Chapter 2 - The Name Behind the Money
Elena did not react immediately.
That frightened Damian more than anger would have.
“Who received it?”
Graham glanced toward the other executives.
“Not here.”
Elena understood the warning.
If someone inside Voss Global was involved, then every person in the room was potentially compromised.
She turned toward security chief Aaron Mills.
“Clear the floor.”
Damian laughed.
“Now you’re afraid of your own people?”
Elena ignored him.
“Phones stay on the table.”
Several executives hesitated.
Aaron’s officers moved toward them.
“Company security protocol.”
Nobody argued after that.
Within three minutes, Damian, Veronica, Elena, Graham, Aaron, and two attorneys were the only people remaining.
The doors locked.
Graham turned his laptop toward Elena.
The twenty-seven million dollars had been divided into six transfers.
Each transfer had passed through a shell company.
Each shell company ultimately led back to one recipient.
EVELYN VOSS PRIVATE CAPITAL.
Elena stared at the name.
For the first time that afternoon, her composure cracked.
Damian noticed.
“There.”
He smiled.
“Finally.”
Elena barely heard him.
Evelyn Voss had been Elena’s mother.
And Evelyn had been dead for nine years.
“That account was closed.”
Elena’s voice sounded distant.
Graham nodded.
“It should have been.”
Elena leaned closer.
“Who reopened it?”
“That’s the problem.”
Graham brought up the authorization record.
The account had been reactivated eleven months earlier.
The approval carried Elena’s personal executive key.
“That’s impossible.”
She reached for the laptop.
“I never approved this.”
Damian smiled wider.
“Maybe your perfect little empire isn’t as perfect as you thought.”
Elena looked at him.
“Did you know about this account?”
“No.”
The answer came too quickly.
Elena caught it.
So did Graham.
She walked toward Damian.
“You didn’t ask what account.”
His smile vanished.
“You only said my mother’s name.”
Damian said nothing.
Elena stopped inches away from him.
“You knew.”
“I knew there were old Voss entities.”
“You knew this one.”
Damian looked toward the windows.
Elena’s voice hardened.
“How?”
Veronica suddenly spoke.
“Damian.”
He shot her a warning glance.
She ignored it.
“You told me Evelyn’s account was untouchable.”
The silence that followed was devastating.
Damian turned toward her.
“Shut up.”
Veronica took a step backward.
“You said nobody could trace it.”
“Shut your mouth.”
“You said Elena never looked at the old family companies.”
Damian lunged toward her.
Aaron intercepted him instantly.
Damian was shoved against the conference table.
“Get off me.”
Veronica’s breathing became ragged.
She looked at Elena.
“I didn’t know it was stolen money.”
“Then tell me what you knew.”
Veronica hesitated.
Elena waited.
Finally, Veronica spoke.
“Damian said he had someone inside Voss Global.”
“Who?”
“I never met them.”
“Name.”
“I don’t know.”
Elena’s jaw tightened.
Veronica opened her handbag slowly.
Aaron immediately moved closer.
“I’m getting my phone.”
“Slowly.”
She removed it and unlocked the screen.
“There’s a number.”
Elena took the phone.
The contact had no name.
Only one letter.
M.
Dozens of encrypted messages filled the screen.
Most were meaningless financial shorthand.
Then Elena saw one sentence.
When Elena signs the emergency transfer, we take control.
Her pulse changed.
She scrolled down.
Another message appeared.
Damian is disposable once she signs.
Elena looked at him.
Damian had gone pale.
“You weren’t stealing the company.”
She said it slowly.
“You were helping someone steal it from me.”
Damian shook his head.
“No.”
Elena turned the screen toward him.
“You were never their partner.”
His eyes moved across the message.
“You were their sacrifice.”
For the first time, Damian had no answer.
Then Graham’s computer chimed.
A new authorization request had entered the system.
Elena looked down.
May you like
Someone was trying to transfer controlling voting rights out of Voss Global.
And the request had been submitted using Elena’s identity.
