Chapter 9: Executive Privilege

👉 Previous Action: You chose to confront Evelyn directly inside her private executive office on the main floor.

The tension in Kien’s chest was a physical ache. He walked directly to Evelyn’s private executive office, his hands clammy. The recovered text messages, printed on the tiny thermal strip, were hidden in his jacket pocket. He would lay them bare.

He pushed past her assistant, who stammered, “Mr. Doan, you can’t just—”

Evelyn looked up from her polished mahogany desk, her eyes narrowing. “Kien? What is the meaning of this?” Her voice was laced with an unexpected sharpness.

Kien pulled out the thermal strip, unfolding it with trembling fingers. He slapped it onto her desk. “This. This is what you’ve been doing. Stealing my work. Erasing my mind.”

Evelyn’s composure did not crack. She picked up the flimsy paper, her gaze sweeping over the lines of text. A flicker of something — not fear, but a cold calculation — crossed her face. She then looked at him, her expression hardening.

“Kien,” she said, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous tone. “Your recent outbursts have been noted. The stress from your bankruptcy, the psychological assessments… I did everything to protect you.”

She pressed a button on her intercom. “Security to Executive Office A. We have a breach of protocol. And inform HR; Kien Doan’s clearance is to be immediately revoked. He is a flight risk, and his mental state is deteriorating.”

Kien felt a wave of dizzying panic. “My mental state? This is all you!”

Two large security guards entered, their faces impassive. They moved towards him.

“Due to ongoing concerns for his well-being and the proprietary nature of his work,” Evelyn continued, her voice clinical, “he will be placed under supervised isolation. Effective immediately. For his own protection, of course.”

He felt the heavy hands on his arms, guiding him out, not roughly, but with an undeniable force. His arguments, his accusations, felt hollow, lost in the sterile air of the executive floor. He was led away, his badge confiscated, his access revoked. Evelyn’s words echoed in his mind: “For his own protection.” He was trapped.