Chapter 4: The Man Standing Beside Me Was Hiding Something
For several seconds, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen.
Daniel Brooks.
The man who had driven through a storm to find me. The man who had addressed me as Madam President in front of my husband. The man who had spent the last hour helping me uncover a financial crime.
His credentials had been used to access my private executive office after midnight.
I slowly raised my eyes.
“Daniel, explain.””
He looked at the screen, then at me.
“I can explain the access record. I cannot explain who used my credentials.””
“Those credentials belong to you.””
“Yes, ma'am.””
“And someone used them to create a fraudulent loan application against my house.””
“Yes.””
“Do you expect me to believe this is a coincidence?””
“No.”” His voice remained calm, but his fingers tightened around the laptop.
“I expect you to investigate me as thoroughly as everyone else.””
The answer caught me off guard.
Behind us, Ethan gave a short, bitter laugh.
“Unbelievable. Even your own employees are stealing from you.””
I turned toward him.
“You're standing in a house you tried to take from your wife while your pregnant girlfriend's father's company is connected to a suspicious loan. I'd think carefully before criticizing anyone else's integrity.””
Ethan's mouth snapped shut.
Margaret seized the opportunity to step inside.
“This is ridiculous. We have no reason to remain here while Claire conducts some corporate witch hunt.””
“You're free to leave,” I said.
Her expression hardened.
“And where exactly are we supposed to go?””
“That's a question you should have considered before helping someone change the locks.””
She looked toward Ethan, expecting him to defend her.
He didn't.
Instead, he stared at Daniel.
“Can you prove Claire actually owns this company?””
Daniel closed his laptop.
“Mr. Whitmore, the corporate records are public. If you wish to dispute them, you may consult an attorney.””
“I don't need an attorney. I need answers.””
“Then start by answering Claire's questions.””
Ethan's face reddened.
“You work for her. You don't get to speak to me like that.””
Daniel stepped closer.
“I work for Sterling Crest Group. My responsibility is to protect its president and its assets. At the moment, you're standing in a property owned by one of those assets.””
Ethan looked as if he'd been slapped.
I raised a hand before the argument could escalate.
“Daniel, give me your company phone and access card.””
He immediately reached into his jacket.
“Of course.””
He placed both items in my hand.
No protest. No attempt to delay.
That worried me more than an angry denial would have.
“Until an independent investigator reviews the access logs, you are suspended from handling this matter. You will cooperate with the investigation, and you will not contact anyone connected to the disputed transactions.””
Daniel nodded.
“Understood.””
“Are you going to tell me you didn't do it?””
He met my gaze.
“I didn't create that loan application, Claire.””
It was the first time all evening he'd called me by my first name.
“I also didn't authorize those transfers to Bennett Meridian Holdings. But there's something you need to know about the access logs.””
“What?””
“The system recorded my credentials. It didn't record my physical presence.””
I frowned.
“Explain.””
“Three months ago, our technology department issued a temporary security token for an emergency systems migration. I reported mine missing two weeks later. The token was deactivated, or so I was told.””
“Who had access to the migration records?””
Daniel hesitated.
“Nathan Sterling's office supervised that project.””
The pieces began to move, but they didn't fit together cleanly.
“Then why didn't you tell me about the missing token?””
“Because I was told it had been deactivated and the incident had been resolved. I should have followed up.””
He looked genuinely ashamed.
“I made a mistake. That doesn't mean I committed this fraud.””
Before I could respond, Chloe's phone began ringing.
She glanced at the screen and turned pale.
“It's my father.””
“Answer it,” I said.
She hesitated.
“Put it on speaker.””
Her eyes flashed with indignation.
“You can't tell me what to do.””
“No, I can't. But if your father's company is involved in a fraudulent loan application, you may want to know what he's going to say.””
Chloe looked toward Ethan.
He gave her a warning glance.
She noticed it.
Something shifted in her expression.
She answered the call and tapped the speaker button.
“Daddy?””
A man's impatient voice filled the foyer.
“Chloe, where are you? I've been trying to reach you for twenty minutes.””
“I'm at Ethan's house.””
“Good. Did he get Claire to sign the documents?””
Nobody moved.
Chloe's fingers went numb around her phone.
“What documents?””
There was a brief silence on the other end.
Then her father spoke again.
“The property documents, Chloe. Don't tell me you're asking questions now. You said Ethan had everything under control.””
Ethan lunged toward the phone.
“Give me that!””
Chloe jerked away.
“Daddy, what did you do?””
“Not over the phone.””
“Is this about a four-million-dollar loan?””
The silence that followed was answer enough.
I stepped closer.
“Mr. Bennett, this is Claire Whitmore. Your company appears in a loan application secured against a property owned by Sterling Crest Group. I suggest you contact your attorney before anyone contacts you.””
The line went dead.
Chloe stared at the phone.
“He hung up.””
“Yes,” I said.
“He did.””
Ethan rubbed his forehead.
“Claire, we need to stop this before it gets out of hand.””
I looked at the man who had offered me $2,500 to leave my own mansion.
“It's already out of hand.””
Then Daniel's laptop chimed.
He glanced at the notification before remembering that he no longer had authority to access the case file.
“What is it?”” I asked.
“An alert from security. Someone just attempted to access your executive office remotely.””
My stomach tightened.
“Who?””
Daniel turned the screen toward me.
The access request had been rejected, but the originating account was clearly identified.
Nathan Sterling.
The attempt had occurred less than a minute earlier.
My brother knew we were investigating.
And whoever had helped him was still trying to get inside my office.
I looked at Daniel.
“Call the security director. Nobody enters that office until the forensic team arrives.””
He reached for his personal phone.
Then another notification appeared.
This time, it wasn't from security.
It was a message from Nathan.
*Claire, whatever Daniel has told you, don't trust him. He was the one who brought Ethan into this. And if you want to know why your husband needed four million dollars, ask him what happened to the money he borrowed from me.*
I read it twice.
Then I looked through the open doorway at Ethan.
His face had gone completely white.
“Ethan,” I said quietly, “how much money do you owe my brother?””
May you like
He didn't answer.
And in that silence, I realized the betrayal inside my marriage had started long before the locks were changed.
