Chapter 21 - What The Audit Revealed
The investigation lasted four months.
It uncovered something much larger than I expected.
Edward Crane had worked with Martin Hale and Victoria's attorney to redirect defense contracts through Atlas.
The money had not simply disappeared.
It had been distributed through consulting fees, inflated subcontractor agreements, and offshore accounts.
But there was one thing the investigators could not prove.
My father had never received a cent.
Instead, the evidence showed he had been trying to stop them.
The final report cleared him completely.
I read that sentence three times.
General Arthur Vance was not a participant in the scheme.
I should have felt relieved.
Instead, I cried.
Not because his reputation was safe.
Because I finally understood how alone he had been.
He had discovered the betrayal.
He had tried to stop it.
And before he could finish, he had died.
Caleb found me sitting in his study.
I was holding the report.
“He was innocent,” I whispered.
“Yes.”
“I knew he was.”
“I know.”
“No.”
I looked at Caleb.
“I needed the world to know.”
He sat beside me.
“You've spent your whole life trying to prove your father's worth.”
I shook my head.
“I don't think I was trying to prove his worth.”
“What were you trying to prove?”
“That loving him wasn't a mistake.”
Caleb took my hand.
“It wasn't.”
That was the moment I finally let myself cry.
Not as an officer.
Not as a chairwoman.
Not as an heir.
May you like
Just as his daughter.
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