Chapter 2 - The Audit Trail
By 8:15 a.m. on Friday morning, the top-floor conference room of Bennett Capital Partners felt less like a workplace and more like a war room.
Sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, illuminating the sprawling Denver skyline, but inside the room, the atmosphere was frigid. Seated around the polished mahogany table were Miranda Stone, the firm’s chief financial officer, and the head of internal compliance.
At the head of the table sat Naomi. She wore a tailored charcoal pantsuit, her dark hair pulled back into a sleek, flawless chignon. There were faint dark circles beneath her eyes from a sleepless night, but her expression was an unreadable mask of absolute corporate sovereignty.
“Let me make sure I have the timeline correct,” Miranda said, adjusting her glasses as she reviewed a printed financial ledger. “Your husband, Garrett Bennett—who has contributed zero equity to your firm and whose own tech startup failed three years ago—is having an affair with Sienna Brooks, the Director of Brand Marketing at a company your private equity firm acquired six days ago.”
“Correct,” Naomi said evenly.
“And you want a full, uncompromised forensic audit of Sienna Brooks’s corporate expenses, travel logs, and department disbursements?”
“I don’t just want an audit, Miranda,” Naomi replied, sliding a secondary folder across the table. “I want every single instance of corporate embezzlement, policy violation, and fraudulent expense reimbursement flagged, documented, and cross-referenced with company credit card records.”
The CFO picked up the folder, flipping through the printed receipts. “Good lord. Look at this. Five thousand dollars at a boutique hotel in Las Vegas last November. Another three thousand in Miami in February. Department code 402—Marketing.”
“And what was happening in Las Vegas and Miami during those exact dates?” Naomi asked, though she already knew the answer.
“TechVista had zero corporate conventions or client meetings in those cities,” compliance chimed in, tapping his tablet. “However, cross-referencing public flight records... your husband, Garrett Bennett, happened to be speaking at tech conferences in those exact cities during those exact weekends.”
A cold, humorless smile touched Naomi’s lips. It wasn't just an emotional betrayal; it was financial fraud. Sienna Brooks had been systematically using TechVista corporate funds—funds that now belonged entirely to Bennett Capital Partners—to finance romantic weekend getaways with Naomi’s husband.
“She’s been billing company credit cards for her personal vacations with my husband,” Naomi stated quietly. “Under corporate compliance policy, that constitutes gross misconduct, theft, and immediate grounds for termination with cause.”
“With cause,” Miranda repeated, a sharp, knowing grin spreading across her face. “Meaning she forfeits severance, stock options, and unvested benefits. And because TechVista is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bennett Capital, you—as managing director—have the direct authority to sign off on the termination.”
“Do it,” Naomi commanded. “Have HR and security draft the termination papers. I want her escorted out of the TechVista building by noon. And notify Harold Kim—her vice president—that he’s under internal review for covering up her fraudulent expense reports.”
“And your husband?” Miranda asked carefully. “How do you want to handle the divorce filings?”
May you like
Naomi stood up, buttoning her jacket, her eyes flashing with cold, calculated brilliance.
“Garrett thinks he’s being strategic,” Naomi said softly. “Let’s give him a strategy he’ll never forget. Have the divorce papers served to him at his golf club tomorrow morning while he’s trying to impress his investor buddies. Let’s see how fast his new girlfriend wants to date an unemployed man living in a rented apartment.”
