10 When the Villain Wins

In a dimly lit room fraught with tension, Marcus Lee paced back and forth. His accomplices, including David Cheng, sat nervously around a large table cluttered with documents.

"This is a disaster! An absolute disaster!" Marcus Lee exclaimed, his agitation evident.

"Come on, Marcus, don't start blaming me now. We all agreed to this, remember?" David Cheng defended himself.

"Agreed, yes! But you, David, have taken way more than your fair share! We had a plan, a carefully calculated plan, and you blew it!" Marcus Lee accused.

Linsey Clare, another member of the group, chimed in.

"Marcus is right, David. We were supposed to stick to the agreed-upon amounts. Now the numbers don't add up, and the auditors are getting closer," she said, visibly worried.

Harold Steal, the fourth member, interjected with a hint of desperation.

"We need to figure out how to cover this up. The money trail will lead straight to us if we're not careful," he said, frustrated.

"And it's all because of David's greed!" Marcus Lee exclaimed in anger.

"Look, I had my reasons, okay? I lost all my money at the casino. It's not like I was going to blow it all on myself!" David Cheng defended himself.

"David, we all have problems. But that doesn't give you the right to jeopardize all of us!" Linsey said, exasperated.

Marcus Lee, calming slightly, said, "Okay, okay, let's not point fingers anymore. We're in this together, and we need a plan. How do we fix this mess?"

"We could try shifting some of the funds around, making it look like an accounting error. But it's risky, and we'll need a lot of expertise," Harold suggested.

"We can't afford to make any mistakes. We should hire someone discreet to help us with this—someone who knows how to cover their tracks," Linsey suggested, her nerves showing.

"Fine, Linsey, find someone discreet, but do it quickly." Marcus Lee reluctantly agreed.

"So we have to do this anyway; why did we let Drake Chwe go, then?" Harold grumbled. "This is his job. He was gullible and could do this work without questioning us. We just have to slightly intimidate him."

"What? What are you trying to say?" Marcus Lee questioned.

Harold sighed and said, "Nothing."

Marcus Lee added, "Anyway, we don't have much time left. We need to make sure the auditors don't find anything incriminating."

As they huddled together, plotting their next move, the weight of their actions and the impending exposure of their embezzlement hung heavily in the air, casting a shadow over their desperate conversation.

Meanwhile, Drake Chwe, completely unaware of the turmoil unfolding within Bellrox Corporation, approached the front desk.

"Oh, we don't accept reapplications," Gina, the front desk attendant, stated without even giving Drake a chance to speak.

"I'm not here to reapply," Drake responded firmly. "I have a meeting. I'm a representative from DearBeck Co.," he added, displaying his ID clearly identifying him as an executive. But Gina didn't even spare a glance at his ID.

Gina snorted and remarked, "DearBeck Co. is still pretty young. They hire someone like you." The other front desk attendant joined in, mocking Drake with condescending looks.

"I don't require your opinion, miss," Drake retorted. "Could you please direct me to Director Rox's office?"

Gina rolled her eyes and replied with sarcasm, "Go to the eighth floor, sir."

Drake turned his back on the front desk, determined not to let their disrespectful treatment get to him. They were among the people he most wanted to prove wrong, and instead of growing angrier, he became more excited to see their reactions when they discovered he was someone they could no longer look down upon.

"I thought the owner of DearBeck Co. would be the one meeting Director Rox," the secretary for Director Rox remarked, giving Drake a critical once-over. It was clear from his demeanor that he didn't believe Drake held a higher status.

"I am the owner," Drake asserted, presenting his ID, which prompted the secretary to quickly change his demeanor.

"Oh, are you Mr. Drake Chwe?" The secretary greeted Drake with a welcoming tone, as if he were never rude. Luckily, unlike the people lower down the hierarchy at BellRox Corp., the director didn't rush to judge people. He politely approached Drake, treating him as an equal. "Please come in."

"Thank you," Drake replied.

Drake entered the director's office, a place at BellRox Corp. that he could only dream of setting foot in before. His role as a data analyst in the sales and operations department typically involved mundane tasks, and apart from the occasional menial tasks assigned by his tormentors, he had never had the opportunity to interact with someone of higher rank within the company.

"Director Rox, before we get started, I wanted to let you know that I used to work here as a data analyst three months ago," Drake shared.

Director Rox appeared surprised. "You did? I had no idea we had an employee like you. How long were you with us?"

"Five years, sir," Drake replied.

Director Rox was taken aback by this revelation. He looked puzzled as he tried to reconcile the image of a successful businessperson who had grown a company to the top in just three months with the fact that Drake had been a data analyst at their company for five years. He wondered why Drake doesn't have any career growth at BellRox.

