Chapter 3 - FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY THOUSAND DOLLARS|
By the following morning, Claire had not slept.
Her cheek was swollen, her phone was full of messages, and the financial report sat open on the dining table of her apartment.
She had spent years building C.W. Atelier into a company capable of competing with much larger firms. Sixty-three employees depended on her decisions. Vendors trusted her contracts. Clients hired her because she delivered what she promised.
Now a forged document threatened to undermine everything.
At nine, her attorney, Rebecca Sloan, arrived.
Rebecca had represented Claire's company since its first major contract. She was direct, meticulous, and allergic to speculation.
After reviewing the documents, she removed her glasses.
“We need to separate three issues,” she said. “The unpaid invoice, the alleged forged contract, and the loan guarantee.”
Claire nodded.
“Can the lender take my company?”
“Not simply because a document exists. They would need to establish their rights under the relevant agreements. We will formally dispute the guarantee and demand preservation of the original records.”
“What if they believe the signature is mine?”
“Then we prove otherwise.”
Rebecca opened her notebook.
“Do you have the original contract for the gala?”
“Yes.”
“Emails with the Crowe accounting department?”
“Every one.”
“Records showing when you were in Boston?”
“My travel confirmations and conference registration.”
“Good. Do not delete anything. Do not post accusations online. And don't sign any settlement offered by Ethan without my review.”
Claire almost smiled.
“Wasn't planning to.”
At noon, Ethan arrived at her office.
Her receptionist informed him that he had no appointment.
He pushed past her anyway.
Claire heard his voice before he reached the conference room.
“Where is she?”
Rebecca stood.
“You're trespassing in a private office. Leave, or we'll contact building security.”
Ethan ignored her.
He stared at Claire.
“You've made your point.”
Claire remained seated.
“What point?”
“You embarrassed me in front of Roman Vale. The least you can do is help resolve this quietly.”
“You mean the invoice your company hasn't paid?”
“Four hundred and eighty thousand dollars is nothing compared with the damage you're causing.”
“Then pay it.”
Ethan's face reddened.
“You know what our cash position is.”
“I know you approved three luxury property acquisitions while my employees waited for their salaries.”
“That is none of your business.”
“It became my business when you hired my company and refused to pay.”
He stepped toward her desk.
“You're enjoying this.”
Claire looked at his hand, remembering the pain of the previous evening.
“Don't come any closer.”
For a second, he seemed ready to ignore her.
Rebecca moved between them.
“Mr. Crowe, leave now.”
Ethan looked at Claire.
“You really think Roman Vale cares about you? He cares about money. You're a useful distraction.”
Claire stood.
“Perhaps. But he hasn't once asked me to accept a forged signature to protect his reputation.”
Ethan's expression changed.
“You don't know what you're talking about.”
“Then explain the loan guarantee.”
Silence.
It was brief, but it answered more than a denial would have.
Ethan straightened his jacket.
“I didn't create that document.”
“Then help us identify who did.”
He looked at Rebecca, then back at Claire.
“I'll speak to my people.”
“Your people have had seventeen days to pay a legitimate invoice.”
He left without another word.
Rebecca watched him disappear down the corridor.
“He knows more than he's admitting.”
Claire nodded.
“I think so.”
That afternoon, Roman's legal department sent a formal notice to the company that had submitted the disputed contract. They also requested that the lender preserve the original guarantee and suspend any action based on the contested signature while the matter was reviewed.
It was a procedural step, not a victory.
Still, Claire felt she could breathe again.
Then her chief financial officer called.
Someone had accessed C.W. Atelier's internal billing system using an administrator account that should have been disabled months earlier.
Three invoices had been altered.
One had been marked paid when no payment had arrived.
Another showed a refund Claire had never approved.
The third contained a transfer to a company she had never heard of.
The company was called Northstar Advisory.
Rebecca searched the corporate registry.
May you like
Its registered director was Ethan Crowe.
And its mailing address was the same building where the disputed loan had been arranged.
