"Your identity will come out," Rebecca continued. "You should be prepared."
"I'm ready."
"One more thing. The board has requested that you attend a special session tomorrow."
"Will Victoria be there?"
"Yes."
Daniel looked out the window of his apartment.
He remembered the lobby.
The brush on the floor.
The employees watching.
Victoria's voice telling him that he needed to remember his position.
"Then I'll be there."
Rebecca paused.
"Daniel, I need you to understand something. The meeting is not an opportunity for revenge."
"I know."
"You must remain factual. If she insults you, don't respond emotionally. If she denies something, refer to the evidence. Let the records speak."
Daniel smiled faintly.
"That's what I've been doing."
"I know. I'm reminding you because tomorrow will be difficult."
He thanked her and ended the call.
Then he took the navy-blue maintenance uniform from the closet.
He had washed it before returning the other company-issued items, and he had kept it because it belonged to the contractor rather than Sterling Global.
He folded it carefully and placed it in a bag.
He did not intend to wear it to the board meeting.
He simply wanted to remember why he had started the investigation.
Not because Victoria had humiliated him.
Because a company built by his father had forgotten the people who made it possible.
And if he allowed anger to become the purpose of his actions, he would risk becoming another person who believed power mattered more than responsibility.
***
The special board session began at ten o'clock the following morning.
Victoria arrived early.
She wore a charcoal suit and a pearl necklace. Her hair was immaculate, and her expression suggested that the previous day's meeting had been a minor inconvenience.
She had spent the night preparing a defense.
The contractor payments, she would argue, were part of a complex restructuring process. Any discrepancies could be explained by incomplete data migration. The employee complaints reflected resistance to necessary changes. The lobby incident was unrelated to the financial review and had been exaggerated by social media.
She believed she could separate each issue, explain it individually, and prevent the directors from seeing the larger pattern.
At ten, the board members entered.
Eleanor Whitmore took her seat.
Robert Lang sat at the head of the table.
Martin Hale arrived carrying two folders and looking as though he had not slept.
Victoria glanced at him.
"Are you ready?" she whispered.
He did not answer.
The chairman called the meeting to order.
"We are here to review the initial findings concerning the maintenance contracts, internal reporting procedures, and recent personnel decisions."
He turned toward the door.
"Please bring in the witnesses."
Samuel Reed entered first.
Then Elaine Porter.
Then two former maintenance supervisors who had submitted statements about incomplete work and unpaid overtime.
Victoria watched them take their seats.
Her confidence began to weaken.
She recognized Samuel immediately.
"You were dismissed," she said before the chairman could speak.
Samuel looked at her.
"My position was eliminated."
"After you failed to meet your responsibilities."
"I refused to sign a report that I believed was inaccurate."
The chairman raised a hand.
"Ms. Sterling, you will have an opportunity to respond after the witnesses have been heard."
Victoria pressed her lips together.
Samuel described the compliance reports, the missing records, and the pressure he had experienced when he requested original documentation.
Elaine described employee concerns and the gradual disappearance of people who questioned management decisions.
The former supervisors presented maintenance logs and photographs documenting work that had been billed but not completed.
One described a fire-safety issue that remained unresolved for weeks after the company certified that corrective work had been completed.
Another explained how his team had been instructed to close maintenance tickets without performing the required inspections.
Victoria listened with an expression of disbelief.
When the witnesses finished, she stood.
"These accounts are selective and emotionally charged. They do not establish that I personally authorized any improper transaction."
Eleanor nodded.
"That is correct. Which is why we are reviewing the authorization records."
She opened a folder and displayed a series of documents.
"These records show that several payments were approved through an executive authorization process linked to your office."
Victoria glanced at the pages.
"Those approvals were routine."
"Some were issued before the work was completed."
"That does not necessarily mean the payments were improper."
"Agreed. We are examining the circumstances."
Robert Lang leaned forward.
"Ms. Sterling, did you know that certain inspection reports did not match the physical condition of the properties?"
"No."
"Did you instruct anyone to alter or suppress compliance records?"
"Absolutely not."
"Did you know that employees had been dismissed after raising concerns about the contracts?"
"I was informed of personnel changes, not the details of individual complaints."
The chairman made a note.
Then Eleanor turned toward the door.
"There is one final witness."
Daniel Brooks entered the room.
He wore a dark suit, a white shirt, and a simple pair of black shoes. His expression was calm, and he carried a slim folder.
Victoria looked up.
At first, she did not recognize him.
Then she saw his eyes.
The same steady gaze that had unsettled her in the lobby.
Her face lost its color.
Daniel walked to the empty chair beside Rebecca and sat down.
No one spoke.
Finally, Victoria found her voice.
"What is he doing here?"
Robert Lang looked at her.
"Mr. Brooks has submitted evidence relevant to the investigation."
Victoria stared at Daniel.
"Mr. Brooks?"
He met her gaze.
"Good morning, Ms. Sterling."
She slowly stood.
"Who are you?"
Daniel placed his folder on the table.