"Don't pressure him. If he has information, Helen can help arrange a proper statement."
Emily agreed.
After the call, Daniel sent Helen a summary.
He then opened the photograph of his father's complaint.
The old document had become the center of a much larger investigation.
But there was still one question that troubled him.
If Charles had known about the original arrangement, why had he allowed Richard to continue it?
Was it simply negligence?
Was it fear of exposing the company's earlier failures?
Or had Charles knowingly benefited from a system that concealed financial losses?
Daniel knew the answer would matter.
Because proving that Richard had manipulated the accounts would be one thing.
Proving that the company's highest executive had approved the original scheme, ignored warnings, and allowed it to continue would change everything.
That evening, Charles returned home later than usual.
His wife asked whether the board meeting had gone well.
He gave a tired smile.
"Just another difficult day."
But after she went upstairs, Charles entered his private study.
He opened a locked cabinet and removed a small black notebook.
It contained handwritten notes from the manufacturing expansion period.
He turned to a page dated twenty-three years earlier.
There, in his own handwriting, was a sentence he had not read in years.
"Proceed with temporary reconciliation arrangement. Review after financial recovery."
Beneath it were three initials.
C.W.
Charles closed the notebook.
For the first time, he understood that the investigation might not simply expose what Richard had done.
It might expose what Charles himself had allowed to happen.
And if the original approval records survived, there would be no easy way to explain them away.
Thomas Blake had not slept properly in three nights.
He sat alone in his office at Sterling Tower, staring at the same spreadsheet he had reviewed hundreds of times. The figures had not changed. The supplier names were still there. The departmental adjustments were still recorded exactly as they had been entered.
But now, every number seemed to carry a different meaning.
For years, Thomas had convinced himself that he was simply following instructions. Richard Morgan had given him directions, Victor Hayes had handled the financial systems, and Thomas had made sure the paperwork was completed.
He had never considered himself responsible for the larger decisions.
That explanation had become harder to believe since the independent investigation began.
The investigators had already requested his emails, meeting notes, and approval records. They had also asked about Emily Parker.
Thomas knew she had cooperated.
He had spoken to her because he wanted to know how much she had revealed. But when he heard her answer, he realized that she was no longer willing to protect the people who had pressured her.
That morning, Thomas received another request from the investigation team.
They wanted to interview him formally.
He read the message twice.
Then he closed his laptop and called Helen Brooks.
"I need to speak with you," he said.
Helen agreed to meet him that afternoon.
Thomas arrived at her office looking older than he had a week earlier. He carried a leather folder and placed it on the table.
"I know you represent Daniel Carter and Emily Parker," he began. "I also know you are working with the independent investigation."
Helen remained cautious.
"Then you understand that I cannot promise you any particular outcome."
"I understand."
"What do you want to tell me?"
Thomas opened the folder.
"I have copies of the instructions I received from Richard Morgan. Some of them go back several years."
Helen examined the first page.
The email was from Richard's office and instructed Thomas to process a series of supplier adjustments before the quarterly financial review.
Another message referred to the eastern division.
A third contained a sentence that made Helen stop reading.
"Ensure the revised allocations are reflected in the final report. No separate explanation should be included unless specifically requested."
Helen looked up.
"Why did you keep these?"
Thomas hesitated.
"Because I knew something wasn't right."
"Then why didn't you report it?"
He looked down.
"At first, I thought it was temporary. Later, I understood that people were being blamed for decisions they hadn't made. But by then, I had already followed too many instructions."
Helen closed the folder.
"Are you willing to explain this to the investigators?"
Thomas nodded.
"Yes."
"Then you must provide a complete and truthful account. That includes your own involvement."
Thomas accepted the warning.
Before leaving, he added something else.
"There's a person you should speak to. Victor Hayes."
"We're already aware of his involvement."
"No. I mean you need to speak to him about the original arrangement. He knows who approved it, and he knows why it continued."
Helen studied him.
"Do you have evidence?"
Thomas removed another document.
It was a meeting note from the original manufacturing expansion project.
At the bottom were the initials of three executives.
One belonged to Charles Whitmore.
Another belonged to the financial director.
The third belonged to a person Thomas had not expected Daniel to recognize.
Richard Morgan.
Helen examined the date.
"Richard was involved from the beginning?"
"He wasn't the most senior person at the time, but he was part of the financial team. He understood the structure. He knew how the adjustments worked."
"Did he create it?"
"I can't say that. But I can tell you he helped maintain it after the original project failed."
Helen placed the document in the folder.
"Thank you, Mr. Blake."
Thomas stood.
"I should have spoken years ago."
Helen did not offer easy reassurance.
"Then make sure you speak clearly now."
That evening, Daniel received a message from Helen asking him to come to her office.
When he arrived, Thomas was already there.
Daniel recognized him immediately.
"Mr. Blake."
Thomas stood awkwardly.
"Daniel."
For a moment, neither man knew what to say.
Then Thomas looked directly at him.
"I owe you an apology."
Daniel waited.
"I discouraged Emily from raising concerns. I told her to process incomplete documents and not ask questions. I did the same thing with Michael Torres."
Daniel's expression hardened.
"Why?"
"Because I was afraid of losing my position. Richard made it clear that people who challenged the reporting instructions would create problems for themselves."
"So you let other people suffer instead."
Thomas lowered his eyes.
"Yes."
Daniel did not respond immediately.
He wanted to be angry. Part of him was angry.
But he also understood that an apology could not undo the damage.
"Are you going to tell the investigators everything?" he asked.
"Yes. Even if it means admitting what I did."
Daniel nodded.
"Then start by telling them the truth."
Thomas agreed.
Over the next several days, he provided a detailed statement. He explained how the instructions had passed through the financial department, how the supplier allocations had been changed, and how employees were pressured to approve reports they did not fully understand.
His account supported several details already found in Emily's emails and Michael's records.
It also gave the investigators a new direction.
They requested a formal interview with Victor Hayes.
When Victor received the request, he called Richard.
"Thomas has spoken," he said.
Richard went silent.
"How much?"
"Enough."
Richard walked to the window.
"Then you need to keep your explanation consistent."
Victor gave a bitter laugh.
"Consistent with what? The official story? The one we've been repeating for twenty years?"
"Watch your tone."
"No, Richard. I've watched my tone for long enough."
Richard's voice became cold.
"Remember who gave you your position."
Victor answered quietly.
"And remember who knows how the system was built."
The call ended.
For the first time, Richard understood that Victor might no longer be willing to carry the entire burden of the scheme.
And Thomas Blake, the man who had once told employees to remain silent, had finally decided to speak.