"Because you see problems other people overlook."
She smiled.
"I need people like you."
Over the following years, Eleanor became something close to a second mother to him.
She invited him to company events, introduced him to important investors, and encouraged him to pursue leadership positions.
Ethan believed he had finally found a professional family.
Unfortunately, he had also entered a world where some people valued power more than loyalty.
CHAPTER 3: THE MAN BEHIND THE SMILE
Marcus Williams had worked for Harrison International for fifteen years.
He controlled security operations, investigated internal incidents, and had access to sensitive company information.
Employees feared him.
He had a reputation for being strict, but senior executives considered him reliable.
That reputation was carefully manufactured.
For years, Marcus had been working with a group of executives who secretly diverted company money into private accounts.
The operation was sophisticated.
They created consulting companies, issued false invoices, and approved payments for services that were never delivered.
The money was divided between several accounts.
Eleanor knew nothing about the scheme.
She trusted Marcus because he had been recommended by her late husband.
But Marcus had developed a close relationship with Daniel Price, the company's chief financial officer.
Daniel was responsible for approving financial transfers.
Together, they had created a system that allowed them to move millions without attracting immediate attention.
Their biggest obstacle was Ethan.
His financial monitoring platform had begun identifying suspicious patterns.
He discovered that several companies receiving payments had identical registration addresses.
Others had no employees.
Some were connected to individuals who had previously worked for Harrison International.
Ethan prepared a confidential report.
He intended to present it to Eleanor.
But before he could do so, someone accessed his office computer.
The report disappeared.
Then a series of altered financial documents appeared under his name.
Within forty-eight hours, Marcus had convinced Eleanor that Ethan was responsible for the missing money.
It was an extraordinary betrayal.
And it was only the beginning.
CHAPTER 4: THE PHONE CALL
After being dragged out of the conference room, Ethan stumbled into the underground parking garage.
His face hurt.
His ribs ached.
His suit was ruined.
But he was not thinking about his injuries.
He was thinking about the documents.
He reached into his jacket and discovered that his phone was still there.
He opened his contacts and called a woman named Rebecca Stone.
She answered immediately.
"Ethan?"
"Rebecca, I need you to listen carefully."
"What happened? Your voice sounds terrible."
"They suspended me."
"What?"
"Marcus and Eleanor. They accused me of stealing twelve million dollars."
Rebecca was silent.
Then she said:
"Did they use the documents we discussed?"
"Yes."
"Then they know about the investigation."
Ethan closed his eyes.
"Someone leaked the report."
"That means we need to move quickly."
Ethan looked toward the parking garage entrance.