DETACHED

Chapter 24: Pressure 2

The Riverside construction site was unusually quiet.

Amara stood near the unfinished structure, her eyes fixed on the section Daniel had been examining since they arrived. She crouched slowly, running her fingers along the edge of the concrete before looking back at the drawings in her hand.

"This doesn't match.".Daniel stood beside her, breathing heavily after the hurried drive to the site.

"I noticed that too." Daniel said

Amara unfolded the original structural plan and placed it against the revised copy.

Her eyes moved between the two.

"This wasn't in my design." She said aloud .Daniel leaned closer.

"Are you sure?" He asked

Amara gave him a sharp look.

"I drew it.".Daniel immediately stepped back.

"Right." He nodded

She studied the structure again. Something had been changed. Not enough to be obvious from a distance, but enough to affect the load distribution.

Amara stood.

"Who approved this?"she asked

Daniel shook his head.

"I don't know."

"Find out." She commaned

Daniel turned toward one of the workers.

"You. Who instructed you to make this change?"The worker hesitated.

"Mr. Henderson's people." Amara's expression hardened.

"Henderson?" The worker nodded

"They brought another set of instructions yesterday." Amara looked at Daniel.

"Get me his number." Daniel pulled out his phone.

"Already have it.".He handed it to her. Amara dialled.

The call connected after several rings.

"Mr. Henderson."

"Amara." His came through

"Did you authorize a change to my structural design?" She asked calmly

There was a pause.

"Yes." The voice sais

Amara's jaw tightened.

"You changed the design without consulting me?" She asked again

"It was a minor adjustment." Mr Henderson said

"There's no such thing as a minor adjustment when it affects structural loading." Amara said calmly as she could

"We needed to make the construction process easier." Henderson said.over the call

"Really".Amara let out a bitter laugh

"Hmm". Henderson replied

"And now we have a structural fault." She followed her words

Harrington became quiet. Amara continued.

"You should have contacted me before making that change."

"We didn't expect it to cause a problem." Henderson argued

"That's exactly why you consult the engineer." Amara fired.

Daniel watched Amara carefully. He had seen her angry before..But this was different.

She wasn't shouting..She was calm. And somehow, that was worse.

"We'll correct it," Harrington finally said.

"No." Amara looked toward the structure.

"We'll correct it properly." She ended the call.

Daniel raised an eyebrow.

"That went well.".Amara ignored him.

"Bring me the measurements."

The workers immediately moved. For the next several hours, Amara remained at the site. She checked every measurement herself. She reviewed the drawings repeatedly and supervised the corrections personally. Daniel stayed beside her, helping wherever he could.

By midnight, the immediate problem had been corrected. But Amara wasn't satisfied.

She stood several feet away from the structure, studying it under the harsh construction lights.

"We'll check everything again in the morning." Daniel stared at her.

"Morning?"

"Yes."

"Amara, we've been here for hours."

"I know."

"I'm exhausted."

"So am I.".she said coldly

"Then why are you still standing?" She looked at him.

"Because we're not finished."she replied and went back to work

Daniel sighed.

He already knew arguing would get him nowhere.

Morning arrived before either of them had properly rested. Daniel looked exhausted.His shirt was wrinkled, his eyes were red, and his stomach growled loudly as they prepared to inspect the esite again. They slept in the temporary made workers lodge

Amara glanced at him.

"Let's go."

Daniel stared at her.

"I need food."

"We'll eat later." She replied wearing her shoes

"I haven't eaten since yesterday." Daniel complained

"You'll survive." Daniel frowned.

"You say that like you're not human." Amara ignored him and walked toward the structure.

He followed reluctantly.

The inspection took another hour. Amara checked the corrected section, compared the measurements with the original drawings, and finally nodded.

"Good."

Daniel released a breath.

"Can we go now?"

"Yes.".she replied walking towards the car

"Food?"

"Office." Daniel stared at her in disbelief.

"You are unbelievable."

Amara entered the car without answering. Daniel followed, clearly irritated.

Neither spoke during the drive back to Apex.

The office was already waiting for them. Drawings covered the conference table.Reports were stacked beside computers..Everyone looked exhausted. Amara walked in and placed the Riverside plans on the table.

"What happened yesterday cannot happen again." She said

The room became quiet.

She explained the new procedures.

No structural change would be accepted without Apex's approval.

No outside contractor would alter their designs without consultation.

Every modification would be documented.

Every site supervisor would report directly to the engineering team.

The rules were necessary.

But the team was tired.

Very tired.

Lila finally spoke.

"Amara..".Amara looked at her.

"We need a break.".Lila cried out

"We have work." Amara replied not looking at her

"We worked through the night." Lila said

"I know."Amara replied with her head still down

"Then please let us go home for a few hours. Amara shook her head.

"The government project is starting soon. We don't have time to waste. Lila stared at her.

"Do you ever get tired?" Amara didn't answer.

Lila's frustration finally broke through.

"We're exhausted, Amara."

The room went silent.

Amara finally raised her head, her expression ice cold . Lila picked up her bag.

"I'm going home." She announced She walked out.

Daniel looked at the door, then at Amara.

He said nothing. He simply picked up his things and followed her. Zoe and Jenna soon left as well. One by one, the office emptied. Amara remained behind..She stood alone among the unfinished drawings and scattered reports..For a moment, she looked toward the empty desks.

Then she pulled out a chair.

Sat down

Opened her laptop.

And continued working. By afternoon, the team slowly began returning.

But nobody complained this time.

They simply went back to their desks.And Amara kept working as though she hadn't spent the entire night at Riverside.