Chapter 9 - What the Emails Remembered
Nathan returned to an empty apartment.
His company credentials no longer worked.
Samuel would not answer him.
Olivia’s assistant said all communication must go through counsel.
At 3:20 p.m., Aurelia formally terminated Nathan’s employment.
FOR CAUSE.
The letter cited assault of a majority investor, undisclosed client compensation, potential policy violations, and obstruction concerns.
Nathan read it twice.
Then he called Victor.
Victor answered immediately.
“I warned you.”
“You sent the bank information.”
Victor laughed softly.
“You think I needed to?”
“Who else knew about the forty-five thousand?”
“You. Me. The client.”
“The client died last year.”
“Then perhaps morality has excellent records.”
Nathan closed his eyes.
“What do you want?”
“You already know.”
“Samuel won’t listen to me.”
“Make him.”
“I’ve been fired.”
“Then you have even less to lose.”
Nathan looked around the apartment.
Victor was wrong.
He had Ava.
Claire.
His father.
His freedom.
His remaining reputation.
For years Nathan had behaved as if career loss meant annihilation.
Now he understood how many things could be destroyed after a career was already gone.
“I won’t take the fall for you.”
Victor’s voice cooled.
“You’re confused about who will be taking the fall.”
The call ended.
Ten minutes later someone knocked.
Maya stood outside.
Nathan stared.
“What are you doing here?”
“Samuel told me not to contact you.”
“That sounds promising.”
“I’m ignoring him.”
Nathan opened the door.
Maya entered carrying a flash drive.
“I found older emails.”
“From Victor?”
“From you.”
Nathan’s stomach tightened.
Maya inserted the drive into an offline laptop.
The messages covered six months.
Nathan winced as he read his own words.
Push the client.
Don’t give legal another excuse.
Victor says the consent is done.
Use whatever version gets us to closing.
Maya said, “You were reckless.”
“I know.”
“But reckless isn’t the same as forging Samuel’s signature.”
Nathan looked at her.
“Why help me?”
“Because Victor used you.”
“That’s generous.”
“I didn’t say you were innocent.”
She opened another chain.
Victor had instructed Aurelia’s IT director, Peter Sloan, to conduct a “credential migration test” on Nathan’s account one day before the forged upload.
Nathan leaned closer.
“What does that mean?”
“IT can generate temporary authentication tokens.”
“Could Sloan log in as me?”
“Yes.”
“Where is Sloan?”
Maya’s face changed.
“He resigned this morning.”
Nathan stared.
“Why?”
“No reason given.”
Nathan grabbed his phone.
“We need Samuel.”
“He won’t answer you.”
“He might answer you.”
Maya called Samuel.
He answered.
She explained.
Twenty minutes later they were back at Reed Harbor.
Samuel did not look pleased to see Nathan.
Nathan placed the laptop on his desk.
“Before you throw me out, read this.”
Samuel read the IT email.
His expression shifted.
“Where is Peter Sloan?”
“Gone.”
Samuel called Olivia.
She confirmed Sloan’s resignation.
His exit package had been approved six weeks earlier.
By Victor.
Samuel said, “Find him.”
Olivia replied, “We’re trying.”
Nathan looked at Samuel.
“Victor planned an exit for the man who could prove my credentials were cloned.”
Samuel stared at him.
“Possibly.”
“I didn’t upload the consent.”
“I didn’t say you did.”
“Then let me help.”
Samuel’s jaw tightened.
Nathan continued.
“I lied about the client payment because I was ashamed and afraid.”
“Yes.”
“I can’t change that.”
“No.”
“But Victor knew about it. He knew about my divorce disclosures. He knew every stupid, unethical thing I did because he encouraged half of it and documented the other half.”
Samuel sat silently.
Nathan said, “You told me people rarely start with forgery. They start with smaller compromises.”
Samuel’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“I remember.”
“That’s what Victor did to me.”
Nathan paused.
“And I let him.”
For once, he did not add an excuse.
Samuel looked toward Maya.
“Do you believe him?”
Maya hesitated.
“I believe he didn’t forge the consent.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
Maya looked at Nathan.
“I think he’s finally scared of who he became.”
Nathan absorbed the words.
Samuel stood.
“You may assist in finding Sloan.”
Nathan exhaled.
“But this is not forgiveness.”
“I know.”
“And if you lie again—”
“I’m out.”
Samuel shook his head.
“No.”
Nathan waited.
Samuel said, “If you lie again, I give every file directly to federal investigators and let them decide how useful you are.”
Nathan nodded.
“Fair.”
Samuel’s phone rang.
Olivia.
He answered.
Her voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.
“We found Peter Sloan.”
Samuel asked, “Where?”
“Logan Airport.”
“Leaving?”
“He booked a one-way ticket to Lisbon.”
Nathan and Maya exchanged looks.
Olivia continued.
“Airport police stopped him after our attorneys contacted him.”
Samuel’s face hardened.
“Did he say anything?”
“Yes.”
“What?”
Olivia paused.
“He says Nathan ordered him to clone the credentials.”
Nathan felt the room tilt.
“That’s a lie.”
Samuel looked at him.
Nathan whispered, “I never told him that.”
Olivia continued.
“And Sloan says he has emails proving it.”
Victor had just produced a witness.
Not a document.
May you like
Not metadata.
A human being willing to swear Nathan Pierce had engineered the forgery himself.
