Darkstone Code
Chapter 223 - 0221 The Crazy Era

Chapter 223: 0221 The Crazy Era

"You should come with me..." Gap had almost finished packing his things, just some simple items, while others like books and collectibles, which were inconvenient to carry while traveling, had been entrusted to a moving company to another state long ago.

If nothing unexpected happens, before January 1st, the Ristone Group will relocate from Sabin City, and at that time, four to five thousand workers will lose their jobs.

But that’s not important, what is important is that Gap once again proved his value to the board. Under his management and operation, the ledger had no problems at all. It was virtually impossible for the investigation team to find fatal loopholes solely from the company’s account books.

To resolve some potentially dangerous issues, the company’s disciplinary department reported to the local FBI in Sabin City, accusing certain employees of allegedly engaging in job-related crimes using their work permissions. All issues were someone else’s; Ristone was as clean as if it had never been touched by anyone.

The board admired Gap greatly, promising that after the relocation, they would consider raising Gap’s partner level, leading to a huge leap in his income and elevating his social status.

The high society, the world that he dreamed about day and night for over a decade, had now opened wide its doors to him. Sometimes, even in his half-asleep state, he could hear a childlike, sacred and peaceful song coming from a certain door!

It surely must be a perfect world.

At this moment, he looked at Vera, making a final attempt. He could see Vera was somewhat shaken.

He knew this woman well, but the intense work over this period left him no time to take care of things at home. He knew how to make this woman revert back.

His voice at this time was soft, like the feeling of the finest fabric touching the skin, "You can punish me, but you should also consider our child."

This was a very simple yet effective persuasion technique, as the importance of children is extraordinary for most married women with children. Except in rare cases, people, especially women in families, are willing to compromise on issues concerning children.

Vera was somewhat indecisive. Although she loathed Gap’s infidelity in marriage, what Gap said made sense; this matter had nothing to do with the child.

Children from single-parent families often encounter issues during their growth, and Vera believed that if she and Gap divorced, Gap might bring other women home, keeping the child in a distorted family environment, which wouldn’t benefit the child’s development.

Just when she was at a loss, not knowing how to resolve this, the ringing of the phone in the room suddenly broke the silence here, even giving Vera a start; she was frightened.

"Think it over, we still have time..." Gap was not aggressive, nor did he display any toughness or machismo. He transformed back into the man from Vera’s memory.

Graceful and elegant, he could persuade without needing to raise his voice too loud.

Gap moved to the phone, picked it up and listened for less than half a minute before his face drastically changed, becoming increasingly ugly.

After hanging up the phone, he remained silent for a while, swiftly changed into clothes and rushed to the company, worried to the point of forgetting to greet Vera.

When he arrived at the CEO’s office, several members of the board were already there, including the head of the finance department whom he had the best relationship with.

"Do you know this girl?" Neo put a photo on the table, pushing it over with a cold demeanor.

Gap adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose to disguise his inner tension.

He approached Neo’s desk, picked up the photo and glanced at it, his hand trembling slightly.

It seemed that through this subtle change, Neo got the answer. He said tiredly, "This girl has become an important witness for the investigation team, and she provided some special evidence that we’re unclear about, my connections couldn’t find out either."

He raised his head and looked at Gap, "You were once her direct supervisor, and it’s said you had a good relationship; can you tell me what kind of issues and evidence she holds against the company, and how we should respond?"

Gap glanced at a board member within the crowd and his superior, but both pretended not to know him, making him realize the severity of the issue.

Yet, some things can be done but not spoken.

Manipulating female subordinates in this way was a prevalent unspoken rule not only in the company but across society. Those girls with beautiful faces and alluring figures didn’t have prestigious university degrees nor exceptional work skills, yet they earned salaries several times higher than others, not because they were important to the company or worked hard.

The larger the group’s middle management, the greater the pressure; he knew such cases weren’t rare within the company, many departments had similar roles.

The only despairing thing now was that the one standing up this time was his former secretary.

Precisely because this female secretary had left a lip mark on Gap’s behind, Gap felt she began daring to touch things "outside the game" when their relationship was no longer simple, he found an excuse to fire her.

Of course, as compensation for her hard work over the years, he had given the girl a sum of money.

Initially, he thought the matter was settled, unexpected that now he faced it again.

After considering for a while, he shook his head, "Mr. CEO, you know me, I never disclose my work contents to anyone else, including my wife and children, let alone my secretary, she doesn’t have the level to know these things."

Gap explained, his superior finally stepped forward to say a word for him, "In our department, Gap strictly adheres to the rules, I believe what he says is not a lie."

Neo nodded slightly, his expression relaxing somewhat. As long as the woman didn’t hold critical evidence, they could stall for time.

But he couldn’t not consider the worst, "Could she possibly have looked at the files on your desk behind your back, or did she know what you were working on recently?"

Neo cast an extra glance at Gap; he picked up the lighter on the table and toyed with it, then in a sharp and prolonged metallic resonance flipped open the cap of the Langsheng Lighter and lit it, "Regardless of whether you are responsible, the problem now lies with your former secretary, you need to figure it out, I’ll give you at most three days, understood?"

Gap nodded, his face was also grim, and at this moment Neo’s expression relaxed instead. He even offered a few words of comfort.

"I know about you, Gap; previously, some people suggested raising your partner level, this proves you are valuable to the company."

"We are all getting older, eventually everything must pass to you. I hope someday to see you young, outstanding individuals in the board, only this way our endeavors will prosper even more..."

Just as he left the CEO’s office, his superior followed him out, the two exchanged a glance but said nothing there and went to the department’s host office, closed the door only then began discussing the matter.

"Didn’t you handle it well?" Gap’s superior couldn’t help but complain, "I thought you handled it!"

Gap removed his glasses, rubbed his eyes, lacking the confidence he had in the CEO’s office, remaining silent, his mind in confusion.

His superior saw him not speaking, grew more anxious. Compared to Gap, the superior feared getting implicated more, being the department supervisor and also a senior partner, already the lowest layer within the upper social class, but nonetheless a member of high society.

He didn’t want to lose everything he had today over a small matter, making him exceedingly anxious.

He paced back and forth, muttering curses under his breath, some at Gap, some at that girl, but in the end, all fell to desolation.

A few minutes later, he sat exhaustedly in the chair wielding the department’s power, looked painfully at Gap, "Any way to make her shut up?"

Gap shook his head, released his hand, his face too showed deep fatigue, and a hint of regret, "If she could keep silent, she wouldn’t stand up now, her standing up means some things can’t be hidden."

The two couldn’t help but recall a certain day’s "gathering", under the influence of alcohol, they did some foolish things, they pierced the girl’s thigh skin with a pen, leaving their names, and some words of insult.

At that time, in their eyes, this girl indeed wasn’t different from a dog, a cat, a pet, even less than a pet, she was merely a toy for diversion.

Now, they had to pay a price for these things.

That afternoon, some police knocked on Vera’s door. After showing their credentials, they requested to search the place.

Vera dared not refuse, using the public telephone booth on the sidewalk to call Gap, but the phone in Gap’s office kept ringing unanswered, making her exceptionally panicked.

Instinctively, she called Lynch, explaining the situation soon Lynch’s car appeared outside the community.

Seeing Lynch’s arrival, Vera immediately felt better, her heart had been racing, and breathing rapid, nothing was as terrifying as this even when giving birth.

"I don’t know what’s happening; a group of police barged into my home..." She hurriedly rushed up, tightly holding Lynch’s arm like a drowning person grabbing onto a straw.