“And?”
“Nine consulting vendors have received eighteen point four million dollars over the last four years. All approved directly by your husband.”
I flipped open the file. “Are the vendors legitimate?”
“No,” the auditor said grimly. “They are shell companies. And four of them are registered to addresses associated with his executive secretary. Miss Thorne.”
My blood ran cold. The watch wasn’t a gift for a mistress. It was a payoff to an accomplice.
Chapter 3: A Fresh Cup of Power
At 12:30 PM, the door to my office opened.
Chloe Thorne walked in. Without her audience in the lobby, without Julian standing beside her, she seemed much smaller. The arrogant sneer was gone, replaced by a tight, nervous swallow. She looked at the expansive CEO suite, then at me, sitting behind the massive oak desk in my black suit.
She noticed what was sitting on the desk between us.
It was a plastic cup. An iced matcha latte. Brand new, sweating condensation onto a leather coaster.
Chloe stared at the green drink, her throat bobbing.
“Have a seat, Chloe,” I said, my voice dangerously soft.
She slowly sank into the chair opposite me.
I pushed the matcha latte a few inches toward her. “I thought you might be thirsty. After all the energy you expended this morning.”
“You’re going to fire me,” she whispered, her eyes fixed on the cup. “You’re punishing me for the elevator.”
“If this were about a ruined dress,” I said, leaning back and steepling my fingers, “security would have already boxed up your desk. I don’t care about the water you threw on me, Chloe. I care about the eighteen million dollars you and my husband stole from this company.”
All the color drained from her face. She looked like a ghost.
“Do you own Meridian Strategy?” I asked, sliding the audit report next to the latte.
“No,” she gasped.
“North Axis Consulting?”
“No!”
“Then why,” I asked, my voice snapping like a whip, “are they registered to your home address and your mother’s maiden name?”
