CHAPTER 7 – The First Truth He Shouldn’t Have Seen
Lucas started small.
Watching deliveries. Noting patterns. Listening instead of speaking.
At first, everything seemed normal.
Too normal.
Then he noticed it.
A discrepancy in supply logs.
Small at first—food deliveries listed as accepted that never reached storage.
Then equipment.
Then cash allocations marked “maintenance.”
Each time he checked, the same signature appeared.
Trent’s authorization code.
Lucas felt something tighten in his chest.
That evening, he returned to the study.
Mrs. Hayes was already waiting.
“You found something,” she said.
It wasn’t a question.
Lucas placed the papers on the desk.
“I think your security is stealing from you,” he said.
For the first time, Mrs. Hayes didn’t respond immediately.
She simply looked at the documents.
Then at him.
Then she whispered something almost too quiet to hear.
“I was afraid of that.”
May you like
And for the first time since Lucas had met her, she looked less like someone in control of a house…
…and more like someone standing inside a system she no longer fully trusted.
