Chapter 2

"You madwoman! Sierra, you're a madwoman! Martin, what should we do? The viewers in the live stream are going wild, and the number one donor even says he wants to see her actually shoot…" Sierra whined.

"Shut up!" Martin yelled back.

"Three… Two…"

Just as I was about to pull the trigger, Martin almost roared out, "Don't! I'll open it! I'll open it right now!"

I breathed a sigh of relief, but my body trembled even more violently from the release of tension.

However, half a minute had passed without anything happening. By now, I was even finding it hard to breathe.

The heavy freezer door remained completely motionless.

Martin's voice came through the walkie-talkie again, "Oops, Sierra, I'm really sorry. I was too nervous just now and entered the wrong electronic lock password three times. The system has automatically locked down.

"Now… we'll have to wait for an engineer to come and unlock it."

After hearing what he said, I felt my heart sink into the abyss. The nearest engineer to the company would take at least an hour to arrive.

"Martin, are you messing with me?" I questioned.

"How can you say that?" His voice held unconcealed delight, as if he was savoring my despair. "This is called fate. God wants you to cool off properly in there."

Lilian also pretended to weakly cut in. "Sierra, since you can't get out anyway, why not go along with our live stream? The viewers all say they want to see the pitiful and frail look of the Ice Queen in the freezer.

"The number one donor just sent ten more rockets and said if you dance, he'll send ten more!"

I shook with rage, though I couldn't actually tell if it was because of the cold or my fury.

They never intended to let me out from the very beginning. The "wrong password" was just an excuse to buy time and continue this cruel live stream!

"Martin, aren't you afraid I might actually destroy this thing?"

I raised the flare gun again, but this time, my hand shook so badly that I could barely hold it.

"You won't," Martin replied.

He showed no trace of panic anymore and only said with certainty, "Sierra, I know you too well. You're very responsible, and you value the company's interests more than your own life. Last time, in order to rush a shipment, you stayed at the warehouse even with a high fever. This time is the same.

"You can't bear to destroy it. You wouldn't dare to."

His words were like a knife, precisely stabbing into my heart.

It was true that he understood me, but he was using my sense of responsibility to put me in a fatal situation.

"Moreover, I advise you not to act recklessly," he added, his voice turning cold.

"I've already reported to Ms. Jameson that you're doing a routine check and that to ensure everything is perfect, you'll be on duty in the freezer area tonight. Ms. Jameson even praised your dedication and said she'd give you a bonus.

"If you dare touch that thing, how will you explain it when Ms. Jameson arrives?"

How shameless! He twisted the truth and blocked all of my paths out.

If something were to happen to me here, it would be an accident as a result of "dedication". But if I destroyed the cargo to survive, it would be "internal theft and malicious sabotage". No matter what the outcome was, I would lose.

A chill rose from the soles of my feet and quickly spread throughout my body, even seeping into my bones. I felt my consciousness beginning to blur and my vision growing dim.

No, I couldn't die here!

I leaned against the cold shelves and forced myself to stand steady.

"Martin… for the sake of our upcoming marriage…" I spoke with a hint of pleading in my voice—this was my last hope. "If you just let me out, I could pretend today never happened."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the walkie-talkie.

I almost thought he would soften, but a casual remark from Lilian completely shattered my illusion.

"Oh, Sierra, you still don't know? Martin has decided to call off the engagement with you. He said being with you was too exhausting, as though he were treasuring an ice block that couldn't be warmed. Besides…"

Lilian deliberately drew out her words, her tone filled with boasting and pride. "I'm already pregnant with Martin's child. We're getting engaged next month."

With an imaginary explosion going off inside my head, I felt my mind go blank.

Pregnant? Martin called off the engagement?

So, all of this hadn't been a spontaneous prank. Instead, it was a premeditated murder. They wanted me dead so they could be together legitimately.

"Sierra, don't blame me," Martin said again, his voice icy and devoid of any emotion.