Chapter 13 — The Invisible Employee Knows French

Monday morning, beautiful sunshine. I arrived at the company half an hour earlier as usual. But this time, I didn't go back to my office. I went straight to the door of the CEO's office. Ms. Tran - the CEO's assistant - saw me and was surprised:

“Chief Lam, the CEO hasn't arrived yet.”

“It's okay, I'll wait.” – I calmly replied.

I sat down on the sofa outside, waiting quietly. No anger, no worry. My heart is as calm as a deep lake. I know, today—it will all end. At 8:50 a.m., the CEO appeared at the end of the hallway. Seeing me sitting and waiting, he was also surprised:

"Lam Van? You're here so early, is there something wrong?"

I stood up and bowed slightly to greet him.

“CEO, I have a very serious matter that I need to personally deliver to you.

This involves core company trade secrets and internal security.” My voice was unusually solemn. The CEO's eyes immediately turned cold. He didn't ask any more questions, but opened the office door immediately: In the spacious office, I connected my phone to his computer. Then, I played the video recorded that night. The scene of Vuong Ky breaking into my office, opening the computer, copying data, and then leaving... Every action is clear, every frame does not miss a single detail. The CEO's face became darker and darker with each passing second of the video. The air in the room seemed to drop to below zero. He didn't say a word. Just look at Vuong Ky's face distorted by greed in the clip.

“When did this happen?” – The CEO's voice rang out, cold as the wind blowing from an ice cellar.

“Last Friday afternoon, during the company's fire drill.” – I replied.

“Is this source of evidence reliable?”

"Completely trustworthy. Because of the monitoring software I installed specifically on my computer."

(I didn't mention Ly Uong—that was a silent agreement between us.) The CEO leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. His fingers tapped lightly on the table—he was calculating. I understand, this is a hundred times more serious than the previous anonymous denunciation. If then it was just internal competition, then this time—it's data theft. If I hand this clip over to the police, Vuong Ky will not only lose his reputation, but may also be criminally prosecuted. But at the same time—the company will also be involved in a major scandal. After a long while, the CEO opened his eyes and looked at me intently:

“Lam Van, how do you want to handle this matter?”

He gave me the right to make the decision. A trust—and also a test. I looked straight at him, decisively:

“CEO, I have three requests.”

“First: I request that Vuong Ky be fired immediately.

For this type of employee who violates professional ethics and steals company secrets, we must show zero tolerance.

“Second: I request an internal announcement in the industry to let other companies know.

She should not have the opportunity to harm anyone else.”

“Third: I request to handle everything today.

I will not accept a commercial spy continuing to exist in my group for even one minute.” My voice was calm, but each word felt like it was hitting the table. I didn't report it to the police, it was to save the company's final face. But I absolutely do not have a soft heart for someone who wants to harm me to the end. The CEO looked at me for a long time, his eyes seemed somewhat appreciative. He picked up the phone and dialed:

“Call the Human Resources director and the head of the Legal Department my room in 10 minutes.

Also… tell Vuong Ky to come see me immediately.” Ten minutes later. Vuong Ky walked into the CEO's office. Seeing me sitting there, she was briefly confused, but quickly calmed down. She probably thought I was "sneaking" about something. She even prepared a script to "turn the tables". But—when the CEO turned the screen towards her and pressed play on the video, all the color in her face… disappeared. She widened her eyes as she watched herself secretly break in, operate the computer, plug in the USB, copy data... Her whole body began to tremble. Her lips trembled, speechless.

“Wang Qi.” – The CEO's voice was cold as ice – "Do you have anything else to say?"

“No… that's not it… I…” – She stammered, her eyes full of fear and despair.

“No need to defend anymore.” – Head of Legal Department cold voice –

“Her behavior seriously violated company regulations, and constitutes commercial data theft.

The company decided, from today, to fire her immediately. All system access will be frozen. Please collect your personal belongings under the supervision of Human Resources and leave the company immediately.” The Human Resources Director added:

“The company reserves the right to sue,

and will send notices to industry partners about her misconduct.”