WHO FIRED HIM?” THE CEO DEMANDED—NO ONE KNEW THE QUIET SINGLE DAD WAS WORTH BILLIONS!
Chapter 4
David spent the entire night checking his security systems.
Nothing had been breached.
That worried him more.
If someone had hacked his network, he could find them.
If someone had broken into his house, he could track them.
But the messages had appeared through a secure channel only three people knew existed.
One was dead.
One was Victoria.
The third was David himself.
He called Victoria.
“You didn’t send that message?”
“No.”
“Then we have a problem.”
Victoria was silent.
“What kind?”
“Someone has access to a system they shouldn’t.”
Victoria understood.
“I’ll check cybersecurity.”
“Don’t.”
“Why?”
“Because if they’re watching internal communications, they’ll know you’re looking.”
“What do you suggest?”
“Do nothing.”
Victoria almost laughed.
“You want me to do nothing while someone is attacking my company?”
“I want you to let them think they’re winning.”
That afternoon, Lawson called an emergency executive meeting.
He presented documents allegedly proving David had stolen proprietary information.
Several executives demanded legal action.
Victoria listened.
Then asked:
“Where did these documents come from?”
Lawson answered:
“Internal servers.”
“Who accessed them?”
“David Carter.”
“Evidence?”
Lawson handed over logs.
Victoria studied them.
Then smiled.
“You’re lying.”
Lawson’s face changed.
“These logs show David’s account accessing files at 2:14 a.m.”
“Yes.”
“He did it.”
“No.”
Victoria pointed to the timestamp.
“David was already fired.”
“So?”
“He had no access credentials.”
Lawson froze.
Victoria continued.
“Someone used a cloned account.”
The room went silent.
She stood.
“This meeting is over.”
After everyone left, Victoria called David.
“You were right.”
“About Lawson?”
“Yes.”
“He’s not working alone.”
“I know.”
David sighed.
“Then we need to find his partner.”
Victoria asked:
“Can you?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“I need access to the executive network.”
She hesitated.
“You’re not an employee.”
“I know.”
Victoria smiled.
“Neither is your employment status going to stop you.”
That evening, David entered the building through a private entrance.
Victoria met him.
“You really don’t look like a billionaire.”
David smiled.
“I haven’t been one in years.”
“You know what I mean.”
He didn’t answer.
They walked into cybersecurity.
David examined the network.
Within minutes, he found something.
A dormant administrator account.
It had been created nine years earlier.
The account belonged to a former executive.
David traced its activity.
It had been used three months ago.
Then two months ago.
Then last week.
Someone had been monitoring everything.
Victoria asked:
“Who?”
David followed the trail.
It led to an external server.
Then another.
Then another.
Finally, it ended at Blackstone Ridge Capital.
Victoria stared.
“We have them.”
“No.”
“What do you mean?”
“They’re using Blackstone as a cover.”
David opened another connection.
The real destination appeared.
A private trust.
Victoria recognized the name.
Her father had created it decades earlier.
She looked at David.
“That’s impossible.”
“Why?”
“Because that trust owns twelve percent of Harrington Global.”
David looked at her.
“Who controls it?”
Victoria couldn’t answer.
She had never known.
The trust had always been described as dormant.
Then her phone rang.
It was her father.
He was eighty-one.
Victoria answered.
“Dad?”
His voice was weak.
“I heard about the investigation.”
“Did you know about the trust?”
Silence.
“Dad?”
“I need to tell you something.”
“What?”
“The trust was never dormant.”
Victoria’s face went pale.
“Who controls it?”
Her father whispered:
“Your brother.”
Victoria froze.
She had no brother.
Her father had always told her she was his only child.
Then he said:
“Your mother had another child.”
Victoria looked at David.
“What does that have to do with Harrington Global?”
Her father answered:
“Everything.”
The call ended.
Victoria stood motionless.
David slowly closed the laptop.
“Now we know why they wanted you distracted.”
Victoria looked at him.
“Who is my brother?”
David’s answer was quiet.
“That’s what we’re going to find out.”
