Chapter 4 - The Monday Papers.
Claire reached Bennett Meridian twenty minutes after Nora.
The executive floor was almost empty because most employees believed both founders were traveling.
Nora met Claire beside the glass conference room carrying a laptop and a stack of printed documents.
"I haven't opened Ethan's scheduled board packet."
Claire set her handbag down.
"Open it now."
The first page was polished enough to look harmless.
It described Claire as voluntarily stepping away from day-to-day leadership for personal reasons.
The second page proposed Ethan as interim sole managing director.
The third requested temporary transfer of Claire's voting authority for ninety days.
At the bottom was a scanned version of her signature.
Claire stared at it.
"That's mine, but I never signed this."
Nora enlarged the image on the laptop.
"It looks copied, not written into the document."
Claire remembered signing dozens of vendor documents the month before.
Somebody with access to the company drive could have lifted the image easily.
Nora opened the document history.
The file had been created from Ethan's executive account.
Then it had been edited from Madison's account.
Claire sat back slowly.
"So she wasn't just invited on the trip."
"Maybe not."
Nora clicked another attachment.
It was a draft announcement thanking Claire for her years of leadership and wishing her well during an extended absence.
The announcement was scheduled to publish Monday morning.
Claire felt something colder than anger settle behind her ribs.
Ethan had not simply planned to embarrass her.
He had planned to make her absence look voluntary.
Her phone rang again.
This time she answered.
"Claire, finally."
Ethan sounded controlled but furious.
"You blocked company cards because you're upset about Madison?"
Claire looked at Nora and switched the call to speaker.
"Why does the board think I'm taking leave?"
Silence.
A wave of distant music played somewhere behind Ethan.
"We can talk about that when I get back."
"Why is my signature on a voting authorization?"
Another silence followed.
Then Ethan exhaled sharply.
"You signed a stack of governance papers last month."
"Not that one."
"You probably forgot."
Claire almost admired the confidence required to say it.
"Send me the original."
"I don't have it with me."
"Then Monday's meeting won't happen."
Ethan's voice hardened.
"Don't make business decisions because your feelings are hurt."
Claire looked at the fake signature on the screen.
"You brought your secretary on our anniversary trip and scheduled a meeting to take my voting rights while I was gone."
"Madison is there for work."
"Then why is her room charged to our personal account?"
Ethan did not answer.
Claire ended the call.
Nora closed the conference room door.
"We need counsel."
Claire nodded.
Before she could call their attorney, an email appeared in her inbox.
It had been sent automatically from Ethan's account six hours earlier and scheduled to arrive after the flight departed.
The subject line made Nora swear under her breath.
"Claire Bennett - Expense Irregularities."
Attached was a spreadsheet claiming Claire had moved company funds without approval.
The numbers were real.
The explanation was not.
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Someone had built a case against her using transactions she had never authorized.
And every one of them carried her digital approval code.
