Adrian folded his hands on the table.
“You threatened an employee with a contract that does not exist, using authority Meredith does not possess, to silence her after she discovered your relationship.”
“When you phrase it like that—” Alexander began.
“There is no honest way to phrase it differently.”
Meredith pushed her chair back.
“I will not sit here while my private life is used to undermine a transaction that could generate millions.”
Adrian nodded toward the leather folder in front of her.
“Then let us discuss the transaction.”
The compliance director distributed copies of Alexander’s investment presentation.
I recognized the tables immediately.
Projected occupancy rates, lease commitments, renovation costs, and expected returns filled the pages.
Adrian turned to me.
“Victoria, your employment file identifies you as the lead analyst responsible for anomaly detection on several acquisition accounts.
Is that accurate?”
“Yes.”
“Can you review these projections without relying on any information outside the supporting data?”
Meredith objected before I could answer.
“She is emotionally compromised.”
“Which is why an external team completed the same review last night,” Adrian said.
“Victoria’s analysis will not determine the result.
It will demonstrate whether your claim about her professional instability has merit.”
He looked at me again.
“You may decline.”
I thought about Alexander saying I would not have a desk in the morning.
Then I opened my laptop.
“I’ll review it.”
For the next forty minutes, no one spoke except when I requested a source file.
Alexander’s projections appeared impressive on the surface.
His presentation showed letters of intent from commercial tenants across fourteen properties.
The future revenue looked strong enough to justify the financing he wanted.
But the underlying data told another story.
Six tenant commitments appeared twice under slightly different company names.
Three letters had no signatures.
Renovation costs excluded required structural work mentioned in the inspection summaries.
Alexander had calculated his projected occupancy rate using the same units in two separate phases of development.
I turned my laptop toward the table.
“The model counts six commitments twice,” I said.
“When the duplicates and unsigned letters are removed, projected occupancy falls below the minimum required in the financing criteria.”
Alexander shook his head.
“That is an interpretation, not a fact.”
“The duplicate registration numbers are identical.”
“You went looking for a reason to damage me.”
“I searched for inconsistencies.
I found them.”
Meredith looked at the spreadsheet.
“Those commitments were verbally confirmed.”
“Then why were they submitted as executed documents?” the general counsel asked.
She had no answer.
Adrian opened the report prepared by the external review team.
“The independent auditors identified the same duplicate commitments, the same missing structural costs, and two additional discrepancies.”
He slid the report toward Alexander.
Alexander did not read it.
Instead, he turned on me.
“You did this because I left you.”
The words hung in the room.
I closed my laptop.
