Chapter 9 - A Name Borrowed
I hadn't approved a transfer. I had never held an executive role at Wardbridge.
Ruth brought in a digital-forensics examiner who checked the signature certificate and access history. The credentials were created using an old email address I had abandoned years earlier, but the signing device was registered to Wardbridge's executive office.
“Someone impersonated you,” the examiner said. “We can document that. We can't identify the person without more evidence.”
The transfer was for $4.8 million. It came from a restricted expansion account meant to support a new hospital distribution center.
I sat beside Jonah as he reviewed the figures. “How much time do we have before the project stops?”
“Six working days. The contractor's already asking questions.”
I called the independent board chair. “Protect payroll first. Then protect the project. Use whatever lawful steps keep the doors open.”
A bridge facility required approval; my personal guarantee wasn't automatic. I offered collateral on documented terms and insisted an independent committee evaluate it. No more secret rescues. No more blank checks.
That night, Everett appeared at my apartment building. I spoke to him through the intercom.
“Grace, you win. Can we talk like adults?”
“Send it through Ruth.”
“Vanessa is pregnant. Whatever you do to me, don't hurt the child.”
“I won't. Your child isn't responsible for your decisions.”
His breath crackled over the speaker. “Then stop this. You're destroying everything.”
I thought of the employees watching their bills pile up because money had vanished from company accounts.
“I didn't send those transfers, Everett.”
A long silence followed.
May you like
“Neither did I,” he said.
Then he lowered his voice. “You need to ask Vanessa about the second phone.”
