Xavier was aware of the issues with FY Trading Company and immediately left to investigate.
After he left, Deanna approached Lance with curiosity. "Why did you send Xavier to investigate FY Trading Company?"
"It just seemed too sudden. I want Xavier to look into it first," Lance explained briefly. Then he added, "Since there's trouble at FY Trading Company, our next plan's first stop will be there to see what's going on."
Deanna nodded. She had no idea how to handle the situation and was relieved to follow Lance's lead.
Soon, they set off with Xavier and a technical expert. The tech expert, on his first trip with Lance, was visibly nervous.
Deanna noticed and started a conversation. "I heard your team has figured out Vortex Technology's products. Do you think the internal system FY Trading Company bought is likely to be hacked?"
The tech expert glanced at Lance, who sat quietly beside Deanna, before answering. "Honestly, it's hard to say."
He shook his head and then explained in technical terms. Deanna only half-understood but got the gist: Vortex Technology's products were top-notch, and hacking them would take a day for anyone but the world's top three hackers, and it would trigger internal alarms.
Lance understood and asked Deanna, "Did the person who reported this to you mention if FY Trading Company's alarms went off?"
"They didn't," the tech expert answered before Deanna could. He seemed less intimidated by Lance when discussing work. "If the system was attacked, we would have received an alarm feedback and started addressing it. But we got no such feedback, meaning the alarm didn't go off."
"No alarm, yet the system was breached? That doesn't add up," Deanna frowned, finding the issue increasingly complex.
Lance's calm voice broke her thoughts. "It's not impossible. The alarm either got decoded or was turned off. We'll only know once we get to FY Trading Company."
"That's right," the tech expert agreed. "But I think it's more likely the alarm was turned off."
Deanna's eyes widened in shock as she looked at Lance. "So, FY Trading Company is framing us?"
Lance's eyes darkened. "Probably, but we need evidence. Let's see what FY Trading Company plans to do."
Deanna nodded in understanding.
Just then, Xavier turned around with a serious expression. "Mr. Mercer, FY Trading Company has taken this online."
He handed his phone to Lance, whose face darkened further as he read.
Deanna leaned over to see that the reports were all slandering Vortex Technology's products, making her furious. "This is too much! We agreed to handle it privately; how could they expose it online?"
"This is part of their plan," Lance said coldly. "The report isn't from FY Trading Company's official site, so they can claim no involvement. It's a clever move; soon someone from FY Trading Company will contact you, claiming innocence and blaming a leak."
Almost as if on cue, Deanna's phone rang with an unknown number.
She looked at Lance in amazement at his foresight.
Lance chuckled at her stunned expression. "What are you looking at? Answer the phone."
Deanna hesitated before picking up. "What should I say?"
She looked to Lance for help, unsure how to handle the situation and afraid of falling into a trap set by seasoned business veterans.
Lance saw her concern and patiently instructed, "No matter what they say, just tell them you're on your way and will discuss it in person."