Chapter 5

The building towered over the city center. The VASILLO GROUP logo blazed across its facade — gleaming silver letters that reflected power and money beyond counting.

Tasya stood for a few seconds in front of the main entrance, clutching a folder with her application documents and resume.

Her heart beat faster than usual. This was no ordinary company.

The Vasillo branch in the country was known as one of the largest and most influential corporations in the region. Healthcare, technology, real estate, investment — it had fingers in all of it. Anyone who managed to get through its doors had their life changed almost overnight. But one thing had always remained a mystery.

Their CEO, Roman Vasillo — the Vasillo patriarch. People only knew that the old man had lived in Germany for years. He rarely appeared in public. Occasionally he returned to oversee the company, then vanished again. And for the past seven years, there had been no word of him at all.

Tasya drew a long breath and stepped inside. The lobby was vast and opulent. White marble gleamed underfoot, an enormous crystal chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling, and security guards stood rigid at every corner.

On the other side of the building, the atmosphere on the top floor was a different thing entirely. The board of directors stood tense in the main conference room.

Today was not an ordinary day. Today, the Vasillo heir had come. Alex Roman Vasillo — the man who had existed only as a shadow of power behind the curtain.

Word circulating among the inner circle said his arrival was not a mere visit. He had come to take over.

During the years Roman Vasillo had entrusted the Indonesian branch to his lieutenants, suspicious transactions had piled up. Financial reports that didn't reconcile. Assets that vanished. Backroom deals with unknown parties. And Alex had never tolerated betrayal.

The executive elevator doors opened.

The steady click of expensive leather shoes echoed down the executive corridor. Everyone rose to their feet at once.

Tasya sat composed in the HR waiting room, though her heart had never quite managed the same composure.

Several other candidates had already gone in and come back out. Their faces were stiff going in, and paler coming out.

Her name was finally called.

"Tasya Aditya?"

She stood quickly. "Yes."

But instead of being directed to the standard interview room, the HR staff member pressed a hand to the small headset in his ear, receiving a brief call. His expression shifted to something serious.

"Miss Tasya, you won't need to do the first-round interview," he said quietly. "You'll be meeting directly with our superior."

Tasya frowned. "Directly... with your superior?"

"Yes. A representative from central leadership. If you pass his assessment, you automatically clear every stage."

Her pulse hammered harder. This was no ordinary selection process. The executive elevator carried Tasya upward. The higher the floors climbed, the quieter everything became.

The elevator doors opened.

At the end of the corridor, a man stood straight-backed in a dark charcoal suit. His gaze was sharp but controlled. Mario — personal assistant to Alex Roman Vasillo.

"Miss Tasya?" he asked, clipped.

"Yes, sir."

Mario gave a faint nod. "Follow me."

She entered a spacious office with floor-to-ceiling glass walls overlooking the city. The room was sparsely furnished, but every surface spoke of authority.

"Sit."

Tasya sat with her back straight.

Mario opened her file and read through it carefully. His gaze lingered on the education section.

"IT graduate from Berlin?" he asked without looking up.

"Yes."

"Your grades were nearly perfect."

Tasya held her breath. Mario raised his head and looked at her directly.

"Why did you come back here and start over from nothing?"

The question was pointed. Tasya had prepared her answer.

"Family circumstances, sir. And I wanted to build my career here."

Mario didn't respond right away. He studied her body language.

"Fine," he said at last. "I don't care where your degree is from. I care about what you can do."

He turned his laptop screen to face her.

"Our company's security system was breached three months ago. We still haven't identified the exact vulnerability. You have ten minutes. Analyze it."

Tasya went still for a moment — then something shifted behind her eyes. Her fingers began moving rapidly across the keyboard. She read the code patterns like a storybook. She traced access logs, anomaly patterns, and stopped at a single point.

"Here," she said, quiet but certain. "There's a backdoor that was planted deliberately. This wasn't an outside hacker. It was someone internal."

Mario's gaze sharpened. "You're sure?"

"One hundred percent."

The room fell silent.

Behind the glass wall of that office, in another, more private room, someone stood watching through an internal CCTV monitor.

Back inside, Mario closed his laptop slowly.

"If you're hired," he said calmly, "you'll be working directly under the supervision of central leadership."

"Thank you," Tasya said, and stood.

"HR will contact you within a few hours if you've passed. Best not to go far from the building." Mario's tone had shifted — less formal, almost a quiet advisory.

Tasya nodded and walked out of the room.

That afternoon.

The office on the top floor of the Vasillo Group building was silent.

The massive glass windows revealed the busy city below, but inside, the air was cold and taut with tension.

Alex Roman Vasillo stood with his back to the room, staring out with his hands buried in his pockets. The black suit fitted to his frame made his silhouette look sharper, more commanding.

Behind him, Mario stood holding a file.

"This new candidate's resume is quite interesting, sir." Mario turned the pages one by one.

Alex didn't look back immediately. "Interesting?" His voice was flat.

Mario gave a small nod. "Her name is Tasya Aditya. IT graduate from Berlin. Near-perfect scores — arguably one of the best."

Alex finally glanced over his shoulder, his gaze cold. "If she's truly a top graduate, why is she applying for a regular position at the Indonesian branch?"

Mario paused. It was a fair question. He looked at the file again.

"According to her statement, she returned because of family issues."

Alex walked slowly to his desk. He took the file from Mario's hands. His eyes swept over every line with precision. Not a single detail escaped his attention. Then he stopped at the diploma section. His eyes narrowed.

"Something's off," he murmured.

Mario raised an eyebrow. "Off?"

Alex tapped the paper lightly with his index finger.

"The university stamp format is correct," he said. "But the digital registration code doesn't match Berlin's current system."

Mario stiffened. "Forged?"

Alex didn't answer right away. "Possibly."

He set the file back on the desk.

"People who forge documents usually only think about the surface," Alex continued. "They tend to forget the small details."

Mario looked at him.

"However, her technical ability is exceptional, sir. When I tested her on the security system, she identified the backdoor vulnerability immediately — something our own IT team hadn't even noticed."

Alex leaned back in his chair, his gaze deepening.

"That's exactly what makes her more suspicious."

Mario frowned slightly. "Why?"

Alex gave a thin smile — one that carried no warmth whatsoever.

"A woman with skills like that... doesn't end up living an unremarkable life by accident."

Alex picked up Tasya's file again. He stared at the name a few seconds longer. Tasya Aditya. For some reason, the name felt unfamiliar and yet, strangely, as if it had passed through his memory before.

"HR," Alex said, curt.

Mario understood immediately. He pulled out his phone and called the HR department.

"Send the candidate named Tasya Aditya to the executive floor. Now," he ordered.

He hung up.

"Done, sir."

Alex rose slowly, his gaze cold and appraising.

"If she's lying," Alex said quietly, "I want to see for myself how she does it."

Meanwhile, downstairs, an HR staff member had just approached Tasya.

"Miss Tasya, you've been requested on the executive floor."

Tasya's eyes widened. "Now?"

"Yes. Mr. Mario says the CEO would like to meet you..."

Her heart slammed against her ribs.