Chapter 4 - The Corporate Audit
Three weeks later, the board room of Logan Logistics in Boston’s financial district was ice-cold. A massive mahogany table was covered in thick white binders containing three years of forensic accounting records.
Arthur Vance sat at the head of the table, his arms crossed over his chest, his presence casting a long, terrifying shadow over the executives gathered there. Claire sat to his right, wearing a dark navy power suit, her eyes scanning the financial summaries with professional detachment.
Across the table sat Ryan, looking disheveled and exhausted. He was accompanied by a public defender he had been forced to hire after his private attorney withdrew due to non-payment. His expensive suits had been replaced by a generic, ill-fitting blazer, and the confident, charming smile that had once defined him was completely absent.
"Mr. Morgan," the lead forensic accountant said, clicking a laser pointer against the projection screen. "We have completed the audit of your regional travel expenses over the past eighteen months. We have found a consistent pattern of fraudulent reporting. You claimed thirty-two client dinners in Chicago, Miami, and San Diego that never occurred. Instead, the receipts show room service for two at five-star resorts, private spa treatments, and jewelry purchases listed as 'client gifts.'"
Chloe was not in the room. She had already signed a cooperation agreement with the prosecution the previous week, trading her testimony against Ryan for immunity from corporate embezzlement charges. She had turned over every text message, every flight confirmation, and every luxury gift log Ryan had ever sent her.
"This is an internal company matter," Ryan’s lawyer attempted to argue, his voice lacking conviction. "Dr. Morgan is willing to pay restitution to the company over a structured settlement period, provided the criminal charges are dropped."
"Restitution?" Arthur Vance barked, his voice shaking the glass partition walls. "He stole from my holding company to finance his sleazy weekend getaways while my daughter was working eighty-hour weeks managing our construction sites. There will be no settlement. We are pressing full charges for grand larceny, corporate fraud, and tax evasion."
Claire leaned forward, resting her hands on the table. She looked directly at Ryan, seeing him clearly for what he was: a parasite who had used her family’s wealth to build a shell of prestige.
"You told me I was insecure, Ryan," Claire said softly, her voice cutting through the room’s tension. "Every time I asked you about the late nights, the sudden trips, the way Chloe looked at you at the holiday party... you told me I was overthinking. You tried to make me believe I was the problem so you could keep living your double life on my father’s dime."
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"Claire, please," Ryan whispered, his eyes pleading. "I made a mistake. A terrible mistake. But we built a life together. The apartment, the trips to Vail... you loved that life."
"I loved the man I thought you were," Claire replied, her voice steady and absolute. "But that man never existed. You’re just a thief who got caught."
