My Boss, My Destiny (Spg)

The Hidden Pattern

AMARA'S POV

I didn't realize how difficult the task would be until I was already sitting inside Adrian Montefalco's office with dozens of financial documents spread across the table.

When he told me to examine the files, I thought I would be able to identify the problem within a few hours.

I was wrong.

The documents looked clean.

Almost too clean.

Every transaction was supported by complete documentation—supplier information, contracts, invoices, payment requests, and approval records.

There were no obvious mistakes.

Everything appeared properly signed and processed.

There were no unusually large payments.

No suspicious descriptions.

No missing documents.

Nothing that immediately suggested fraud.

Whoever had prepared these records had been extremely careful.

I picked up another report and began checking it line by line.

The transaction details matched perfectly.

I frowned.

There had to be something.

Adrian was sitting behind his desk several feet away from me. He had returned to his own work after giving me the files, but every now and then, I could feel his eyes on me.

I tried not to let it distract me.

My attention remained on the documents.

I checked the pages.

Dates.

Amounts.

Supplier names.

Department codes.

Approval records.

Everything appeared legitimate.

I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes for a moment.

This was frustrating.

I had always been good at finding patterns.

But this time, there seemed to be no pattern at all.

I opened my eyes and looked at the pile of documents in front of me.

There were hundreds of transactions.

Everything varied—suppliers, departments, dates, amounts, and descriptions.

It looked like a collection of completely unrelated payments.

Maybe that was the point.

Perhaps whoever was responsible had deliberately scattered the transactions so no one would think to connect them.

I sat up straighter.

Instead of looking at each transaction individually, I started making a list.

Every transaction detail was accounted for and verified.

I began recording everything.

One transaction at a time.

Five minutes became thirty.

Thirty minutes became an hour.

The numbers slowly filled the pages of my notebook.

I glanced at the clock.

5:42 P.M.

I hadn't realized so much time had passed.

I looked toward Adrian.

He was still working.

His eyes were focused on his laptop, his expression unreadable.

I returned my attention to the documents.

Something wasn't right.

I could feel it.

I picked up another transaction.

Nothing suspicious.

Everything matched.

I moved to the next one.

Hamilton Industrial Solutions.

Payment date: April 3.

Amount: ₱3,920,000.

Different supplier.

Different date.

Different amount.

But then I noticed something.

The last four digits of the bank account number were the same.

I froze.

I checked the previous transaction.

Same.

I quickly reached for my notebook and wrote down the account number.

Then I checked another transaction.

Same account.

Another.

Same.

My heartbeat quickened.

I pulled more documents toward me.

I began checking every payment connected to that account.

There were numerous transactions.

Different suppliers.

Different dates.

Different amounts.

But the same bank account.

I stared at the page.

"That's not a coincidence."

I checked each supplier in the database.

Every company appeared legitimate.

That only made the situation more confusing.

If these companies were legitimate, why were their payments being deposited into the same account?

Everything about the suppliers was different.

Except for the bank account.

That was the first real inconsistency.

I quickly opened the archived supplier records.

Then I searched for the account number.

A result appeared.

My eyes widened.

The account had previously been registered under a supplier called Brightline Procurement Services.

I opened the record.

The company had been removed from Montefalco Holdings' approved supplier list almost two years ago.

I stared at the screen.

Why was an inactive supplier's bank account still receiving money?

I checked the transaction dates.

The suspicious payments had started months after Brightline had been removed.

Someone had reused the account.

But that still wasn't enough.

I needed to know how those transactions had passed through the system.

I opened the approval records.

Every payment had different approvers.

Different employees.

Different departments.

Different dates.

Yet the authorization codes shared a suspicious pattern.

I narrowed my eyes.

The transaction numbers were different.

But the same authorization code appeared repeatedly.

That shouldn't have happened.

I checked the company's approval procedures.

Authorization codes were supposed to be unique.

My fingers paused above the keyboard.

Someone had found a way to make multiple transactions appear properly authorized.

But how?

I began tracing the digital records.

First, I checked who had created each payment.

Then who had reviewed it.

