Chapter 7
|
The skyline of Chicago was a jagged edge of glass and steel against the pale morning sky. Emily Bennett stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of her high-rise apartment, sipping black coffee. The Federal Reserve building was visible in the distance, a monolithic structure that commanded respect and radiated authority. It was her first day, and the anxiety that used to cripple her back at Westfield University was entirely absent. In its place was a sharp, cold determination.
She dressed in a tailored charcoal suit, her hair pulled back into a severe, professional knot. She looked in the mirror and did not see the frightened girl her father had constantly belittled. She saw a senior forensic analyst ready to tear apart corrupt financial ledgers.
When she arrived at the Reserve, the security protocols were intense. She was escorted to the anti-fraud division on the forty-second floor. The bullpen was a chaotic hum of ringing phones and analysts staring intensely at dual monitors.
A tall man in his late forties with graying hair and rolled-up sleeves walked over, extending his hand.
"Emily Bennett," he said, his grip firm. "I'm Marcus Vance, Director of the Fraud Division. I read your thesis. The Chancellor at Westfield wasn't exaggerating. You have a terrifying eye for numerical anomalies."
"Thank you, Director," Emily replied, her voice steady.
"We don't do theoreticals here," Marcus warned, leading her toward a massive glass-walled office at the corner of the floor. "We are currently tracking a massive liquidity bleed in three regional banks across the Midwest. The ledgers look perfectly clean to the automated algorithms. The algorithms are stupid. I need a human eye."
"I can start immediately," Emily said, setting her briefcase down on the polished desk.
May you like
"Good," Marcus smiled, dropping a massive stack of encrypted hard drives onto her desk. "Because the bleed accelerated over the weekend. We are losing ten million dollars a day to a ghost. Find it."
Emily booted up her terminal, the glow of the screen illuminating her focused expression. She was exactly where she was meant to be.
