Chapter 6
I called Gloria immediately.
This time, she answered.
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Nia?"
"Gloria, where are you?"
She hesitated.
"At home."
I took a breath.
"Are you alone?"
"Yes."
I looked at Marcus.
He was standing beside me, listening.
"Gloria, please tell me what's happening."
She swallowed.
"Someone came to my house yesterday."
My stomach tightened.
"Who?"
"A man I've never met."
I glanced toward Marcus.
"What did he want?"
"He asked whether I still had the old Bennett Development financial records."
My heart pounded.
"Did he give his name?"
"No."
"Did he threaten you?"
She hesitated.
"Not directly."
I closed my eyes.
Then she continued.
"He said it would be unfortunate if private company information ended up in the wrong hands."
I felt cold.
Gloria had worked with Marcus's father for decades.
She was in her late sixties.
Recently retired.
And now someone was apparently trying to frighten her over records she hadn't even shown me yet.
I spoke gently.
"Gloria, have you contacted the police?"
She hesitated.
"I didn't want to make trouble."
I looked at Marcus.
His expression was furious.
"You're not making trouble," I said. "Someone came to your home and made you feel unsafe."
She began crying.
"I thought I was helping."
"You are."
I took a breath.
"But your safety comes first."
Marcus leaned closer.
"Tell her we'll help arrange legal support."
I nodded.
Gloria agreed to contact local authorities and document the visit.
Patricia also arranged to speak with her.
We didn't ask her to send anything until she felt secure and received appropriate advice.
I wanted those records.
Desperately.
But I wasn't going to treat Gloria like a source of documents instead of a person.
That afternoon, I sat with Noah while Marcus met with the security team.
He returned looking exhausted.
"Any news?" I asked.
He nodded.
"We're reviewing visitor logs and communications involving Richard."
I looked at him.
"And?"
"Nothing conclusive yet."
I sighed.
Marcus sat beside me.
Then he said, "Nia, I'm sorry."
I frowned.
"For what?"
"For bringing this into our family."
I shook my head.
"You didn't know."
He looked down.
"I trusted Richard."
I nodded.
"I know."
He continued.
"He worked with us for years. He was at our wedding."
I gently touched his hand.
"Trusting someone doesn't mean you're responsible for everything they do."
He looked at me.
I smiled sadly.
"That's something I've had to remind myself too."
For a moment, we sat quietly.
Then Noah made a small noise.
Marcus smiled.
"Somebody wants attention."
I handed him our son.
He held Noah carefully.
His broad hands looked enormous around the tiny baby.
I watched my husband smile.
And I felt a surge of gratitude.
Whatever happened with Richard, Vanessa, and the money, we still had this.
Our family.
Our love.
Our son.
That evening, Patricia called.
"Gloria has agreed to provide records through counsel."
I sat straighter.
"That's good."
"Yes. And there's something you should know."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
"She says she retained copies of several historical payment summaries involving Daniel Cross."
I looked toward Marcus.
He immediately sat beside me.
Patricia continued.
"Those records may help establish whether the current SkyBridge transactions are connected to earlier irregularities."
I closed my eyes.
The pattern was becoming clearer.
Daniel had worked for Marcus's father.
He'd left after questions about missing funds.
Years later, a company connected to him was receiving questionable payments through Bennett Aviation.
And Richard, the person approving many of those payments, was trying to prevent me from reviewing the records.
It didn't feel coincidental.
But I knew we still needed proof.
The next morning, an investigator from the external review team arrived.
She introduced herself as Olivia Grant.
She was calm, precise, and clearly experienced.
We spent several hours reviewing documents.
Olivia asked about my first discovery.
I explained the duplicate invoices.
She asked about Richard's responses.
I showed her the emails.
She asked about the attempted flight amendment.
Marcus provided the preserved records.
Then Olivia asked something unexpected.
"Mrs. Bennett, why were you reviewing these expenses?"
I looked at her.
"Because the foundation supports medical transportation for children."
She nodded.
"And you wanted to verify that the money was being used correctly?"
"Yes."
She studied me for a moment.
Then smiled faintly.
"Good."
I frowned.
"Why?"
"Because the records suggest someone may have been exploiting a charitable program."
My stomach tightened.
I looked at her.
She continued.
"That makes it especially important to distinguish legitimate services from unsupported charges."
I nodded.
The thought made me furious.
Families were depending on those funds.
Children needed transportation.
Parents needed help.
And someone might have been using their suffering to move money.
I felt sick.
Olivia continued reviewing the records.
Then she found something.
A series of payments that had been divided into smaller amounts.
Each fell just below the internal threshold requiring additional approval.
I leaned forward.
"That's deliberate structuring."
Olivia nodded.
"It warrants closer examination."
Marcus stared at the screen.
"How much?"
Olivia totaled the payments.
The amount was just over two hundred thousand dollars.
My stomach dropped.
I looked at Marcus.
Then at Olivia.
"Who approved them?"
She highlighted the authorization field.
Richard Lawson.
I closed my eyes.
Then Olivia opened another file.
A vendor onboarding record.
The contact email belonged to SkyBridge Medical Logistics.
But the phone number matched one listed in an older file connected to Daniel Cross.
Marcus swore quietly.
Olivia remained calm.
"That's a meaningful connection. We'll verify it independently."
I nodded.
Then she asked whether we had the original employee conduct report involving Vanessa.
Marcus handed it over.
Olivia reviewed the pages.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Interesting."
I leaned forward.
"What?"
She pointed toward the complaint history.
"Several disciplinary recommendations were overridden."
I nodded.
"By Richard."
"Yes."
She continued.
"And one of the overridden complaints involved Vanessa's handling of a charter flight arranged through SkyBridge."
My heart pounded.
"What happened?"
Olivia read the summary.
A passenger had reported being denied access to a scheduled flight.
The flight was later billed as completed.
I stared at her.
"Wait."
She looked up.
"If the passenger never boarded, how could the flight have been completed?"
Olivia nodded slowly.
"That's exactly what we need to determine."
My stomach tightened.
The answer was becoming horrifyingly clear.
Someone might have been billing for flights that never happened.
And Vanessa may have helped create the appearance that passengers were denied boarding for legitimate reasons.
I looked at Marcus.
His face was pale.
Then Olivia said something that made the room go silent.
"Mrs. Bennett, I think your experience on the aircraft may be directly connected to the financial scheme."
I stared at her.
She continued.
"Vanessa may not have been acting only out of prejudice or personal arrogance."
I felt cold.
"Then what was she doing?"
Olivia looked down at the reports.
"She may have been helping someone create false operational records."
I looked toward Noah sleeping nearby.
And for the first time, I understood why Richard had needed me removed before the aircraft departed.
If I remained aboard, the official flight record would have to account for me.
But if Vanessa forced me off, someone could potentially record the flight differently.
And whatever happened at the unauthorized destination might remain hidden.
May you like
The attack on my dignity had been cruel enough.
Now I feared it had also been part of a carefully constructed fraud.
