Chapter 14 – The Evidence
Every eye in the kitchen shifted to Derek Collins.
No one spoke.
The thick binder and black hard drive sat on the table like they weighed a hundred pounds.
Landen was the first to find his voice.
"You know who took the money?"
Derek nodded once.
"I do."
"Then why didn't you tell anyone sooner?"
A flicker of frustration crossed Derek's face.
"I tried."
He looked directly at Landen.
"You just wouldn't listen."
Landen lowered his eyes.
Derek wasn't wrong.
For years, Landen had trusted confidence over caution.
Whenever Derek raised concerns, Landen assumed he was being overly careful.
Now he understood how expensive that mistake had become.
Amanda stepped closer.
"Mr. Collins, before you say anything further, I need to ask one question."
Derek nodded.
"Go ahead."
"Is everything in these files authentic?"
"Every email."
He placed a hand on the binder.
"Every invoice."
Then he tapped the hard drive.
"And every backup I made before I resigned."
Cynthia looked impressed.
"You anticipated this."
"I hoped I was wrong."
Derek let out a slow breath.
"But every week the numbers got worse."
Howard frowned.
"Why resign instead of going to the police?"
"I intended to."
Derek answered honestly.
"But I needed proof."
He looked at Landen.
"I couldn't accuse someone of stealing millions based on suspicion."
"So I documented everything."
Landen swallowed hard.
"And you reported it."
"When I realized the company itself was about to be sold."
The room became quiet again.
Amanda opened the binder carefully.
Inside were neatly organized tabs.
Vendor Payments.
Corporate Emails.
Legal Correspondence.
Escrow Transfers.
She turned several pages.
Then stopped.
"What is this?"
Derek stepped beside her.
"Meeting notes."
"Whose meeting?"
"A private meeting Gregory Mason held with outside investors."
Howard looked confused.
"But Gregory was just the company's attorney."
"Exactly."
Derek nodded.
"And that's why no one questioned him."
He turned to Landen.
"You trusted him with every legal document."
Landen nodded silently.
"You signed whatever he placed in front of you."
Another silent nod.
Derek sighed.
"I begged you to slow down."
"I know."
"No."
His voice became firmer.
"You said I worried too much."
Landen couldn't deny it.
Because he had.
Amanda continued reading.
"The investors repeatedly asked one question."
"What question?" I asked.
"'Has Elisa Bradley approved the transaction?'"
I felt a chill run down my spine.
"They knew about me."
"They knew," Derek replied.
"They were told your signature had already been obtained."
I looked at the rejected filing letter still lying on the counter.
"If that document had been accepted..."
"The company would have changed hands."
Derek finished my sentence.
"And the buyers would have believed the sale was legitimate."
Howard slowly sat down.
"My God."
Amanda flipped to another section.
"There are email attachments."
Derek nodded.
"Open the one dated March 18."
She did.
A scanned contract appeared on the screen.
Even from where I stood, I recognized my name.
Except...
It wasn't my signature.
It was a careful imitation.
Good enough to fool someone at first glance.
Not good enough to survive verification.
Cynthia looked at me.
"Definitely forged."
I nodded.
"Without question."
Amanda turned another page.
"There are payment instructions."
"Keep reading," Derek said.
She did.
Her expression slowly changed.
"This can't be right."
"What?" Howard asked.
"The account receiving the escrow funds..."
She looked at Derek.
"It isn't Gregory's."
"I know."
"Then whose is it?"
Derek folded his arms.
"I spent six months tracing ownership through shell companies."
He looked around the room.
"It took a while."
"But I finally found the real beneficiary."
Landen stepped forward.
"Who?"
Derek reached into his messenger bag one final time.
He removed a sealed manila envelope.
Across the front were three handwritten words.
Beneficial Owner Identification.
He handed it to Amanda.
She opened it carefully.
Inside was a certified corporate ownership report.
She read the first page.
Then the second.
The color drained from her face.
Howard leaned forward.
"Who is it?"
Amanda looked stunned.
She slowly raised her eyes.
"It's not Gregory."
Everyone froze.
"It's someone who secretly financed Gregory's law practice."
Landen frowned.
"What?"
Amanda looked back at the report.
"The same person also invested in two of the shell companies."
Silence.
Then she spoke the name.
"Victor Ashcroft."
No one reacted.
Except Derek.
He nodded.
"That's him."
Landen frowned.
"I've never heard of Victor Ashcroft."
"You have."
Derek looked directly at him.
"You just knew him by another name."
Landen searched his memory.
Then suddenly his expression changed.
"No..."
His voice barely escaped his lips.
"No... that's impossible."
I looked at him.
"You know him?"
Landen slowly nodded.
"I met him three years ago."
"Where?"
"At a business conference in Charlotte."
He swallowed hard.
"He introduced himself as..."
The sentence caught in his throat.
Derek quietly finished it for him.
"'Michael Stone.'"
The room fell silent once again.
Derek looked at all of us before speaking.
"Michael Stone never existed."
He tapped the ownership report.
"Victor Ashcroft created that identity to get close to Bradley Commerce Creative."
Amanda closed the file.
"So this wasn't just fraud."
"No."
Derek's expression grew grave.
"This was a long-term plan to steal the company."
He looked directly at Landen.
"And your affair... your divorce... and yesterday's emergency funding..."
He paused.
"Weren't separate events."
Landen frowned.
"What are you saying?"
Derek took a slow breath.
"I'm saying someone knew exactly when your marriage would fall apart."
Every person in the room felt the weight of those words.
May you like
Then Derek delivered one final revelation.
"And I believe someone inside your personal life was feeding them information the entire time."
