Chapter 5 - Shadows in the Ledger
As Abby settled into her new role, managing Julian’s sprawling estate and assisting with his philanthropic foundation, she noticed discrepancies in the corporate financial records. Her keen eye for detail—honed by years of managing bills down to the last penny—spotted unauthorized money transfers bleeding out of the foundation's accounts into an overseas shell company.
She brought her findings straight to Julian’s private study.
“Look at this,” Abby pointed at the encrypted ledger on her tablet. “Someone inside the Cross Corporation is systematically embezzling from the charity funds earmarked for medical research.”
Julian leaned over her shoulder, his brow furrowing as he analyzed the data. The trail led directly to Richard Vance, Victoria’s father and the chief financial officer of Cross Corp—a man Julian had trusted for over a decade.
May you like
“If we expose him publicly without airtight proof, the board will tear the company apart and weaponize it against us,” Julian said, his jaw tightening. “We need to catch him in the act.”
“Leave that to me,” Abby said quietly. “People like Richard Vance never suspect the person holding the clipboard.”
