C177 The Hidden Weakness

At lucia Goods, The moment Alicia and I stepped into the Lucia Goods headquarters, countless pairs of eyes turned toward us. Although the announcement had already been made, many employees still found it difficult to believe that the company's new Director and Vice Director were so young. Some greeted us respectfully.

Others simply stood aside, whispering among themselves. "That's Director Alicia Mooney." "And the man beside her is Vice Director Michael Smith." "They're much younger than I expected." "I heard they got married recently." "No, I heard it was their engagement ceremony." "I saw the videos online. Director Alicia even played the piano herself." "I've never seen a director do something like that."

We pretended not to hear the discussions. Hand in hand, we walked calmly toward the executive offices. Outside Alicia's office, four people were already waiting. The Interim Director, Adam Tavez, stood at the front. Beside him was the Interim Vice Director, Leon Wright. Behind them stood their respective secretaries, Nadine Kimberly and Portia Litchfield, each carrying several neatly arranged files.

The moment they saw us, all four straightened their posture. "Good morning, Director." "Good morning, Vice Director." Alicia smiled politely. "Good morning." She pushed open the door to her office. At the same time, I reached for the handle of the Vice Director's office next door. Just as I was about to enter, Adam called out. "Mr. Smith... if you don't mind, could you spare us a moment?" I paused before nodding. "Of course."

I followed everyone into Alicia's office. The large table was already covered with neatly stacked documents. Financial reports... Production records... Sales statistics... Research reports... Supplier contracts... Quality-control summaries... Adam waited until everyone was seated before beginning his presentation. "For the past month," he explained, "these are the reports awaiting the Director's approval."

He handed the first folder to Alicia. "This contains our quarterly financial performance." The second folder was placed before me. "And this contains current production schedules." For nearly an hour, Adam and Leon carefully explained every department within Lucia Goods. They introduced the company's workflow, from research and development to manufacturing, quality assurance, marketing, distribution, and after-sales service.

Although Alicia and I already understood much of the company's structure through our previous research, we still listened attentively. Every now and then, Alicia would ask a question. I occasionally added another. Adam seemed pleased that we weren't simply pretending to understand. Eventually, the discussion shifted toward the company's biggest problem.

Adam became noticeably more serious. "There is one issue I believe both of you should know immediately." The room fell silent. "Our sales have been declining." Leon nodded in agreement. "Not only that..." "The number of rejected products has increased significantly." I frowned. "Rejected by customers?" "Or rejected during production?" "Both," Leon answered honestly. "Some products fail internal testing." "Others are returned by distributors because of defects."

I exchanged a glance with Alicia. Adam continued. "Personally..." "I believe everything started after I became the Interim Director." He sighed quietly. "Some employees weren't happy about the change in leadership." "They expected the Harris Family to purchase Lucia Goods." "They never imagined the Mooney Family would become the new owners."

He paused briefly before looking directly at us. "Now that both of you have officially taken over..." "I'm afraid the situation may become even worse." Alicia folded her hands calmly. "You believe this is intentional?" Adam nodded. "Yes." "The Development Department is the biggest concern." "They're responsible for creating the products before they move into production." "Most of the engineers there have worked for Lucia Goods for more than twenty years." "They know every system." "Every process." "And every weakness."

Leon added quietly, "They're experienced enough to create problems without leaving obvious evidence." My eyebrows knitted together. "You mean..." "They're deliberately lowering product quality?" Adam nodded slowly. "I can't prove it." "But that's my conclusion." I leaned back in my chair. "If that's true..." "They're risking the company's future." "Aren't they afraid of losing their jobs?"

Adam gave a bitter smile. "They don't believe they'll ever be fired." "They've convinced themselves that Lucia Goods can't survive without them." The room became quiet. After several moments, Alicia finally spoke. "Thank you." "Both of you." Her calm voice surprised everyone. "You could have hidden this information." "But instead, you chose to tell us honestly." "We appreciate that."

