Chapter 4

Donaldson's attitude struck me as strange.

"Vice President Donaldson, Tenglong Group may be publicly listed, but it still has to follow legal procedure."

I cut off the road before the officer could open his mouth.

Half an hour later, my questioning formally began.

"Name."

"Edith Simmons."

"Age."

"Twenty-eight."

Once the standard run of questions was done, we reached the part that mattered.

"An employee of Tenglong Group has reported that you're suspected of forging dual contracts and funneling out a huge sum of money. Explain."

I drew a slow breath, took in the cramped, airless little room, and felt my thoughts tangle.

The R&D division was something I had built with my own hands.

As my senior fellow student and my partner, Richard Lawrence had made me a promise back then.

"As long as I'm chairman, every matter in R&D, large or small, is yours to handle."

Most important of all, on paper R&D was listed under Tenglong Group.

But in truth, it belonged to a separate company.

And I was its sole legal owner.

The sound of the officer across from me rapping on the table pulled me out of the memory.

"Staying silent won't do you any good. If there's more to this, you're welcome to say it."

I gave a small smile and spoke.

"If I told you I never did any of this, would you believe me?"

The older officer frowned in thought; the younger one kept his expression hard.

"The fact that we brought you in here means the evidence checks out. You say you didn't do it now, so what were you doing back then?"

"Edith Simmons, let me tell you, everyone who comes through here says they're innocent. We've seen more than enough of that. You'd better be honest."

I shook my head and sighed.

"In that case, let's just do it your way. I have nothing to say."

"That's enough for now."

Sunset, then sunrise.

I lived through the first day of my life spent in a detention center.

At Tenglong Group, Richard Lawrence was back.

Donaldson stood respectfully in front of his desk, head bowed as he reported.

"...and that's the whole of it. Edith Simmons has already been taken into custody by the law-enforcement bureau. How would you like to proceed?"

Richard was quiet for a moment, then asked with a look that was almost a smile.

"You're the man I've picked to steer this company one day. How do you think this should be handled?"

Donaldson weighed it before answering.

"R&D does fall under Tenglong Group, after all. If the chairman finds these losses acceptable, then I'd suggest we play it down and let it fade quietly."

"But if the chairman wants to use this to tighten up the way the company runs, this isn't a bad moment for it either."

Richard rose from behind his desk and came around it.

"You, you..."

He clapped Donaldson on the shoulder and pointed to the sofa off to the side.

"Sit, let's talk."

Richard went through the whole pour-over coffee ritual himself, filling Donaldson's cup a little over halfway.

"This Rachel Finch, where did she come from?"

Donaldson's head snapped up, his expression stunned.

"Wasn't she your arrangement?"

The two of them sat frozen for a moment before Richard's secretary shoved the door open.

"Chairman! We've got a problem! The R&D story is all over the internet!"