Then who had approved it.

The trail became complicated.

Several different employees appeared at different stages of the process.

At first glance, there was nothing unusual.

But then I noticed something.

The same administrative account kept appearing during the final approval process.

I wrote the user ID down.

Then I checked its access level.

My eyes narrowed.

Executive Finance Administration.

That was a much higher level of access than I expected.

I glanced toward Adrian.

He had finally stopped typing.

He was watching me.

"Found something?"

I hesitated.

"Maybe."

He closed his laptop.

"Tell me."

I turned the screen slightly toward him.

"The supplier names are different."

"I know."

"But their payments are going to the same bank account."

His expression changed.

"Which account?"

I showed him the number.

He studied it.

"That account belonged to an old supplier."

"Brightline Procurement Services."

He nodded slowly.

"Continue."

I looked back at the screen.

"The account was removed from the approved supplier list almost two years ago."

"And yet it's receiving payments."

"Yes."

He leaned forward.

"How many?"

"I don't know yet."

I turned back to the records.

"That's what I'm trying to determine."

He nodded.

"Keep going."

The room fell silent again.

The only sounds were the clicking of my keyboard and the occasional turning of paper.

I checked every suspicious transaction.

One.

Then another.

I began grouping them by date.

At first, there seemed to be no connection.

But after arranging them chronologically, something slowly began to emerge.

The transactions weren't random.

They were spaced apart.

Usually several days.

Sometimes weeks.

Never often enough to attract immediate attention.

The amounts were also carefully distributed.

Small enough to blend into the company's normal operating expenses.

Large enough to accumulate over time.

Whoever was doing this knew exactly what they were doing.

They weren't simply stealing money.

They were deliberately concealing it.

I continued calculating.

One transaction after another.

Then I reached the total.

My eyes widened.

I recalculated it.

Then I calculated it again.

₱86,740,000.

I stared at the number.

Eighty-six million pesos.

My throat suddenly felt dry.

"Sir."

Adrian looked up.

"Yes?"

"I think this is bigger than we expected."

He stood and walked around the desk.

"What did you find?"

I turned the laptop toward him.

"There are forty-seven suspicious transactions."

His eyes moved over the screen.

"How much?"

"Approximately eighty-six million seven hundred forty thousand pesos."

For several seconds, he said nothing.

His jaw tightened.

"You're certain?"

"I checked the figures three times."

He looked at me.

"Show me."

I began explaining.

"The supplier names are different, but the bank account is the same."

I pointed toward the records.

"That account was previously registered to Brightline Procurement Services."

Adrian nodded.

"Go on."

"The company was removed from the approved supplier list almost two years ago. But someone continued using its bank account."

I opened another file.

"Then I found something else."

He leaned closer.

"The invoices."

I displayed several invoices side by side.

"They were supposedly issued by different companies."

"Yes."

"But look at the formatting."

Adrian studied them carefully.

"Same template."

"Exactly."

I pointed toward the invoice numbers.

"The numbers are different, but the structure is almost identical."

I opened another set.

"And the authorization codes are repeated."

His expression hardened.

"Who has access to the authorization system?"

"Several people."

I hesitated.

"But I haven't identified who is behind it yet."

Adrian stared at the screen.

His eyes moved toward the documents surrounding me and remained there for a moment.

"Find out who created the first transaction."

I looked at the records again.

"If I can trace where it started, I might be able to find the person behind it."

"Exactly."

He stepped back.

"How long?"

I glanced at the clock.

"It's already late."

"I didn't ask what time it was."

I sighed.

"Give me a few more hours."

Adrian nodded once.

"Then keep looking."

I turned back to the laptop.

For the first time that day, I wasn't staring at a pile of meaningless numbers.

I had found a trail.

A thin one.

But it was there.

And whoever had created it had been careful enough to make sure no one noticed.

Unfortunately for them, I had noticed.

Now I only needed to follow it.

I looked at the first transaction again.

Then at the user ID connected to the final approval.

Something told me the answer was hidden somewhere between those two points.

And I wasn't going to stop until I found it.

Not even if it took all night.

To be continued...