"This is where we've implemented the new safety protocols Mr. Langston approved last month. Every unit now goes through triple inspection before shipment."
Maeve walked over, examining the inspection station. It looked legitimate, detailed checklists, testing equipment, workers who actually seemed to know what they were doing. But something nagged at her.
"When did these protocols start?" she asked.
"March fifteenth," Douglas replied smoothly.
Maeve pulled out her phone, checked the calendar. March fifteenth was three days after Carter had announced the Challenge. Three days after he'd decided he needed a wife to stabilize his image.
"And before March fifteenth?" she pressed. "What were the protocols then?"
Douglas shifted uncomfortably, glancing at Carter. "We had protocols, of cour
