1. Irregularities

"Check the document. Otherwise, you'll regret not finding out sooner."

          

Aileen was reminded of the warning words of the mysterious Mark. The arrogant man with the enigmatic appearance had joined the marketing department a month ago.

"What the hell does that mean?" Aileen grumbled to herself as her hands searched for the file she wanted.

The man's performance immediately baffled Aileen, the head of marketing. And here she was, sneaking into the Director's office to follow Mark's absurd suggestion.

Her eyes widened as she read a document with a title on it. "Ah, here it is!" she muttered.

She quickly opened it and flipped through the pages to find the one she wanted. Pulling her cell phone from her pocket, she snapped pictures of the report's summary pages.

Occasionally turning her head toward the door, Aileen ensured the secretary did not re-enter the room. She was now concentrating on taking pictures. Her heart was pounding. It felt like a bomb would go off at any moment when the door slammed open in front of her.

And she froze when she heard the doorknob turn. Damn, there's nowhere to hide, she thought frantically.

Aileen got up from the side of the Director's chair and returned the document to its original position. She then moved to the chair in front of her and pretended to sit there and wait.

Sure enough. The secretary came in and gasped when she saw Aileen. A woman of about 25 years in a grey suit walked into the room. Then she admonished in a surprised tone,

"Ms. Aileen... why are you here?"

Aileen tried to excuse her presence as best she could.

"I came to see the Director. I knocked earlier, and no one answered, so I just opened the door." She paused.

"I thought he was in his private room," Aileen continued, pointing to a closed door in the corner.

"Still, Ms. Aileen should have waited outside until you were invited in, Ma'am!" the young girl named Laura reprimanded with a look of guilt.

Then, she seemed to rush to the table and pick up the document. She examined it briefly as her eyes scanned Aileen with a suspicious look.

"Oh, okay. Sorry about that. Maybe next time I have to call first if I want to come here!" Aileen chuckled.

The secretary remained silent, seemingly unwilling to prolong matters.

"So where's the Director right now?" asked Aileen, trying to divert attention.

"Mr. William is in the conference room. He has a meeting with some clients," Laura replied.

"All right then. I'll come back later. Thank you." Aileen got up from her chair and left the room, hoping the secretary would not be suspicious.

Aileen hurried to her room, one floor from the Director's office.

When she reached the room, she immediately locked the door. She opened the report file from her department. Then she opened the cell phone in the photo section of Mr. William's report. She aligned the two objects to match the data.

After a few moments, it was passed with only the sound of paper shuffling back and forth. Fingers with clear polish traced the numbers in the orders and sales table. One by one, she compared them to the ones in the photo.

Her brow furrowed more and more. Something's wrong, she thought. Carefully, her eyes scanned the phone's screen. The data displayed did not match the original data from her department!

"What the hell is this?" She repeatedly checked the date of the reporting period in the journal. Who knew she had just taken the wrong picture of an old document? But no, the journal period was the same!

"What exactly is Mr. William doing? Why are all the dates here different from the real report?" Aileen's brain was spinning fast.

Indeed, she had smelled something different in Mr. William's work style over the past few months. However, she kept quiet the whole time and did not interfere because she felt the matters with the headquarters were beyond her authority.

But the arrival of Mark Miller, a new employee who seemed to know a lot, made her curious. What was behind all the strangeness? Manipulated reports and hidden accurate data—what were they all for?

Inthe other side ....

"But she didn't have time to check the documents, did she?" William Dawson - usually called Mr. William - asked for confirmation.

The secretary replied with certainty,

"No, Sir. The document is still safe. It hasn't moved from its place."

William's eyes were still fixed on Laura, the secretary who was as devious as he was.

"Don't repeat such carelessness. You know our situation is very dangerous, right?"

"Yes, Sir." Laura lowered her eyes, not daring to challenge the Director's famously haunted eyes when he was angry.

"Did you send it?" William asked again, sitting down and putting his feet on the table. He had just returned from a confidential meeting with a client outside the company earlier in the day. That was why he wasn't there when Aileen walked into his room.

"Yes, Sir. I'm going with Teddy, just like you told me," Laura replied, trying to stay calm and not look scared.

"Good. Go back to your desk!" William ordered and snapped his fingers at Laura.

She was now alone in the 6x7 meter room. He smiled as he remembered the booming orders Aileen had generated but had taken on her own without going through headquarters. Rotten indeed. Does business always have its share of rot?

The cell phone on the table vibrated. She glanced at the name and read the initials La Voila Textile. He answered the call immediately.

"Yes, Sir. Sure, our cooperation will certainly continue if our orders go well this time. There is no need to worry."

"All right, Mr. William. I'll take your word for it. I've cancelled directly with the Headqurter. Of course, with the guarantee that you yourself can supply my fabric materials of the same quality but at a lower price." The person called Mr. Ben emphasized his sentence.

Mr. William immediately allayed the customer's doubts and agreed to become a substitute supplier.

"So you understand, right? Our problem now is to keep this cooperation confidential until the time is right to show ourselves," William warned.

"I don't want to get involved in your company's internal affairs, Mr. William. I only want my job done," the voice on the other side said.

"Yes, Sir. Then we have a deal. I'll let you know as soon as the complete materials are available. Thank you for your trust."

The conversation stopped. William smiled as he looked at the screen of his phone. His smile grew broader as he imagined how much money he would make in his business this time.

All he had to do was silence the employee who seemed to suspect him. It was Aileen Stewart!