Chapter 2 - The Hidden Audit and the Mentor's Fury
By dawn, I had checked myself out of the hospital against medical advice, refusing to spend another minute surrounded by nurses who looked at me with pity. Vesper, my former boss and lifelong mentor, met me outside the emergency ward with a medical transport van and a team of private security contractors he had retained for my protection. Vesper was a retired aviation executive with silver hair, sharp steel-gray eyes, and a zero-tolerance policy for corruption—whether in the skies or on the ground.
“Look at you, Fallon,” Vesper muttered, helping me maneuver carefully into the back of the spacious van fitted with a medical cot. “I warned you not to go to that circus. Family or no family, toxic people don't change their stripes; they just sharpen their claws.”
“They didn't just sharpen their claws this time, Vesper,” I said, handing him my tablet. “They stole my life savings.”
Vesper adjusted his glasses, scanning the bank statement I pulled up. His face darkened into a fierce scowl as he read the line items.
“Forty-five thousand dollars,” Vesper growled, his voice dropping an octave. “Transferred directly from your operational account to settle the remaining balance of Sutton’s extravagant wedding reception. Your parents and your sister have been systematically bleeding your accounts, haven't they?”
“I thought it was just minor borrowing in the past—a few hundred here, a thousand there for wedding favors or catering deposits,” I admitted, looking down at my cast. “I always told myself it was for family harmony. But this? This wipes out the operating capital for my upcoming aircraft inspection contract. Without those funds, I can't pay my team or secure the liability insurance. The contract defaults to my father's firm.”
Vesper froze. His eyes snapped up to meet mine. “Say that again.”
“The inspection contract,” I repeated. “It’s for a major international cargo fleet. My father’s engineering corporation has been trying to acquire that exact portfolio for three years. But the client chose my independent firm because of my safety record.”
A chilling realization settled over the van. It wasn't just about wedding aesthetics or sibling jealousy. This was a calculated financial execution. By breaking my leg and draining my accounts, they had ensured I would miss the deadline, default on the contract, and hand the multi-million-dollar portfolio right back to my father on a silver platter.
“They didn't just want me out of the wedding photos,” I whispered, the final pieces clicking into place. “They wanted me out of business permanently.”
May you like
Vesper’s jaw clenched so tightly a muscle twitched in his cheek. “Well, they picked the wrong aircraft to hijack. We’re going back to the resort, Fallon. But this time, we aren't going as victims. We’re going as an enforcement unit.”
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