CHAPTER 5 — The Missing Millions
CHAPTER 5 — The Missing Millions
That night, the city didn’t feel like a city anymore.
It felt like a machine quietly waking up.
Inside the top floor of Cole Industries, lights burned long after midnight. Glass walls reflected Adrian Cole standing motionless in front of a sprawling digital map of financial records.
Every transaction tied to St. Mary’s Children’s Home.
Every approval stamp.
Every signature.
Every transfer.
Daniel Foster stood a few steps behind him, voice careful.
“Sir… I’ve traced the first layer.”
Adrian didn’t turn.
“Go on.”
Daniel hesitated.
“It didn’t go directly to an external account.”
That made Adrian finally shift his gaze.
“So where did it go?”
Daniel tapped the screen.
“To a shell foundation called ‘Bright Future Initiative.’”
Adrian’s jaw tightened slightly.
“I created that foundation.”
“Yes,” Daniel said quietly. “Three years ago. But it was… quietly reassigned.”
“Reassigned by who.”
Daniel looked uncomfortable.
“That’s where it gets complicated.”
A pause.
Then—
A new file opened.
A signature appeared on the screen.
Adrian froze.
He knew that signature.
Not from board meetings.
Not from contracts.
From home.
From the past.
From a time when trust had still felt simple.
His voice dropped.
“…Elena.”
Daniel nodded once.
“Your wife’s office authorized the transfer.”
Silence swallowed the room.
Outside the glass wall, the city kept moving like nothing had changed.
Inside, Adrian didn’t move at all.
Because suddenly, the pieces clicked together.
The orphanage funding delays.
The missing reports.
The polished excuses.
All of it had a name now.
May you like
And it wasn’t just corruption.
It was betrayal.
