Chapter 3: The Cracks opens
1318 Words
Julia stared at the screen.
The name refused to disappear.
ADRIAN SCOTT.
For several seconds, she simply sat there.
Motionless.
Silent.
The office suddenly felt too cold.
Too quiet.
Too small.
Her heartbeat echoed loudly in her ears.
Adrian's signature appeared beneath hers as the official witness to the transaction.
Normally, that wouldn't have been unusual.
As her husband, Adrian occasionally handled documents on her behalf.
But this felt different.
Very different.
Because Julia had absolutely no memory of signing the authorization.
None.
She opened the file again.
Carefully.
Slowly.
Reading every detail.
The transaction involved a foreign investment account.
One she rarely used.
The amount was enormous.
Fifty million dollars.
And according to the document, she had personally approved it.
Julia rubbed her forehead.
"This doesn't make sense."
The signature looked authentic.
The date looked authentic.
Everything looked authentic.
Yet something felt terribly wrong.
A knock interrupted her thoughts.
"Come in."
Emma entered carrying additional files.
The moment she noticed Julia's expression, concern appeared on her face.
"Are you alright?"
Julia forced a smile.
"Just tired."
Emma clearly didn't believe her.
But she didn't press further.
Instead, she handed over another folder.
"The audit records you requested."
Julia's attention immediately shifted.
"Thank you."
Emma hesitated.
"Should I stay?"
"No."
Julia shook her head.
"I'll handle it."
Once alone again, she opened the folder.
Page after page.
Transfer after transfer.
Approval after approval.
The deeper she looked, the more uncomfortable she became.
A pattern was emerging.
Small amounts at first.
Then larger amounts.
Then extremely large amounts.
Someone had been moving money carefully.
Quietly.
Patiently.
Almost professionally.
Enough to avoid suspicion.
Enough to remain invisible.
Until now.
A chill ran through her.
Because whoever was responsible understood Mendoza Group extremely well.
Perhaps too well.
---
Meanwhile, across the city, Adrian sat inside an expensive penthouse overlooking the skyline.
Luna stood beside him.
A glass of wine rested in her hand.
Neither looked worried.
Not yet.
"Have you heard anything?" Luna asked.
Adrian shook his head.
"Nothing."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
Luna walked toward the window.
The city lights reflected in her eyes.
For months she had dreamed about this moment.
The moment Julia's empire would begin collapsing.
The moment her perfect sister would finally lose.
It almost felt unreal.
"She deserves it."
Adrian glanced at her.
"You really believe that?"
Luna laughed.
"You don't?"
He remained silent.
Luna continued.
"Do you know what it feels like spending your entire life in someone's shadow?"
Adrian said nothing.
He had heard this speech before.
Many times.
Yet Luna never seemed tired of repeating it.
"Everyone loved Julia."
Her voice hardened.
"Everyone admired Julia."
She took another sip of wine.
"And nobody saw me."
Adrian looked away.
Perhaps once he had felt sympathy.
Not anymore.
Now he only cared about the outcome.
Power.
Money.
Freedom.
Those were the things that mattered.
And Julia possessed all of them.
For now.
---
The following morning, Julia arrived at the office earlier than usual.
She barely slept.
Questions haunted her throughout the night.
The signatures.
The transfers.
The inconsistencies.
Everything pointed toward something she didn't want to believe.
She entered her office and immediately called Emma.
"I need every document involving offshore accounts."
Emma blinked.
"Every document?"
"Every single one."
An hour later, stacks of files covered Julia's desk.
The investigation began.
By noon, her concern had transformed into alarm.
Several transactions led to companies she had never heard of.
Others disappeared through multiple accounts.
A few seemed intentionally complicated.
Designed to hide something.
Designed to confuse anyone looking too closely.
Julia leaned back.
This wasn't random.
This wasn't a mistake.
Someone was stealing from Mendoza Group.
And they had been doing it for months.
Her phone vibrated.
Adrian.
A photo appeared on the screen.
A bouquet of roses.
The message beneath it read:
Thinking about you. Don't work too hard.
Julia stared at the message.
Normally it would have made her smile.
Today it made her uncomfortable.
Not because Adrian had done anything wrong.
Not yet.
