Chapter 19 - The Breach at Tokyo
Following the disastrous television exposure in New York,
Julianna Sterling’s legal team launched a frantic retreat back to Europe,
their ninety-million-dollar claim dissolving under the weight of pending federal investigations.
However,
a cornered predator with unlimited capital does not go down without trying to burn the forest around it.
Two days after the broadcast,
I was in Tokyo,
Japan,
standing in the command center of Vextor Dynamics’ international data headquarters.
The room was dimly lit,
filled with towering digital screens displaying real-time server traffic connecting our enterprise software to Asian markets.
Beside me stood Kenji Sato,
our chief technology officer,
his face pale as he pointed to a red flashing node on the primary screen.
"Mrs. Vance,"
Kenji reported anxiously,
"we detected an unauthorized intrusion attempt into our core AI source code three hours ago."
"Did they breach the firewall?"
I asked,
my voice crisp and focused.
"No,"
Kenji replied,
wiping his brow.
"Our secondary encryption held.
But the attack did not come from an external IP address.
It originated from an internal executive terminal right here in this building."
I turned to look at Arthur Vance,
who was standing near the entrance of the command center.
"A mole,"
Arthur murmured grimly.
"Julianna Sterling knew she couldn't beat us in court or on television,"
I analyzed smoothly,
looking back at the flashing red node.
"So she tried to steal our core intellectual property to sell to our competitors in China before her accounts were frozen."
"We traced the access card used to enter the server room at midnight,"
Kenji added,
tapping his keyboard to bring up security camera footage.
The screen showed a middle-aged man in a dark suit opening the main server rack using an executive keycard.
My eyes narrowed as I recognized the face on the screen.
"David Chen,"
I said softly.
"Our Vice President of Asian Operations,"
Arthur identified him.
"Christopher hired him four years ago."
"Christopher,"
I repeated with a cold,
amused exhale.
"Even from a federal prison cell,
Christopher’s terrible hiring decisions continue to pay dividends to my enemies."
"Chen has already booked a private flight to Shanghai departing in two hours,"
Kenji warned.
"If he boards that plane with the hard drive he downloaded,
our proprietary code will be cloned across Asian markets by tomorrow morning."
"He will not board that plane,"
I stated quietly.
I pulled out my phone and dialed the private line of the Commissioner of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police,
a man whose charitable foundation Vance Holdings had backed generously the previous month.
"Commissioner Takahashi,"
I greeted in fluent,
polished Japanese.
"I require an immediate security hold on a passenger at Narita International Airport."
Ten minutes later,
inside the executive lounge at Narita Airport,
David Chen sat sipping a glass of whiskey,
clutching a silver briefcase to his chest.
He looked at his watch,
smiling to himself as the boarding call for his flight to Shanghai echoed over the loudspeakers.
He stood up,
adjusting his coat,
and walked toward the departure gate.
Before he could scan his ticket,
four plainclothes Japanese police officers stepped out from the crowd,
surrounding him completely.
"David Chen?"
the lead officer asked,
showing his badge.
Chen’s face went white.
"Yes?
What is the meaning of this?
I am a senior executive with Vextor Dynamics!"
"You were a senior executive,"
a cold,
commanding voice echoed from behind the officers.
The crowd parted,
and I stepped forward,
wearing a long black coat,
my heels clicking against the polished airport floor.
Arthur Vance walked beside me,
accompanied by two uniformed security guards.
Chen took a step back,
clutching his briefcase tightly against his chest.
"Victoria..."
Chen stammered,
his voice trembling.
"I...
I was just traveling for business!
A routine client meeting in Shanghai!"
"With a hard drive containing Vextor’s stolen source code?"
I asked,
stopping right in front of him.
Arthur reached forward,
pulling the silver briefcase from Chen’s weak grip and opening it to reveal the encrypted hard drive inside.
"Julianna Sterling promised you five million dollars in a Swiss account,"
I stated,
looking into his terrified eyes.
"She forgot to mention that those Swiss accounts were frozen by federal authorities three hours ago.
You committed corporate espionage for zero dollars,
David."
Chen collapsed onto his knees in the middle of the crowded airport terminal,
bursting into desperate tears as the Japanese officers pulled his arms behind his back and clicked heavy steel handcuffs onto his wrists.
"Take him away,"
I instructed the officers quietly.
I turned back toward the main entrance of the airport,
looking out at the Tokyo skyline bathed in the afternoon sun.
May you like
The final strike of Harrison and Julianna Sterling had been crushed.
There were no more shadows left to hide in.
