I came home three days early because I wanted to catch people being careless.

The master private suite on the second floor of the Graves estate had not been opened for guests in five years. It featured sweeping views of the blue-ridge hills, plush Persian carpets, and a private medical lounge equipped for high-profile recovery.

Annie sat on the edge of a velvet chaise lounge, feeling completely out of place. She had a plush blanket wrapped around her shoulders, and a hot cup of tea sat untouched on the mahogany side table beside her.

A team of three medical specialists, led by Dr. Marcus Harrison, were finishing a digital 3D scan of her residual limb using a high-definition handheld laser scanner.

"The soft tissue damage is moderate, Mr. Graves," Dr. Harrison said, turning to Alexander, who stood near the fireplace with his arms crossed. "She’s been walking on an ill-fitting socket for at least six months. The pressure points have caused severe micro-tears in the muscle tissue. Frankly, it's a miracle she was standing at all, let alone working full shifts."

Alexander’s eyes turned icy. "What is the best solution available on the market today?"

"The Genium X3 bionic limb," Dr. Harrison replied without hesitation. "Microprocessor-controlled knee, waterproof, custom carbon-fiber socket molded from a direct 3D print of her limb. It adapts to terrain in real-time. But it's highly specialized and takes—"

"How long?" Alexander cut in.

"If I rush my lab in Raleigh? Forty-eight hours for the initial fitting."

"Do it," Alexander said. "I don't care about the cost. Rush the fabrication, pay the technicians double, and have it here by Thursday morning."

Dr. Harrison nodded, motioning for his assistants to pack up their equipment. "We'll have the temporary sleeve fitted within the hour so she can move safely in the meantime."

As the doctors stepped out, Annie looked up at Alexander, her voice barely a whisper. "Mr. Graves... that leg costs more than my entire year's salary. I can't accept this. I don't have the money to pay you back."

Alexander walked over and sat in the leather armchair across from her. For the first time all day, his imposing demeanor relaxed.

"You don't owe me a dime, Annie," Alexander said softly. "In fact, I owe you an apology."

Annie frowned. "An apology? For what?"

"For allowing people under my employ to treat you as if you were disposable," Alexander said, his voice thick with genuine regret. "Your medical request wasn't denied by corporate overhead. It was intercepted. Someone forged Samuel Wilson's signature and stole the funds allocated for employee medical care."

Annie’s breath hitched. "Mr. Wilson didn't deny it?"

"No," Alexander said. "Samuel had no idea. He’s been asking about your leg because he actually cares, but someone above him was feeding him lies."

Just then, the heavy mahogany door opened, and Daniel stepped inside, closing it securely behind him. His face was grim.

"We ran the digital audit on the administrative credentials," Daniel said, leaning over Alexander's chair. "The forged signatures weren't created on Samuel's computer. They were generated from the account of Victoria Thorne, the Director of Human Resources and Estate Logistics."

Alexander’s eyes flashed with recognition. "Victoria."

"She’s been managing the employee benefits pool for three years," Daniel continued, opening a file folder. "Every time an employee submitted a claim for major medical aid, equipment replacement, or education assistance, Victoria rejected the physical claim, forged the department head's signature, and routed the approved corporate payout directly into a shell account registered under her brother's name."

Annie gasped, covering her mouth. "Miss Thorne? But she... she always seemed so polite."

"The most dangerous snakes usually wear silk, Annie," Alexander said coldly. He turned back to Daniel. "Is she acting alone?"

"No," Daniel replied softly. "To alter the maintenance records and bypass the master firewall, she needed high-level IT clearance. That clearance was granted six months ago by Marcus Vance, the Chief Financial Officer of Graves Estate Management."

The room grew dead silent.

Marcus Vance was Alexander's cousin—a man Alexander had hired four years ago out of family loyalty after Marcus’s own investment firm went under.

Alexander stood up slowly. The air in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. "So my own blood has been robbing my house and torturing my staff."

"They know something is wrong," Daniel warned. "When I locked the administrative network ten minutes ago, Marcus attempted to access the backup server from his private office. When he realized he was locked out, he booked a flight to Dubai leaving from Charlotte Douglas at 8:00 PM tonight."

Alexander checked his platinum wrist watch. It was 11:45 AM.

"He thinks he has eight hours," Alexander murmured, a dark, terrifying smile spreading across his face. "Let him think he’s escaping. Tell security to leave his car unmonitored. Let him gather whatever cash he has hidden in his office."

"And Victoria?" Daniel asked.

"Have Samuel invite Miss Thorne to the grand library at 2:00 PM for an emergency administrative review," Alexander commanded. "Tell her it's regarding an unexpected bonus distribution. She won't be able to resist."