The office had suddenly become too quiet, the kind of silence that made every unanswered question seem louder than the last.
Brielle looked over the documents again, her mind retracing everything they had uncovered since they began the investigation.
The suspicious payments, the altered supplier accounts, the hidden procurement channel, the authorization code and now the person whose name appeared both in the company’s records and in the government’s assessment.
There had to be a connection between all of them, and she was beginning to suspect that the person behind it had deliberately scattered enough clues to make them believe they were getting closer while keeping the real truth buried.
“We can’t confront anyone yet,” Brielle said, finally breaking the silence.
Dorian looked at her.
“Why?” “Because we don’t know who we can trust.” “We know who the suspicious people are.” “No,” she replied, shaking her head.
“We know whose names have appeared in the records.
That’s different.” Dorian remained silent as he considered her words.
She was right.
The list had contained people from different departments, and if the authorization code really connected them all, then confronting even one of them could alert everyone else.
Whoever was responsible had already shown that they could erase evidence remotely.
They could do far more if they realized Brielle and Dorian were closing in.
“So what do you suggest?” he asked.
Brielle picked up the notebook again.
“We find out who used the code most recently.” Dorian frowned.
“The system has already been wiped.” “Some of it has.
Not everything.” She turned the notebook around and pointed towards the dates written beside several of the names.
“These entries weren’t deleted.
Whoever was keeping this record expected no one to find it.” Dorian studied the pages.
“And you think there’s enough here to trace them?” “I think there’s enough to start.” They spent the next hour comparing the dates in Hale’s notebook with the financial records they had managed to save.
Brielle moved between the documents carefully, marking every transaction that occurred close to the dates recorded in the notebook.
A pattern slowly began to emerge.
Certain payments had been approved on the same days that supplier information had been changed, and each time, the authorization code appeared somewhere within the chain of approval.
But there was something else.
The same few employees seemed to appear around the transactions, yet none of them appeared to have direct control over the entire process.
“This is too organized,” Brielle murmured.
Dorian looked up.
“What?” “They’re using different people for different parts of the process.” He moved beside her.
“Explain.” “One person approves the supplier.
Another authorizes the payment.
Someone else changes the bank details.
Then another person makes sure the transaction passes through without raising suspicion.” She tapped the documents one after another.
“No single person has to know everything.” Dorian’s expression darkened.
“Which makes it harder to find the person at the centre of it.” “Exactly.” Before they could continue, Dorian’s phone vibrated.
He glanced at the screen and answered immediately.
“Hello?” The voice on the other end spoke rapidly, and Dorian’s expression changed almost at once.
“You’re certain?” He listened again before ending the call.
“What happened?” Brielle asked.
Dorian looked at her.
“The financial team found another transaction.” “Another suspicious payment?” “No.” He placed his phone on the desk.
“Someone tried to access the emergency reserve account.” Brielle’s eyes widened.
“When?” “Ten minutes ago.” Her heart sank.
“That’s impossible.” “Why?” “Because we never mentioned that account.” Dorian went still.
Brielle stared at him.
“We haven’t told anyone about the reserve account.
Not even Mr.
Norman.” For a moment, Dorian said nothing.
Then his gaze moved slowly towards the office door.
Someone else knew.
The realization sent a chill through Brielle.
If someone had attempted to access an account they had deliberately kept out of the investigation, then whoever was behind the scheme wasn’t merely monitoring their movements.
They were monitoring their conversations.
Dorian reached for the documents on the desk and gathered them together.
“We’re leaving.” Brielle frowned.
“Leaving?” “Yes.
Now.” “But the investigation—” “That’s exactly why we’re leaving.” He lowered his voice.
“If someone is listening to us, then staying here and continuing this conversation is the worst thing we can do.” Brielle looked around the office.
Nothing seemed unusual.
The computers were still running, the lights were still on and employees continued moving around outside as though nothing had happened.
Yet suddenly, every ordinary movement seemed suspicious.
She gathered the remaining documents and followed Dorian towards the door.
Just before they stepped outside, Brielle stopped.
“Dorian.” He turned.
She pointed towards the desk.
The notebook was gone.
Dorian’s expression changed instantly.
It had been sitting beside the financial records only seconds earlier.
Now there was nothing there.
Brielle’s heart began pounding as she looked towards the open office door.
Someone had entered while they were distracted.
And whoever it was had taken the one piece of evidence they could not afford to lose.