Chapter 7 - The Audit Begins
Victoria’s breath came in shallow, ragged gasps. The arrogance that had defined her entire career had collapsed like a house of cards in a hurricane. She clutched her silver phone against her chest like a shield, her eyes darting frantically toward the main exit doors.
"You can't do this," she stammered, trying to regain a shred of her former posture. "I have a contract. I am the Senior Managing Director! I brought in forty million in revenue last quarter alone! You can't just... you can't fire me over a spilled cup of coffee!"
"Fire you?" Arthur chuckled, a dark, terrible sound that sent a shiver down Julian’s spine. "Ms. Sterling, if I merely fired you, that would be a mercy. You think I’ve been holding a mop for seven years just to play a morality game?"
He raised his right hand and gestured toward the chief legal officer standing behind Marcus Kane.
"David," Arthur commanded. "Read her the primary summary."
David Vance, a tall, sharp-featured attorney with graying temples, stepped forward and opened a thick leather binder. He didn't look at Victoria; his voice was cold, mechanical, and entirely void of emotion.
"As of 08:00 hours this morning," David read, "an automated forensic audit was initiated across all offshore accounts managed by the Risk Assessment Division. We have identified seventeen unauthorized transfer protocols routed through shell entities in the Cayman Islands, all bearing Ms. Sterling’s digital signature. Total diverted funds exceed fifty-eight million dollars over the last eighteen months."
Victoria’s face went from pale white to an unhealthy, blotchy purple. "That's... that's a lie! That's framed! I never—"
"You did," Arthur interrupted smoothly. "And you were very clever about it. You thought the system was too complex for anyone to notice. You thought the board was too greedy to ask questions as long as your divisions reported high yields. But you forgot one simple thing, Victoria."
Arthur reached out and gently plucked the silver phone from her trembling hands.
"The man sweeping your floors used to build those algorithms for the Department of Treasury," Arthur whispered. "I built the trap you walked into three months ago. I was just waiting to see if you possessed a single redeeming human quality that might justify showing you leniency."
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He tossed her phone into the bucket of dirty, soapy mop water with a dull plop.
"You failed the test."
