Chapter 5 - THE FATHER BEHIND THE WEDDING
Brandon confronted Derek that evening.
I didn’t go.
That surprised him.
“You don’t want answers?”
“I want evidence.”
There was a difference.
Noah agreed.
So while Brandon drove to Derek’s lake house, I sat in Noah’s office rebuilding four years of financial transactions.
That was how I discovered my canceled wedding had been part of a plan that started before Brandon proposed.
Red Maple Advisory had received payments from subcontractors connected to city projects.
Gertrude had received transfers from Red Maple.
Brandon had received “consulting bonuses” from a municipal development fund.
And six months before our engagement, Derek’s company had applied to become a supplier for Arden Global.
Rejected.
Three weeks later, Brandon proposed.
I stared at the timeline.
Noah noticed.
“You think the engagement was arranged.”
“I think somebody saw my job title and decided romance had financial potential.”
“That doesn’t mean Brandon never loved you.”
I looked at him.
“Would that improve anything?”
“No.”
“Then it doesn’t matter.”
Noah nodded.
That was one thing I liked about him.
He didn’t force comfort where facts belonged.
My phone rang.
Brandon.
His voice shook.
“It’s true.”
I closed my eyes.
“Derek is your father?”
“Yes.”
“Does Gertrude admit it?”
“She’s here.”
I could hear shouting behind him.
Then Derek took the phone.
“Savannah.”
I went still.
“Councilman Shaw.”
“Let’s stop making this dramatic.”
I almost laughed.
“You forged my signature.”
“I did no such thing.”
“You witnessed it.”
“A clerical misunderstanding.”
“Twice?”
Silence.
I continued.
“You used my corporate access.”
“That is a serious accusation.”
“So is fraud.”
His voice hardened.
“You canceled a wedding because an older woman asked you to wait outside.”
There it was.
The minimization.
The same tactic.
Make the victim sound unreasonable.
I smiled even though he couldn’t see it.
“You’re scared.”
He laughed.
“Of you?”
“Yes.”
The line went quiet.
“Because you know I keep receipts.”
Noah covered a smile.
Derek’s voice dropped.
“You should think carefully before damaging Brandon’s career.”
“Brandon damaged Brandon’s career.”
“And your own reputation?”
“I’ll survive.”
“Your company may not appreciate the publicity.”
That was the threat.
Not subtle anymore.
I turned on the recorder function of Noah’s office phone system.
“Are you threatening my employment?”
“I’m advising discretion.”
“Interesting word.”
Derek hung up.
Noah looked at me.
“That was useful.”
“Very.”
Then my company’s legal director called.
I prepared myself for disaster.
Instead she said:
“Savannah, corporate security completed the preliminary review.”
I held my breath.
“We found evidence that your credentials were copied through a device connected to Brandon Pierce’s home network.”
My stomach tightened.
“Was confidential information stolen?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“A limited procurement folder.”
I closed my eyes.
Then she continued.
“But the files were watermarked.”
I sat up.
“What?”
“Each internal copy contains invisible identifiers.”
I understood immediately.
If Derek used the stolen files, Arden could prove the source.
“Has anyone?”
“Yes.”
She named a vendor.
Shaw Urban Development.
Derek’s company.
Noah saw my face.
“What?”
I put the call on speaker.
Our legal director continued:
“Shaw submitted revised pricing forty-eight hours after your file was accessed.”
That was enough.
Corporate espionage.
Potential bid manipulation.
Fraud.
I should have felt victorious.
Instead, I felt exhausted.
Then she added:
“There’s one more issue.”
Of course.
“What?”
“Someone inside Arden helped them.”
My blood ran cold.
“Who?”
“We don’t know yet.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because the stolen folder required dual authorization.”
I stared at Noah.
My credentials alone were not enough.
Someone at my company had opened the second door.
Then my legal director said:
“And Savannah?”
“Yes?”
“The authorization came from your department.”
I stopped breathing.
Only three people had that level of access.
Me.
My director.
And my deputy manager.
My best friend at work.
May you like
Claire Donnelly.
The same woman who had introduced me to Brandon two years earlier.
