The caption read:
"FIRST-CLASS EXECUTIVE THROWS A DRINK AT A WOMAN, ONLY TO DISCOVER SHE RUNS THE COMPANY'S OPERATIONS."
Evelyn disliked the attention.
She did not want the investigation to become a social media spectacle. Her priority was protecting employees and discovering whether company resources had been misused.
When she entered the executive floor, her assistant, Olivia Bennett, immediately approached.
"Good morning, Ms. Carter."
"Morning, Olivia. What's happening?"
"The legal department has scheduled a meeting for ten. The board chairman also requested a private briefing."
"Anything else?"
Olivia hesitated.
"Mr. Blackwell's office called three times this morning."
Evelyn placed her handbag on the desk.
"Did he leave a message?"
"He wants to meet with you personally."
"Tell him all communication must go through Human Resources and Legal until the investigation is complete."
"Understood."
Olivia handed her a folder.
"There's something else. The IT department recovered several deleted emails from Richard's company account."
Evelyn opened the folder.
The first email was dated fourteen months earlier.
It had been sent from Richard to Peter Lawson.
Subject: Revised Payment Structure
The message contained instructions to divide several large invoices into smaller transactions to avoid triggering additional approval requirements.
Evelyn read the message twice.
"Did they recover the attachments?"
"Some of them. The technical team is still working on the rest."
"Who else received these emails?"
"An employee named Michael Foster."
Evelyn looked up.
"Who is he?"
"Former finance analyst. He resigned seven months ago."
"Do we know why?"
"His resignation letter mentioned personal reasons."
Evelyn closed the folder.
"Find his contact information. I want to speak with him, but make sure nobody pressures him."
At ten o'clock, the legal team joined the meeting.
Margaret Collins displayed a financial report showing unusual transfers between several business accounts.
"The total amount under review is approximately four million dollars," she explained. "However, we have identified another account that may be connected to the same network."
"Where is it registered?" Evelyn asked.
"Outside the United States."
The room became silent.
Daniel Brooks leaned forward.
"Can we identify the account holder?"
Margaret nodded.
"Not yet. The account appears to be registered through an intermediary company."
Evelyn studied the document.
"Who authorized the transfers?"
"Richard's department initiated most of them."
"And who approved them?"
Margaret hesitated.
"Several approvals came from a senior executive account."
Daniel frowned.
"Which executive?"
Margaret changed the screen.
The name appeared.
JAMES WHITMORE.
Evelyn looked at Daniel.
"I thought he had retired."
"He did," Daniel replied. "But his credentials were never completely deactivated."
"That is a serious security failure."
"Agreed."
The legal director, Robert Hayes, spoke carefully.
"We should avoid drawing conclusions. An active account does not necessarily mean the former executive authorized these transactions."
Evelyn nodded.
"Then let's establish who did."
A technical specialist entered carrying a laptop.
"Sorry to interrupt. We've recovered another email chain."
He connected the device to the screen.
The messages showed Richard discussing payment arrangements with Peter Lawson. However, the final email contained a third name.
Daniel Brooks.
Everyone turned toward the CEO.
Daniel stared at the screen.
"What is that?"
The specialist enlarged the message.
It appeared to be an internal communication forwarded from Richard to an external address.
Evelyn read it carefully.
The message suggested that Daniel had been informed about the unusual contracts months earlier.
Daniel immediately shook his head.
"This is taken out of context."
Robert leaned forward.
"We need to verify the original email."
"Absolutely," Evelyn replied.
She looked directly at Daniel.
"Until we establish its authenticity, I think everyone connected to the investigation should disclose any relevant communications."
Daniel's expression hardened slightly.
"Are you suggesting I was involved?"
"I'm suggesting nobody should be excluded from scrutiny."
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Daniel stood.
"I need to make a phone call."
He left the room.
Evelyn watched the door close.
Something about his reaction troubled her.
A CEO who had initially appeared determined to support a transparent investigation was suddenly uncomfortable when his own name appeared in the evidence.
She turned toward Margaret.
"Get me the original email, including its metadata."
Margaret nodded.
Evelyn added one final instruction.
"And keep this investigation independent. I don't want anyone controlling what information reaches the board."
Outside the conference room, Daniel stood near the elevators, speaking quietly into his phone.
"He's asking questions," he whispered.
A voice answered.
"Then make sure she doesn't find the original file."
Daniel looked toward the closed conference room door.
For the first time, Evelyn's investigation was beginning to threaten someone far more powerful than Richard Blackwell.