Chapter 2 - The Audit of Shadows
The sun had barely risen over Indianapolis when Ethan’s private driver arrived outside my apartment complex.
The snow from the night before had turned into a thick, slushy gray carpet along the sidewalks. I had dressed Sophie in the warm fleece onesie Ethan had bought the night before, settling her into a brand-new, top-rated infant car seat that had been delivered to my door at six in the morning by an express courier, courtesy of Ethan Cole.
As the sleek black sedan pulled up to the glass-and-steel skyscraper of Cole Industries downtown, I felt a heavy knot tighten in my stomach. Twelve hours ago, I was searching my sofa cushions for loose change; now, I was walking through the executive private entrance of the largest corporation in the state.
Ethan was waiting for us on the top floor. His executive assistant, an older woman named Clara with kind eyes and an efficient demeanor, immediately guided me into a private nursery suite connected directly to Ethan’s office—a room fully equipped with a crib, changing table, and plush armchairs.
"Mr. Cole had this prepared two hours ago, dear," Clara said warmly, taking my coat. "Please, make yourself at home. There’s warm tea and breakfast on the sideboard."
Through the frosted glass partition of Ethan's office, I watched the drama unfold.
At 8:15 AM, Lucas Ward walked into the executive suite. He looked polished, wearing a navy tailored suit and a gold watch that caught the morning light. He carried a leather briefcase and had a confident, almost arrogant stride—the stride of a man who believed he owned every room he walked into.
"Ethan, what's going on?" Lucas’s voice carried through the slightly open door. "My security badge didn't work at the parking gate, and my corporate card was declined at coffee this morning. Is there a server glitch?"
Ethan was sitting behind his wide mahogany desk, leaning back with his hands folded calmly in front of him.
"There's no glitch, Lucas," Ethan said quietly. "Sit down."
Lucas hesitated, his confident smile wavering for a fraction of a second before he took a seat across from Ethan. "If this is about the Q3 budget report, I told you—"
"It's not about the budget report," Ethan interrupted. He pulled a thick paper file from his drawer and dropped it onto the desk with a heavy thud. "It's about two employment applications that were flagged and rejected by our HR automated filter over the last three weeks. Specifically, applications belonging to a certified nursing assistant named Elena Vance."
Lucas froze. The color drained from his face so fast it was like someone had wiped a sponge across his skin.
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"E-Elena?" Lucas stammered, his polished composure shattering instantly. "Ethan, I... I don't know who that is. HR handles thousands of—"
"Don't lie to me, Lucas," Ethan said, his voice dropping into a register that made even me shiver behind the glass wall. "I spent four hours last night reviewing the direct administrative overrides on our hiring portal. You personally accessed the HR queue from your private account and manually blacklisted her name across every subsidiary of Cole Industries."
