Behind His Empire

Chapter 4: A Difficult First Day

By nine o'clock, Lena Hart had already learned three things about Blackwood International.

The coffee was terrible.

The employees were terrified of their CEO.

And nobody seemed to know what exactly she had been hired to do.

She stood inside the private office assigned to her, staring at the stack of financial records covering her desk.

Twelve years of transactions.

Three subsidiaries.

Hundreds of accounts.

Thousands of entries.

It was enough to make even an experienced financial analyst question her career choices.

Lena pulled out the first file.

"Let's see what you're hiding."

She spent the next hour going through old transactions.

At first, everything looked normal.

Then she noticed something.

A transfer dated twelve years ago.

$480,000.

The money had moved from one Blackwood subsidiary to another.

Three days later, almost the same amount had disappeared from the receiving account.

Lena frowned.

She checked the transaction again.

Then a second time.

There was something wrong.

She reached for another file.

Before she could open it, the door swung open.

Alexander Blackwood walked in.

No knock.

No warning.

Lena looked up.

"Do you usually enter people's offices without knocking?"

"It's my company."

"That's not an answer."

His eyebrows lifted slightly.

"What are you doing?"

"Working."

"On what?"

"Financial records."

"I can see that."

"Then why ask?"

His expression hardened.

"I want the preliminary report."

"I've only been here an hour."

"You've had enough time."

Lena stared at him.

"You're serious."

"Completely."

She leaned back in her chair.

"Do you want an accurate report or a fast one?"

"Both."

"That's impossible."

"Not for someone I hired because she's supposed to be exceptional."

Lena's eyes narrowed.

"So you expect me to perform miracles?"

"I expect competence."

She stood.

"Then give me time to do my job."

Alexander stepped closer to the desk.

"You have six months."

"And you want twelve years of financial records analyzed in one day?"

"I want progress."

"You'll get it."

"I want results."

"You'll get those too."

"Then we're clear."

Lena folded her arms.

"Not quite."

Alexander waited.

"You hired me because you believe someone inside this company altered records involving my father."

"Yes."

"Then stop treating me like an employee who needs to prove she can read a spreadsheet."

His jaw tightened.

"You've been here one hour."

"And you've already interrupted my investigation twice."

"Twice?"

"First when you hired me without explaining everything. Second when you walked in here demanding results before I've had time to understand the records."

A long silence followed.

Alexander looked at her.

Most people would have backed down.

Lena didn't.

Finally, he said, "You're difficult."

"I've been called worse."

His expression almost softened.

Almost.

Then he noticed the document on her desk.

"What is that?"

Lena looked down.

"The transfer."

He picked it up.

"Where did you find this?"

"In the subsidiary records."

"Which account?"

She gave him the number.

His expression changed.

Only slightly.

But Lena noticed.

"You recognize it."

"No."

"You hesitated."

"I was thinking."

"About?"

"Nothing."

Lena took the document from his hand.

"That's not true."

Alexander's gaze sharpened.

"You've known me for less than a day."

"And you've already lied to me."

"I didn't lie."

"You avoided the question."

"There's a difference."

"Not when you're investigating financial fraud."

He stared at her.

Then he took a slow breath.

"That account belonged to a former executive."

"Who?"

"Michael Grant."

Lena wrote the name down.

"Where is he now?"

"Dead."

Her pen stopped.

"When?"

"Eleven years ago."

"One year after my father's death."

Alexander said nothing.

Lena looked at him.

"Interesting."

"Don't make assumptions."

"I'm not. I'm following the numbers."

"Then follow them carefully."

She frowned.

"What does that mean?"

"It means you're looking at transactions without understanding the people behind them."

"That's why I'm investigating."

Alexander walked toward the door.

Lena called after him.

"You can't keep giving me half-answers."

He stopped.

"You'll get answers when I know they're answers."

"That's convenient."

He turned.

"And you need to learn something else."

"What?"

"Not every secret you uncover belongs to you."

Lena's eyes narrowed.

"If it affects my investigation, it does."

Alexander stared at her for several seconds.

Then he walked out.

The door closed.

Lena remained still.

She couldn't decide whether she wanted to throw something at him or laugh.

"Unbelievable."

She sat down again.

The argument had distracted her, but the transaction still bothered her.

She pulled the file closer.

Michael Grant.

Former executive.

Dead eleven years ago.

She searched the company database.

His personnel record appeared.

Executive Vice President.

Financial Operations.

Worked directly under Alexander's father.

Lena continued reading.

Then she found something.

Grant had approved several transfers involving the same subsidiary she was investigating.

And one of those transfers had occurred just days before Daniel Hart was accused.

Lena's pulse quickened.

She printed the record.

Then another.

And another.

A pattern was forming.

Someone had been moving money through the company long before her father's name appeared on the scandal.

She reached for her phone.

Her first instinct was to call Sophia.

Then she remembered Alexander's warning.

Don't trust anyone.

Lena put the phone down.

She returned to the records.

An hour later, someone knocked on her door.

This time, Lena looked up cautiously.

Rebecca stood outside.

"Mr. Blackwood wants to see you."

"Now?"

"Yes."

Lena gathered the documents.

"Does he know what I found?"

Rebecca hesitated.

"I don't know."

Lena followed her down the corridor.

When she entered Alexander's office, he was standing beside his desk.

His expression was unreadable.

"You found something."

It wasn't a question.

Lena placed the documents on his desk.

"Michael Grant."

Alexander looked down.

His face became completely still.

"I found several transfers approved by him shortly before my father was accused."

"I know."

Lena's eyes narrowed.

"You knew?"

"Yes."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I needed to know whether you'd find it yourself."

Lena stared at him.

"You tested me."

"I evaluated you."

"Same thing."

Alexander picked up the first document.

"You found this in four hours."

"Three and a half."

His eyes lifted.

"You're keeping count?"

"I like accurate numbers."

For the first time that day, Alexander almost smiled.

Then his expression turned serious.

"Michael Grant wasn't working alone."

Lena's heartbeat quickened.

"Who was?"

Alexander looked toward the windows.

"I don't know."

She frowned.

"You've been investigating this for years."

"Yes."

"And you still don't know?"

"No."

"Then what do you know?"

Alexander looked back at her.

"I know the person behind it has access to this building."

Lena's stomach tightened.

"How do you know?"

"Because someone just accessed a file that only you and I should have access to."

Silence filled the room.

Lena slowly looked at the documents in her hands.

Someone knew what she had found.

And it had happened on her first day.

Alexander's voice lowered.

"Now you understand why I told you not to trust anyone."

Lena met his eyes.

For once, she had no argument.

She understood.

Her first day hadn't simply been difficult.

It had been a warning.

---

End of Chapter 4