Chapter 8 - WHY SOMEONE NEEDED NORA DISCREDITEDNora returned to the foundation offices on Tuesday.
Against Ethan’s advice.
Against Celeste’s preference.
With her lawyer’s knowledge.
She did not go alone.
Not Warren.
That was deliberate.
A corporate attorney named Priya Shah accompanied her.
They entered the finance archive.
Several folders were missing.
Nora stopped.
“Where are the C.A. files?”
Claire Benton looked confused.
“They should be there.”
“They’re not.”
Digital records showed deletions over the weekend.
Priya asked:
“Who has administrator access?”
“Celeste. Me. IT.”
“Anyone else?”
“Ethan has executive family access.”
Nora froze.
“Ethan?”
Claire nodded.
“He rarely uses it.”
Priya looked at Nora.
No conclusion.
Just another complication.
IT restored logs.
Three vendor folders deleted Saturday at 11:42 p.m.
Login credentials:
EARDEN02.
Ethan.
Nora stared.
“No.”
Priya remained careful.
“Could credentials have been shared?”
“Yes.”
“Does he use multifactor authentication?”
Claire nodded.
“Phone prompt.”
Nora felt cold.
She called Ethan.
He answered immediately.
“Where are you?”
“Foundation.”
“I told you—”
“Did you delete files Saturday?”
Silence.
“What?”
“Vendor files.”
“No.”
“Your credentials were used.”
“I was home.”
“With your phone?”
“Yes.”
“Did anyone else have it?”
“No.”
Another pause.
Then:
“Mom was there.”
Nora closed her eyes.
“Did she use your phone?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know.”
“Nora.”
“Check your security prompts.”
He did.
A minute later his voice changed.
“There was a login approval.”
“Saturday?”
“Yes.”
“Did you approve it?”
“I may have.”
“For what?”
“I don’t know. Mom said IT needed access to some donor files.”
Nora leaned against the wall.
“You gave her authentication.”
“I didn’t know—”
“You never know.”
“That’s not fair.”
“No?”
Her voice cracked.
“You knew she hired corporate investigators. You approved a login. You knew I was reviewing vendor payments.”
“Nora.”
“Do you understand how many times you have handed her the benefit of the doubt while asking me to prove everything?”
Ethan said nothing.
Nora hung up.
Priya waited.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“Good answer.”
Nora almost smiled.
They continued reviewing recovered records.
One payment description stood out.
Media containment and stakeholder protection.
Recipient:
C.A. Strategic Consulting.
Amount:
$47,500.
Date:
Three days before Derek began following Nora.
Priya stared.
“That’s useful.”
Nora’s heart pounded.
“Useful enough?”
“Not yet.”
Nora hated those words.
But she was beginning to understand.
May you like
Truth did not become stronger because you wanted it faster.
It became stronger because you built it carefully enough that no one could talk around it.
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