Chapter 11 - The Audit
I opened my laptop.
The files arrived.
I spent the next six hours reading.
And what I found was worse than I expected.
Malcolm hadn’t simply cheated.
He had planned.
For months, he and Vivian had been moving company assets.
Consulting contracts.
Private accounts.
Luxury expenses.
Executive bonuses.
They had created a shell company called Aster Ridge Holdings.
Money from Ashford Innovations had been transferred into it.
And the person listed as its beneficial owner was Vivian.
I stared at the screen.
Then I called Mara.
“How much?”
“Approximately eight point four million.”
I closed my eyes.
Eight point four million.
Money that belonged to the company.
Money that belonged to employees.
Money that belonged to investors.
Money that belonged to the future I had spent twelve years building.
“Can we recover it?”
“Yes.”
“Then do it.”
“We will.”
“And Mara?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t protect Malcolm.”
May you like
A pause.
“I wasn’t planning to.”
