Chapter 113.
Ethan stepped into the sleek glass building that bore the name of his company, Twilight Enterprises, etched in steel across the front wall. As he entered the main lobby, the employees who passed by greeted him with the usual mix of reverence and fear. Normally, Ethan would respond with a polite nod or a tight-lipped smile, but today, his mind was already elsewhere.
His sharp eyes scanned the reports he held in his hands as he stepped into the elevator, heading directly to the top floor. His office was pristine and modern, with large windows that overlooked the city skyline. But what waited for him inside the executive conference room was anything but clean.
Over the past month, a string of irregularities had come to his attention. Small discrepancies in expense reports, irregular supplier contracts, sudden terminations of honest employees, and promotions of people with questionable experience. Initially, they seemed like isolated incidents, but Ethan’s instincts told him otherwise.
He laid out the reports across the long, mahogany table and began going through each item line by line. The board of directors—those supposedly responsible for ensuring the company’s well-being—had apparently taken advantage of his absence during his medical recovery to advance their own agendas.
Ethan’s fingers danced over the tablet screen, pulling up financial logs, email chains, and internal communication records. He began making a list:
Director Lionel: Approved overpriced contracts with a shell company he secretly owned.
Director Meera: Used company funds to fund her private real estate ventures.
Director Han: Fired whistleblowers under the guise of downsizing.
He spent hours combing through digital footprints, cross-referencing IP addresses and login locations. His assistant, Rowan, entered with coffee and was met with a nod of thanks.
"Sir, the forensic IT team is standing by for your instructions," Rowan said.
"Good. Tell them to check all flagged communications from the last six months, especially any transactions involving the procurement department," Ethan ordered without looking up.
Rowan left quickly, sensing the storm building.