But because his signature kept appearing everywhere.
Like a shadow.
Like a warning.
She typed a response anyway.
Thank you. Love you.
The reply came instantly.
Love you too.
Julia set the phone down.
A strange sadness settled over her.
For the first time in years, she wasn't completely sure what to believe.
---
Later that afternoon, Emma rushed into the office.
Her face looked pale.
"Julia."
The lack of formality immediately caught Julia's attention.
"What happened?"
Emma handed over a tablet.
"You need to see this."
Julia examined the screen.
Her eyes widened.
Several financial accounts had been emptied overnight.
Millions were gone.
Simply gone.
The transactions had occurred while everyone slept.
Carefully.
Quickly.
Professionally.
Julia rose from her chair.
"When did this happen?"
"Early this morning."
"Why wasn't I informed immediately?"
"We only discovered it twenty minutes ago."
Julia's pulse quickened.
The situation was escalating.
Fast.
Much faster than she anticipated.
"Call legal."
Emma nodded.
"Already done."
"Security?"
"They're investigating."
Julia stared out the window.
The city appeared peaceful.
Normal.
Yet beneath that calm surface, someone was attacking her company.
Someone with insider access.
Someone close.
Very close.
---
Across town, Victor Blackwood smiled as he reviewed a financial report.
Everything was proceeding perfectly.
The money transfers.
The shell companies.
The asset movements.
Every piece had fallen exactly where he wanted.
A knock sounded.
"Come in."
Adrian entered.
Victor studied him carefully.
"You look nervous."
Adrian sat down.
"Julia started digging."
Victor's smile faded slightly.
"How much has she found?"
"Enough to become suspicious."
Silence followed.
Victor tapped his fingers against the desk.
Then he smiled again.
A cold smile.
A dangerous smile.
"Good."
Adrian frowned.
"Good?"
"Suspicion creates mistakes."
Victor leaned forward.
"And mistakes make people vulnerable."
Adrian wasn't convinced.
"You're underestimating her."
"No."
Victor's eyes narrowed.
"I'm counting on her."
The words sent an uncomfortable chill through the room.
Because Victor wasn't merely planning theft.
He was planning something much worse.
Something neither Adrian nor Luna fully understood.
---
That evening, Julia returned home exhausted.
Her head throbbed.
Her eyes burned from reading reports all day.
She wanted nothing more than a quiet evening.
Instead, she found Luna waiting.
Again.
"Surprise."
Julia forced a smile.
"Luna."
Her sister immediately noticed something was wrong.
"What happened?"
Julia hesitated.
Then shrugged.
"Company issues."
Luna hid her excitement.
"What kind of issues?"
"Financial."
The answer seemed casual.
Yet Luna's pulse quickened.
Had Julia discovered something?
No.
If she had, everything would already be falling apart.
Still...
The possibility lingered.
"Can I help?"
Julia smiled sadly.
"I wish."
Luna moved closer and hugged her.
The gesture looked loving.
Comforting.
Supportive.
Exactly what a caring sister would do.
Yet behind Luna's smile, a different thought echoed.
You're getting closer.
Too close.
And that could become a problem.
A very serious problem.
---
Late that night, after everyone went to bed, Julia sat alone inside her home office.
The mansion was silent.
Dark.
Peaceful.
She opened one final file.
A transfer log.
Nothing unusual at first.
Then she noticed something.
A recurring authorization code.
The same code appeared repeatedly.
Attached to multiple suspicious transactions.
Julia enlarged the document.
Her heartbeat accelerated.
Because the authorization belonged to a single executive account.
An account with unrestricted access to company finances.
Only three people possessed that level of clearance.
Herself.
The Chief Financial Officer.
And Adrian.
Julia's fingers slowly tightened around the mouse.
For the first time, fear replaced suspicion.
Because the list of possible suspects had become very small.
And one name kept appearing.
Again.
And again.
And again.
END OF CHAPTER 2
CLIFFHANGER:
Julia opened the final audit report.
At the very bottom was a login record showing who approved the latest missing funds.
The user account read:
A.SCOTT.
And the timestamp showed the transaction occurred at 2:13 a.m.
The exact time Adrian had been lying beside her in bed.
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