Reduced to Ruins

Another person laughed loudly, "What burning smell? How could anything be burning in this heavy rain? Maybe your nose is acting up!"

"My nose is just fine. Smell carefully..."

"Ah! Fire! Somebody help, there's a fire!"

...

Late at night, a thunderclap exploded, as if it had burst right above their heads.

Su Li was startled awake from her sleep by the thunder, sitting up abruptly.

In that instant, a bolt of lightning tore through the night sky, its eerie light illuminating Su Li's pale face.

"Darling, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?" Beside her, Alexander Hayes also woke up, quickly reaching over to steady Su Li's shoulders.

Su Li, still shaken, looked at Alexander Hayes. She was just about to answer when a rapid knock suddenly echoed through the pitch-black door.

"Who is it!?" Su Li's voice was urgent. She knew no one would dare disturb the Prince and Queen of Qin's rest at this hour.

"Chancellor Evans, it's me, Sean Hayes. There's been an incident at the Textile Works!" Sean Hayes's voice outside the door was edged with urgency.

Lily's expression changed instantly. Another thunderclap exploded overhead, making her whole body tingle from head to toe. She hurriedly dressed and opened the bedroom door.

At the doorway, Sean Hayes hadn't even bothered with a raincoat; rain dripped from his hair and clothes, leaving him looking like a drowned rat.

"Sean, what happened at the Textile Works?" Seeing Sean Hayes in such a state, Lily's heart sank—this couldn't be good.

Sure enough, Sean Hayes brought bad news: "Chancellor Evans, the warehouse at the Textile Works suddenly caught fire in the middle of the night."

"The warehouse caught fire? The goods for the upcoming delivery are all stored there! What about the goods? Were there any injuries?" Lily pressed urgently.

Sean Hayes looked at Lily, dropping to one knee. "I have failed... There were no injuries, but all the goods have been reduced to ashes..."

"All burned..." Lily murmured, stumbling back into a warm, solid embrace. She turned to see Alexander Hayes's worried face and whispered, "The delivery is due soon, but everything's gone. If we can't fulfill this order, the reputation of Qin's textile industry will be ruined, and we'll suffer a major setback..."

Another bolt of lightning split the night sky. Alexander Hayes saw Lily's face, pale as paper.

===

At dawn the next day, Lily Evans and Sean Hayes set out with their guards to inspect the Textile Works.

The female workers hadn't arrived yet, but the warehouse was already surrounded by factory guards.

The warehouse had collapsed in the fire, leaving nothing but ruins. One look told Lily everything inside was completely destroyed.

The rain had stopped, but the charred remains mixed with last night's rainwater, spreading across the ground in a black, soggy mess.

The heavy rain and raging fire had wiped out all traces and evidence. No one could tell what started the blaze.

Lily and Sean stood beside the warehouse. Sean's face was ashen—he never imagined things would end up like this.

Sean knew just how important this order was to Lily, to Qin, and to the Textile Works. That's why he'd doubled the night patrols, hoping to prevent any trouble.

But it still wasn't enough.

Lily stared at the ruins, taking a deep breath.

Behind her, the Female Supervisor and the head guard knelt anxiously on the ground. They knew how disastrous the fire was and waited nervously for Chancellor Evans's judgment.