Chapter 15 - THE SIGNATURE OF A DEAD MAN|
The amendment was immediately referred for forensic examination.
Its date suggested that Thomas Vale had signed it after his death. If the document was genuine in every other respect, the discrepancy could indicate a clerical error. If the signature had been copied or the page inserted later, it could reveal deliberate tampering.
No one could assume which explanation was correct.
Roman insisted that independent experts examine the original.
Claire's attorney requested that the same examination compare the disputed amendment with the documents bearing her forged signature.
The results took several days.
During that time, Claire returned to work.
C.W. Atelier had secured two new contracts, and her staff had completed the transition to a stronger financial system. The company also received the overdue payment from Crowe Development after its attorneys confirmed the amount owed under the original gala contract.
The money did not resolve the broader dispute, but it allowed Claire to pay her vendors and employees without further delay.
She felt proud.
Not because Roman had helped arrange the review, but because her team had continued working through the crisis.
One evening, Roman invited her to a small gathering at his home.
There were no executives, no cameras, and no business agenda. He cooked dinner himself, though he admitted that he had ordered dessert from a bakery because his first attempt had been unsuccessful.
Claire laughed.
“You run a multibillion-dollar company, but you can't make a cake?”
“I can acquire a cake. That is a different skill.”
They ate at a small table overlooking the city.
For the first time, Claire felt comfortable enough to tell him about the wedding she had once imagined with Ethan.
“I had already chosen the music,” she said. “I had a notebook full of ideas. I even designed the invitations.”
“What happened to them?”
“I threw them away after he ended the engagement.”
Roman listened.
“Do you miss the wedding?”
“No. I miss the person I thought I was marrying.”
He nodded.
“That's a different kind of grief.”
She looked at him.
“Yes.”
After dinner, they stood on the balcony.
Roman told her that he had avoided serious relationships for years because he feared becoming like his father: a man who loved his family but treated every emotional problem as something to manage.
“I don't want to turn you into another responsibility,” he said.
“Then don't.”
He smiled.
“Straightforward.”
“It's my best quality.”
He stepped closer.
“May I kiss you?”
Claire studied him for a moment.
Then she nodded.
The kiss was gentle, almost tentative. It carried no promise that their lives would become simple.
When they separated, Roman rested his forehead lightly against hers.
“Still slowly?”
“Still slowly.”
He smiled.
The next morning, the forensic report arrived.
The amendment had been assembled from separate pages, and the signature attributed to Thomas Vale showed evidence of copying. The report did not identify the person who created the document, but it established that the amendment could not be treated as reliable proof of authorization.
A separate examination found similar irregularities in the disputed C.W. Atelier contract.
Rebecca called Claire.
“This strengthens our position considerably.”
“Does it identify who forged the documents?”
“Not yet. It narrows the possibilities and gives investigators a stronger basis for asking further questions.”
Claire felt a surge of relief.
Then Rebecca added something else.
“The metadata from the original amendment indicates that the file was last edited using a computer registered to Northstar Advisory.”
Claire closed her eyes.
The same company had been involved in both schemes.
But the person who controlled Northstar remained uncertain.
Later that afternoon, Roman received a formal letter from Victor Shaw's attorney.
Victor denied involvement in any forgery and claimed that Richard Hale had acted independently.
Attached was a statement offering to cooperate with the investigation.
May you like
At the bottom was a handwritten sentence.
I can prove who gave the final instruction.
