I'S

fter the interview, hands trembling against the steering wheel. Mee

dn't just looked at me; they'd seemed to peer straight through Alexandra Sterling's carefully constructed facade to the woman underneath. When he'd s

e was also unexpectedly thoughtful. When I'd mentioned his company's values, something had shifted in his

ted at, and prove that my father's death wasn't just an unfortunate casualty of legitimate business competition.

o genuinely cared about t

a text from Dr. Ste

ped back. He's no

ated or bad

y might actually be innocent of whatever crimes I was investigating. Bad, bec

you later,

answers with the kind of focus that made me feel like the most important person in the room. When he'd leaned forward during our discussion about corporate va

him, not fantasizing about what it would feel like to run my fing

I pulled out a legal

ew Debri

ity - First

han expected, but mai

ions, seemed genuinely i

is commanding withou

parture was "amicable" but s

nt suggests long h

of corruption or

cer

refully, may be na

- need to ensure Dr. Sterling'

ortable with him t

ain emotional d

ld and calculating. Instead, I'd found myself genuinely engaged in our conversation, impressed

hen my phone rang. Sarah Ch

ings research coming? Any pr

rah didn't know about my plan to go undercov

ollowing up on some leads, buildi

d to boost circulation. A corruption scandal involvin

wanted the story to be true regardless of the facts. "Sarah, wh

e Gabriel Verity don't build empires by playing fair,

lt bothered me more than it should have. Good journalism required following

I'd met today seemed genuinely committed to running an ethical company, but I'd only seen what he'd chosen to show me. The

an email from an addre

? Some people aren't who they appea

Fri

ogress. The email could mean Gabriel Verity wasn't trustworthy, or it could mean someone

investigation, then deleted it from my main inbox. If I was

ight. I made myself a cup of tea and settled at my kitchen table with my father's

aching eight-year-old me how to use a cash register, letting me help customers choose the right screws and washers

The stress lines around his eyes, the way his clothes hung loose from the

ad created the market conditions that destroyed small retailers like us. Even if Gabriel was personally

Gabriel Verity because I wanted him to be guilty. I was investigating because I n

g again. Unk

el

? This is Gab

is voice. "Mr. Verity. I wasn't e

u." There was a pause, and I could hear the sounds of a busy

gotten the job. But now the real challenge began-maintaining my

ce sounded appropriately pleased rather than p

short notice, but we have several u

works pe

nd security clearance process. You'll need

by six-fifteen, barely time for coffee and a re

"Thank you again for this

ard to working wi

In four days, I'd be sitting outside his office, managing his schedu

most important and dangero

E'S

round report on Alexandra Sterling had been thorough and completely clean-her education verified, e

he feeling that there

up of coffee in each hand. "Heard you mad

ratefully. "James's background check came bac

ut

hen Verity Holdings was three people working eighteen-hour days i

sional, and qualified," I

do you

ost executive assistants at her level are either career administrators or people using

ked for her uncle. Family b

n Diana's behavior lately? You mentioned she'd be

tious. Always has been. I think she's positioning h

oning my d

t of our operations. It could be profession

errogation than curiosity. I'd built Verity Holdings by trusting my instincts about

ccess to sensitive files," I said. "

she's a sec

to be a security risk if the rig

his phone. "What about the new a

e handles the basic responsibilities before g

st within her first month, and I'd given her access to nearly everything by the end of her first year. But Elena had been

most anything she wanted professionally. Why had she chosen to be a

ying my expression. "Yo

ve the board call in twenty minutes. Can you make sure the H

a Sterling was the right choice. You need someone competent in that role, and competent people alway

's remaining interviews. I'd already decided to hire Alexandra, but I'd committed to seeing all five c

ding our operations into South America. Routine business that should have had my full attention, but I found myself thinking

me. Eight years of exemplary service, then sudden resignation with minimal explanation. She'd claimed it

me. She'd refused everything, insisting she needed to leave Verity Holdings entirely. When I'd ask

ng had answered my questions intelligently, but she'd also challenged some of my assumptions about corporate responsibility and business ethic

especially in job interviews where people typically focused on s

en o'clock dinner meeting has been moved

until Monday, handling basic scheduling but lacking the insti

small but well-regarded, focusing on organizational development and strategic planning for mid-sized companies. His academic credentials we

complex projects independently. Reading between the lines, it sounded like she'd been more of a busine

e. After years of working closely with a brilliant academic, she might be read

be-a qualified professional looking for a new challenge. My instinctive caution was just the paranoia that ca

onday morning more than I had in months. Working with someone intelligent and engaged woul

t Verity Holdings needed-and exactly wh

he rain-slicked streets toward my dinner meeting, I couldn't ignore the fa

someone new. And despite all my careful planning and risk

dn't come s