Chapter 19 - The Deeper Network
|
My heart hammered against my ribs as I stared at the handwritten note.
I inserted the thumb drive into my secure, air-gapped computer terminal.
A single encrypted folder appeared on the screen, labeled Meridian Internal.
I entered the master decryption key provided in the note, and the file opened instantly.
On the screen appeared dozens of hidden bank records, off-shore trust documents, and encrypted email threads dating back four years—long before Grant Meridian acquired Nathan’s company.
Nathan hadn't created the fraudulent procurement network. He had merely been a mid-level manager hired to execute it.
The real architect was receiving millions in secret kickbacks from international shipping lanes, using regional directors like Nathan as disposable shields.
My eyes scanned the names listed on the offshore account registries.
One name stood out in bold black ink at the top of the page.
It was Arthur Pendelton—our lead corporate legal counsel. The very man who had sat beside us in Boardroom A, guiding the legal strategy against Nathan.
I sat back in my chair, cold sweat breaking out across my neck.
May you like
Arthur hadn't been helping us destroy Nathan’s scheme. He had been ensuring that Nathan took the total fall so the larger operation could remain entirely hidden in the shadows.
And now, Nathan was getting desperate inside his prison cell, realizing he had been abandoned by his puppet master.
