I needed to crack.
That evening, in my room, I sat at my computer, my curiosity taking over. I typed the name into the search engine waiting for the results to appear.
One headline grabbed my attention right away: "Isabella Voss: Rich Girl's Unexplained Death Remains a Mystery."
I gazed at the monitor, my pulse quickening. What had I just discovered?