Chapter 3 - The Forensic Audit
By 6:00 a.m., I had converted my hotel suite into a war room.
I made three phone calls.
The first was to Marcus Vance, the most ruthless, terrifying corporate litigator on the Eastern Seaboard. Marcus didn't practice law; he practiced corporate annihilation.
The second was to a team of independent forensic accountants who specialized in international wire fraud.
The third was to the building manager of the Bennett-Cole headquarters, a man whose daughter’s medical bills I had quietly paid off two years ago. I needed the server logs, the security camera footage, and the digital keycard swipes for the last six months, and I needed them completely off the books.
For the next seventy-two hours, I did not exist. I did not answer Adrien's texts, which had shifted from angry demands ("Maya, come home right now, you are acting like a child") to manipulative pleading ("I'm so sorry, babe. The wedding just overwhelmed me. Let's talk.").
I let him believe I was broken. I let him believe his plan was working.
Meanwhile, Marcus Vance and the accountants dismantled Adrien’s digital footprint with surgical precision. The arrogance of a man who believes he is the smartest person in the room is always his undoing. Adrien had routed over four million dollars in "marketing consultation fees" directly into a shell corporation registered to Serena Vale.
But the theft of Project Ares was the kill shot.
"He's scheduled an emergency board meeting for Friday morning," Marcus Vance said, his gravelly voice vibrating through the speakerphone as he reviewed the final dossier. "He filed a proxy motion to remove you as Chief Technology Officer, citing 'emotional instability and abandonment of duties.' He plans to execute the IP transfer to the Cayman account during the meeting, claiming it's a necessary security restructure."
"And Evelyn?" I asked, staring at the rain lashing against the hotel windows.
"Evelyn Cole is listed as the primary beneficiary of the Cayman shell corporation," Marcus confirmed, the grim satisfaction evident in his tone. "She’s been funding her country club lifestyle with your capital for two years."
A dark, absolute calm settled over me.
"Let him call the meeting, Marcus," I said softly. "Let him gather the board. Let him think he has won."
"And what will you do?"
May you like
"I am going to attend."
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