"That's quite surprising. Well, I don't dwell on the past too much. What matters most is the business we're here to discuss today," Director Rox said with an excited grin.

"You're absolutely right," Drake agreed.

They then proceeded to discuss their business matters.

"So, that's the plan. Everything should run smoothly once we kickstart the manufacturing process," Director Rox concluded.

"I trust that we'll do well," Drake replied.

"Well then, why don't you take a tour of our headquarters? Since you used to work here, wouldn't you like to visit your former colleagues?" Director Rox suggested.

"I'd appreciate it if you could accompany me."

“Of course”

With a sly smile, Drake felt thrilled at the opportunity to showcase his new status. His heart raced as he and Director Rox made their way to the open workplace that had tormented him for years.

"Director Rox, what brings you here?" Marcus Lee nervously inquired.

Drake couldn't help but grin even wider as he noticed the anxiety on Marcus Lee's face. Oddly enough, Marcus Lee and his former colleagues seemed to be panicking even before they could spot Drake.

"Drake Chwe! What are you doing here?" Marcus Lee yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Drake.

"Let's not be rude, Manager Lee," Director Rox scolded, pushing Marcus's finger down.

"But Director Rox, we fired that guy!" David Cheng chimed in.

Director Rox scowled as he finally noticed the hostility of his employees toward Drake.

"What's going on, Mr. Chwe? You didn't tell me you got fired."

"I didn't," Drake began to explain, but he was cut off as his former colleagues threw different accusations at him.

"We caught him embezzling funds!"

"He manipulated accounting records!"

"He coerced us into doing unethical things!"

Drake was left speechless, too stunned to mount a defense.

"Director Rox, did he come to you to clear his name?" Marcus Lee asked, still unaware that Drake had returned as an executive. "We're embarrassed by the funds we lost, but it's been difficult to recover since Drake Chwe has already spent it all. That's why we fired him."

"I resigned! What nonsense are you all talking about?" Drake finally retorted. "And I have my own business now. Why would I have to steal from you when I have money?"

Drake showed off his ID, and finally, his former colleagues realized his new status.

Unfortunately, Marcus Lee and his accomplices have no intention to give up. They shamelessly and arrogantly stood in front of Drake and continued to point their fingers at him.

"We have records, sir, and all the records of the money Drake Chwe took," Marcus Lee claimed. However, Drake could clearly see an encoder at the far corner of the open workspace hurriedly producing a fake document.

Drake rushed toward the encoder, but the person pulled the computer's plug and ended up presenting the freshly printed document to Director Rox.

"You really got fired here? And with this large amount?" Director Rox exclaimed. "Don't tell me you started a business with the money you stole. How shameless of you to come to me like this!"

"N-no, I..." Drake stammered, completely unprepared for this turn of events. "I didn't do any of the things they're accusing me of."

"Don't believe him, sir. Look at all the data and timestamps on his computer; it clearly documents all of his wrongdoings," Marcus Lee presented as evidence.

Drake's eyes widened as he saw the data that incriminated him. "T-that, I did that, but they ordered me to do it! Apart from altering records, I didn't do anything else! I never touched money that wasn't mine!"

"I don't want to hear anything more from you," Director Rox declared. "Let's settle this in court. You better call your lawyer."

"No! Marcus Lee! He's the real culprit! He's the one who embezzled funds!" Drake yelled desperately, but Director Rox seemed unwilling to listen.

"Please escort him out," Director Rox instructed, his frustration and disappointment evident. He added, "I'll recover my money, and you'll be in prison."

"I'm being framed! If you believe them, they'll continue stealing from you!" Drake shouted indignantly.

"Wow! You're shameless, Drake Chwe!" Marcus Lee interjected. "Sir, we've already called the police. He's better off in jail than stealing more."

"What? No! Marcus, you're the one with no shame here!" Drake shouted back. "He's been embezzling not only from the funds but also from employees' compensation! Director Rox, he has ten ghost employees as well. Please investigate him too!"

Drake's eyes pleaded with anyone within Bellrox to understand him, but all he saw in their eyes was malice and contempt. His panic escalated as he noticed them recording him on their phones.

"Why? Why are you recording me?" Drake yelled, his frustration mounting.

"Why? The public deserves to know that the owner of DearBeck Co. stole money from Bellrox!" David Cheng asserted.

"You're recording live? Stop!" Drake grabbed David Cheng's phone and threw it on the floor, but it only made his situation worse.

Linsey, who was also recording live, chimed in, "Oh no! He assaulted one of Bellrox's employees! Police, come quickly!"