Chapter 8 — Justice, Six Years Later

If she insisted that she was merely preserving evidence, this would spiral into a dispute that could drag on indefinitely. Conversely, the slap delivered by Lam was clear, direct, and indisputable. Dao had used the life of my father-in-law to goad us into losing our composure, then turned that very loss of control into a weapon. She pulled out a draft of a settlement agreement.

"If Miss Lam publicly apologizes to me and pays one hundred thousand in compensation, I can drop the request for prosecution."

"In your dreams."

"Then prepare for the legal consequences."

Dao turned to leave. I called out to her.

"You haven't paid for the camera yet."

She glanced back. I pulled up my code, and she transferred forty-eight thousand. The notification chime for the deposit echoed through the room. She looked down to confirm the transaction.

"Director Luc is quite a stickler for the rules this time."

"It is only right."

I handed the camera to Trac.

"The compensation has been paid, so the property is now mine."

Dao reached out immediately. "There is private data of mine inside."

"If compensation is paid at the full value of the equipment due to total damage, ownership is transferred."

Trac produced the repair assessment she had provided earlier. The final line clearly stated a recommendation for disposal and replacement. For the first time, Dao lunged forward to grab it. I gripped the device and stepped back, dodging her reach.

"Didn't you just say that rules are rules?"

"The memory card is independent property."

"The purchase receipt clearly states this is a complete set of equipment, which includes the integrated storage module."

Her expression shifted. "I can refund the money."

"I refuse."

"Luc, you have no right to view my personal data."

"I will hand it over to the police."

The mention of the police made her lose all composure. Dao grabbed my wrist, her nails digging deep into my skin.

"Give it back to me."

Lam pushed her away. "Do not touch him."

She tried to rush forward again, but the economic crimes investigator stepped in to block her path. "Miss Dao, please keep your distance."

I placed the device into an evidence bag. She stared at the bag with a fixation more intense than when Ngan had been arrested. There was definitely something in that memory card. The technician began to dismantle the device on the spot. Dao stood by, protesting incessantly.

"I do not consent to the recovery of this data. This is an invasion of a citizen's privacy. The device may have been tampered with; while it was in the custody of Luc, the evidence could have been compromised."

No one answered her. Ten minutes later, the technician looked up. "There is a log that automatically syncs to the cloud. We can request the original files from the platform, which will remain unaffected by the physical damage to the device."

Dao slowly loosened her grip. The police filed a request to extract the cloud data. While waiting, she was permitted to go and tend to her wounds. Before leaving, she stood in front of Lam.

"Do you think obtaining a camera can save you? I will request a re-evaluation of my injuries. Every day that you deserve to be detained, you will serve."

Lam looked at her steadily. "That slap—I own it. Unlike you, I do not do things and then lack the courage to admit them."

Dao smiled thinly. "Admission does not mitigate the consequences of violating the law."

After she left, Hang demanded that I be immediately reinstated to my position. I unclipped my temporary visitor badge and placed it before him.

"Before we discuss reinstatement, explain why you were in such a hurry to sign a contract for Dao."

"I was merely managing public perception."

"Before she entered this company, how did she know the contents of the charity fund agreement?"

"The agreement was a public template."

"The template did not contain the name of my father-in-law or the details of his treatment cycle."

Hang's face drained of color. Trac closed the doors to the conference hall. Members of the board’s audit committee walked in. The lead woman placed a financial audit report on the table.

"Hang, over the past three years, four million seven hundred thousand has flowed from the company’s charity fund to a single consulting firm. The actual controller of that firm is the mother of Dao."

Hang bolted upright. "That is impossible."

Outside, Dao, who had already departed, saw the report through the glass. She did not return to argue. She turned and fled.

"Stop her! She wants to delete the cloud account."

I bolted out of the hall. Dao had already dived into the elevator. The moment the doors began to close, she held up her phone and hit the confirmation button right in front of me. Trac immediately contacted the platform to freeze the account.

"The deletion request requires a secondary verification; there is a thirty-minute delay in processing."

I watched the floor numbers. The elevator stopped at the second basement level. By the time we reached the garage, Dao was climbing into a white car. The person in the driver's seat was Hang’s secretary. The moment the doors slammed shut, the security guard lowered the exit gate. The secretary slammed on the accelerator. The nose of the car smashed through the barrier, the debris grazing the leg of a guard. From the passenger seat, Dao screamed, "Do not stop!"

The car roared out of the lot. The police quickly tracked the vehicle. Twenty minutes later, the cloud account was successfully frozen.