Chapter 5 - THE AUDIT TRAILThe guests began murmuring frantically, whispering behind cupped hands, edging away from Robert as if his corporate destruction were contagious.
Colonel Carter stepped closer to me, crossing his arms behind his back. "Captain... excuse me, Colonel Vey. Do you require any additional tactical support regarding the seizure?"
"Negative, Colonel," I replied crisp and clear. "Federal marshals and the Inspector General's cyber-forensics team have already secured the premises. Hayes Logistics has been operating under shell-company sub-allocations illegally funneling defense tech to restricted foreign actors. My department flagged the anomaly three weeks ago."
"Three weeks ago..." Robert choked out from the floor, staring up at me as if he were seeing a ghost. "You... you knew? At Sunday dinner? When I was calling you a basement clerk... you already had the investigation running?"
"Sunday dinner is when I review weekly intelligence briefs, Uncle Robert," I said, adjusting my cuffs. "Usually while eating roast beef."
My father pushed his way through the stunned crowd of retired generals, his face pale and stricken. He looked between Robert on the floor and me standing tall in my plain clothes.
"Lillian... sweetheart," my father stammered, his voice shaking. "Please. Your uncle... he made a mistake, he’s family—surely you can make a phone call, clear this up, get his accounts unfrozen..."
I turned my steady gaze onto my father.
"Dad, for ten years, you and Robert have treated my career like a joke," I said, every word hitting with the weight of a sledgehammer. "You mocked my uniform, you dismissed my sacrifices, and you laughed every time Robert treated me like garbage because I didn't fit your archaic idea of what a woman in the military should be."
May you like
My father opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"I don't do family discounts for treason," I added coldly.
