"You're moving too fast, Julian," Marcus had warned him during a late-night strategy review over amber whiskey. "The restructuring of the logistics division requires a delicate touch—one that prioritizes family alignment over raw metrics."
"Metrics don't care about bloodlines, Marcus," Julian had replied coolly, sliding the optimization report across the leather blotter. "If we don't cut the redundant supply chains in the northern district, the Q3 audit is going to expose a six-figure deficit."
That deficit wasn't an accident. Over the past six months, internal audits had revealed systematic financial leakage originating from accounts managed directly by Marcus’s inner circle—including Clara’s mother, Evelyn. When Julian submitted his confidential findings to the compliance committee, the trap had snapped shut.
Evelyn Vance had orchestrated the confrontation in the hallway precisely to manufacture cause. She knew that by weaponizing Clara’s protective instincts against domestic hostility, she could sever Julian’s personal connection to the family, invalidate his standing within the firm, and clear the path to bury the audit reports forever.