Ashes of Progress // Silco x OC

Chapter 7

The factory seemed louder tonight.

It wasn't just the hum of machinery or the clatter of tools—the noise was different, a sharpness underlying every sound, like the whole building was vibrating with tension. Sera moved with precise, measured steps, her satchel clutched tightly to her side. Her silver hair was hidden beneath her hood, and she kept her head down, eyes fixed on the uneven floor. Even with her gaze lowered, she could feel the stares of the workers around her—glares that burned into her back, eyes that lingered too long, filled with suspicion and resentment.

She passed a group of workers, their voices hushed until one of them spoke a little too loudly, his words cutting through the din.

"Just saying, she's probably the reason the shipments are late," the man muttered, and his buddies chuckled, though their laughter was uneasy. "Topsiders think they can just walk in and—"

"Keep your voice down," one of the others hissed, but the man only shrugged, his eyes darting toward Sera. He didn't bother to hide his disdain. "What's she gonna do, huh? Go crying to Silco?"

Sera stopped. The air seemed to thicken around her, the hum of the machines fading into the background as her heart pounded in her ears. Slowly, she turned, her gaze locking onto the man who had spoken.

"Something you want to say to me?" she asked, her voice low, cold, cutting through the tension like a knife. The man hesitated, the sneer faltering on his face, but Sera stepped closer, her eyes narrowing.

"If you keep running your mouth," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper, "I'll personally make sure Silco knows exactly who's distracting me from improving the efficiency in his factories." She paused, letting her words hang in the air, her gaze never wavering from the man's. "He doesn't like delays—especially not these days. Isn't that right?"

The color drained from the man's face, his bravado crumbling as he took a step back. His companions exchanged uneasy glances, inching away from him, their confidence shattered.

"I—I didn't mean—" the man stammered, but Sera cut him off, her tone icy.

"Then don't say it," she snapped. "Get back to work. All of you."

The group scattered without another word, their footsteps hurried as they moved away, their heads lowered. Sera stood still for a moment, watching them retreat, her heart still pounding, the anger burning hot in her veins.

She turned back to the stabilizer, her hands trembling as she knelt down beside it, her tools sliding into place automatically. She had used Silco's name like a shield, wielded it as a weapon to protect herself—but a part of her couldn't shake the fear that she'd gone too far. What if Silco found out? What if he saw her invoking his authority as a challenge, as disrespect?

The thought sent a chill through her, and her stomach twisted. Silco wasn't a man who tolerated arrogance. He wouldn't hesitate to put her in her place—or worse. But what choice did she have?

She rubbed her temples, trying to focus on the stabilizer in front of her, but her thoughts kept circling back, the tension tightening around her chest. The shimmer shipments were late again, and the timing couldn't have been worse—right when she'd joined Silco's network, right when she'd started fixing the machinery. It was almost too perfect, the way the enforcers had started intercepting shipments, the way the delays had piled up just as she had begun her work.

The whispers weren't entirely unfounded.

She knew she'd made the stabilizers better—more efficient, more reliable—but none of that mattered if the shipments kept getting delayed. Someone was feeding information to the enforcers, and if Silco or Sevika thought it was her, it wouldn't matter what the truth was.