The projector woke with a low whirr. Light washed over Fiona's bow like a spotlight that had finally remembered its job.
Caroline's voice stayed even. “We'll keep this simple," she told the room. “Numbers, then nouns."
On the screen: four names—ARTEMIS ADVISORY, DAPHNE STRATEGIES, HELIOS OPS, NORTHLAKE ANALYTICS—each with rows of dates and amounts. A total at the bottom glowed like a warning light.
A client whispered, “Two hundred twenty-seven…"
Maya said, without moving her mouth, “Shhh… let her fly."
Fiona leaned toward the mic she no longer had. “It's staged—"
“It's accounting," Caroline said. “Next."
Slides advanced. Admin logs. Midnight threshold changes. USER: fiona.w. USER: sys_ops. ENDPOINT: ceo-priority.
Jasper's jaw worked. “Turn it off," he told no one, then everyone. “T
