Single Dad Bought an Old Bakery after Losing Everything—Then the CEO Who Fired Him Walked In
Chapter 7
The emergency board meeting began the next morning.
Victoria entered the room alone.
Daniel stayed behind with Lily.
He watched the meeting on a secure video feed.
The board chairman stood.
“Victoria, we have reason to believe company assets were diverted through a private business.”
Victoria said nothing.
A document appeared on screen.
Daniel’s bakery address.
His stomach dropped.
Graham spoke.
“We found payments from Hale & Mercer to this location.”
Daniel jumped up.
“What?”
Victoria looked at the screen.
The document showed invoices for “consulting services.”
Paid to Brooks Bakery LLC.
But the company hadn’t existed until three months earlier.
The dates were impossible.
Victoria looked directly at Graham.
“You’re lying.”
Graham smiled.
“We have records.”
Daniel suddenly noticed something.
The invoice number.
He knew it.
That number had appeared in the original spreadsheets.
He ran back to his laptop.
Opened the drive.
There it was.
The same invoice.
Different amount.
Someone had altered the records.
Daniel called Victoria.
“I found it.”
She answered privately.
“What?”
“They’re using your own fraud records to frame the bakery.”
“Can you prove it?”
“Yes.”
He sent the file.
Victoria watched.
The altered document had metadata.
Created from an executive account.
A specific computer.
Graham’s.
She looked up.
“Graham.”
He remained calm.
“What?”
“This document was created on your office computer.”
The room fell silent.
Graham’s face changed.
Only slightly.
But Daniel saw it.
Then the door opened.
Federal investigators entered.
Victoria had called them earlier.
The chairman stood.
“You can’t do this.”
One investigator held up a warrant.
“We can.”
Graham looked at Victoria.
“You think this proves anything?”
“No.”
She smiled coldly.
“It proves enough to start.”
Graham’s attorney stepped forward.
The meeting dissolved into chaos.
Later that day, Victoria returned to the bakery.
Daniel was waiting.
“How bad?”
She sat down.
“They’re investigating everyone.”
Daniel nodded.
“Good.”
Victoria looked surprised.
“You aren’t angry?”
“I was.”
“What changed?”
He looked around.
“This place.”
She smiled.
“It changed you.”
“It reminded me that fear doesn’t get to make every decision.”
Victoria stared at him.
“I wish I’d learned that earlier.”
Daniel looked at her.
“You didn’t trust me.”
“I trusted you.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me the truth?”
“Because I was afraid.”
“Of what?”
She looked down.
“Of losing you.”
Daniel’s breath caught.
“We weren’t together.”
“I know.”
She smiled sadly.
“But I didn’t want to lose you anyway.”
Silence.
Daniel reached for her hand.
Victoria didn’t pull away.
Then Lily appeared.
She looked at their hands.
A huge smile crossed her face.
“I knew it.”
Daniel laughed.
Victoria closed her eyes.
“She’s terrifying.”
“She really is.”
For one quiet moment, the fraud, the threats, and the investigation disappeared.
Then Daniel’s phone buzzed.
A message from Graham.
You think the bakery is your new life?
Another message followed.
Wait until you learn what happened to your wife.
Daniel froze.
