We were currently bidding against them for a sixty-million-dollar redevelopment project.
“How long?”
“At least eight months.”
“And Julian knew?”
“I don’t know yet.”
I thought about the corporate files he had recently requested.
The projections.
The bid schedules.
The internal cost estimates.
My throat went dry.
“You think he gave her company information.”
“I think we need to find out.”
I looked at Hazel.
Then at Sarah.
“Call Daniel Cho.”
Our head of cybersecurity.
“Already did.”
“Call the board.”
“Already did.”
“Freeze Julian’s access.”
“Done twenty minutes ago.”
Despite everything, I smiled.
That was Sarah.
Always three steps ahead.
She smiled back.
“You pay me well.”
“I’m about to pay you more.”
PART 4
By that evening, Julian’s entire professional life had begun collapsing.
Daniel Cho found unauthorized downloads from Julian’s company account.
Not one.
Dozens.
Financial models.
Bid strategies.
Acquisition targets.
Internal legal reports.
Some had been transferred to a personal cloud account.
Others had been emailed to an address belonging to Victoria.
The first report reached Sarah while I was still in the hospital.
She read it silently.
Then she looked at me.
“It’s worse.”
“How much worse?”
She handed me the tablet.
I read the list.
My stomach turned.
“Eight months.”
“Yes.”
“He’s been stealing from the company for eight months.”
“Potentially longer.”
I looked at Hazel.
She was sleeping in the bassinet.
“Why?”
Sarah sat down.
“Money.”
“Julian makes four hundred thousand a year.”
