Chapter 5 - THE SHADOW IN THE OFFICEThe audit began immediately. Financial investigators swarmed the offices, pulling records, freezing subsidiary accounts, and digging through every transaction Graeme had authorized over the past five years.
Meanwhile, Sarah had moved into the new apartment. It felt like a dream she was afraid to wake up from. Mia had a bedroom with a real bed, a pink comforter, and space to draw. But Sarah couldn't shake the nagging feeling that the gift came with a price she hadn't anticipated.
Using the return address on the envelope and a bit of digital sleuthing at the public library, Sarah discovered who "G" was.
Graeme Hayes. The billionaire.
Horror and pride warred inside her. She wasn't a charity case. She wanted to work for everything she had. Walking down to the massive Hayes Global tower downtown, she bypassed the front desk by using her old cleaning-company credentials and slipped onto the executive floor.
She wanted to give the check back.
She wanted to tell him that she didn't need his pity.
As she approached the double doors of the CEO’s office, she heard raised voices echoing through the frosted glass.
"—you’re completely compromised, Graeme!" Julian Vance’s voice shouted. "And to make matters worse, that cleaning woman you’re playing white knight for? Her late husband used to work for our industrial subsidiary before the plant shut down five years ago!"
Sarah stopped dead in her tracks. Her hand hovered over the brass door handle.
May you like
Thomas.
Julian’s voice continued, dripping with malice. "Thomas Collins didn't die in an accidental explosion, Graeme. He died because he found out our safety protocols were forged to save money—and you signed off on the budget cuts that built that plant. If Sarah Collins finds out you’re the reason her daughter grew up without a father, she won't take your charity. She’ll destroy you."