She smiled gently. "At least now we know where the problem begins." "Leave the rest to my husband and me." "We'll handle it." Relief appeared on Adam's face. Leon also smiled. At least... The new management wasn't ignoring the problem. Realizing the meeting was ending, Leon asked another question. "Director..." "Vice Director..." "Now that you've officially taken over..." "What will happen to us?"

Alicia looked at him thoughtfully. "Before becoming Interim Director..." "What positions did both of you hold within Lucia Goods?" Adam and Leon exchanged glances before shaking their heads. "We didn't." "Your father personally recruited us," Alicia murmured. "So neither of you originally belonged to Lucia Goods." "That's correct." Silence filled the office again.

An idea suddenly came to me. I smiled. "I think we've already found your next assignment." Everyone turned toward me. Even Alicia looked curious. "What do you mean?" I leaned forward. "They've already identified where the problem is." "The Development Department." "It wouldn't make sense for the Director to spend all day monitoring one department."

I smiled at Adam. "So..." "I think Director Tavez should be transferred into Development." "He'll quietly observe everything from inside." Then I looked toward Leon. "And Vice Director Wright..." "You'll move into Production." "If defects are passing through Development..." "Production is the next place they'll appear." "Having someone we trust inside both departments will make it much easier to identify who's sabotaging the company."

The room suddenly became quiet. Adam blinked. Leon looked genuinely surprised. Neither of them had expected such an arrangement. Alicia stared at me for several seconds before smiling. "I like that idea." "It allows us to investigate without alerting anyone." She turned back toward the two men. "Do either of you know of any vacancies in those departments?"

Both men shook their heads. "No." "There aren't any management positions available." I laughed softly. "Then our first task as Director and Vice Director..." "...is to create positions." Everyone laughed. Even the two secretaries behind them finally relaxed. Portia let out a small sigh of relief. She had been worried they would all lose their jobs after the new management arrived.

Alicia noticed it immediately. She smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry." "None of you are being dismissed." "If you've worked honestly, you'll always have a place here." The four visitors thanked us sincerely before leaving the office. As soon as the door closed, Alicia immediately picked up the telephone. "Human Resources." "This is Director Alicia Mooney." "I'd like a complete organizational hierarchy for every department." "Please have it delivered to my office immediately." "Thank you." She hung up before leaning back in her chair.

I couldn't help smiling. "Wife..." "You don't look stressed at all." She turned toward me. Her eyes softened. "That's because you're here." She reached across the table and gently held my hand. "We'll overcome every obstacle together." "No matter how difficult it becomes." I smiled. "I was about to say exactly the same thing."

Barely five minutes later, there was another knock. "Come in." A young employee entered carrying several neatly printed documents. "Director..." "The organizational charts you requested." She respectfully placed them on the desk. Her name tag read, Faith Capsey Alicia smiled warmly. "Thank you, Faith." "Good work." Faith bowed politely. "You're welcome, Director." She quietly left the office.

Immediately, Alicia and I spread the organizational charts across the large table. For several minutes, neither of us spoke. We carefully studied every department. Every reporting line. Every position. Every responsibility. Suddenly, Alicia stopped. Her finger rested on one section. "Mike..." I looked over. "What is it?"

She pointed toward the Development Department. "Something's missing." I examined it carefully. Then I frowned. "...You're right." "There isn't a single inspection position." I looked at her in disbelief. "You mean..." "No one inspects completed development projects before they reach Production?" She slowly shook her head. "According to this chart..." "No."

My expression immediately became serious. "If that's true..." "How have they been maintaining quality all these years?" Neither of us could answer. Curious, we immediately shifted our attention to the Production Department. Again... The same problem appeared. No inspection team. No quality verification role between Development and Production.

For a long moment, neither of us spoke. Finally, I looked up at Alicia. "I think..." "We've just discovered Lucia Goods' biggest weakness." Alicia slowly nodded. "And perhaps..." "...the reason the company has been losing money."