Chapter 3 - SOMEONE WAS USING HER NAMECaroline stared at the screen.
“That isn't possible.”
Naomi enlarged the document.
The authorization contained Caroline's full name, employee identification number, and a digital approval stamp.
It appeared official.
Caroline shook her head.
“I didn't sign anything.”
“I believe you.”
“I don't even have permission to approve material substitutions.”
Naomi nodded.
“That's what makes this so serious.”
Caroline felt sick.
She had entered the company hoping to build a better future.
Now someone was using her name to approve materials that could endanger families.
“Will they think I did it?”
Naomi closed the laptop.
“Not if we handle this correctly.”
They went directly to Vincent.
He examined the document carefully.
“Caroline, did anyone have access to your computer today?”
She thought for a moment.
“I went to lunch.”
“Did you lock your screen?”
“Yes.”
“Did you give anyone your password?”
“No.”
Vincent turned toward Naomi.
“I want an external digital forensics specialist. Nobody in our finance department touches this investigation.”
Naomi nodded.
“Understood.”
Caroline looked at him.
“What happens to me?”
Vincent's expression softened.
“Nothing has been established against you.”
“But my name is on it.”
“Then we find out how it got there.”
He paused.
“And until we know, you'll have independent supervision for any system work. That protects you and the investigation.”
Caroline nodded.
It was not the reassurance she had hoped for.
But she recognized that he was trying to be fair.
The following morning, the atmosphere at the office had changed.
Employees whispered when Caroline walked past.
A few stopped talking as soon as she entered the room.
She tried to ignore them.
At ten o'clock, Sebastian appeared beside her desk.
“Miss Okafor.”
Caroline stood.
“Good morning.”
“I understand there's been some confusion involving your employee credentials.”
“Yes.”
“How unfortunate.”
She studied his expression.
“Someone used my name without my permission.”
Sebastian folded his hands.
“Perhaps. Or perhaps an inexperienced employee made a mistake.”
“I didn't approve those materials.”
“Be careful about making statements you may have to defend later.”
Caroline felt anger rising.
“I know what I did.”
Sebastian smiled faintly.
“Confidence is admirable. Evidence is better.”
He walked away.
Caroline sat down slowly.
She had dealt with difficult supervisors before.
She had been insulted by people who thought poverty made her less intelligent.
But something about Sebastian frightened her.
He spoke like a man who already knew how the story would end.
At lunchtime, Caroline called Mama Grace.
“How are Daniel and Blessing?”
“Both doing well. Daniel has been telling me about a science project, and Blessing insists she needs more colored pencils.”
Caroline smiled.
“Of course she does.”
Mama Grace noticed the strain in her voice.
“What's troubling you?”
Caroline hesitated.
“Work is more complicated than I expected.”
Mama Grace became quiet.
“Are people treating you badly?”
“Some people.”
“Then remember something.”
“What?”
“You didn't lose your worth when you were poor. And you didn't suddenly gain it when you walked into that office.”
Caroline closed her eyes.
“I needed to hear that.”
“Good. Now eat your lunch.”
Caroline laughed.
“Yes, Mama Grace.”
That afternoon, the independent fire-safety engineer arrived at Hawthorne Commons.
Dr. Elena Park was an experienced structural and fire-protection consultant.
She reviewed the material specifications, inspected the installed doors, and examined several fire-suppression connections.
Caroline accompanied Naomi to the site, but this time she observed rather than handling any documents herself.
Dr. Park was thorough.
She photographed labels.
Measured clearances.
Checked the approved construction drawings.
And asked Marcus questions about material deliveries.
After nearly three hours, she gathered everyone in the temporary site office.
“I have preliminary concerns,” she said.
Vincent stood beside the conference table.
“How serious?”
“Serious enough that I recommend stopping work in the affected areas until testing and verification are complete.”
Marcus lowered his head.
Vincent asked the question everyone was thinking.
“Are we talking about defective doors?”
“Not just doors.”
Dr. Park placed several photographs on the table.
“These pipe fittings may also differ from the approved fire-suppression specifications. I can't determine their acceptability without further testing.”
Naomi looked horrified.
“Those came through Mercer Supply Group.”
Caroline felt a chill.
The same supplier.
The same questionable invoices.
The same executive approvals.
Dr. Park continued.
“The issue may extend beyond individual products. We need to examine how substitutions were reviewed and recorded.”
Vincent looked at the photographs.
“Then we stop work where necessary.”
Naomi glanced at him.
“That could delay the project by weeks.”
“Then it takes weeks.”
“What about the investors?” Sebastian asked from the doorway.
Nobody had noticed him enter.
Vincent turned.
“We'll explain the delay.”
Sebastian walked toward the table.
“We have contractual deadlines. Missing them could trigger financial consequences.”
Vincent's voice hardened.
“People's safety is not something we negotiate away.”
Sebastian's expression remained calm.
“Of course not. But we should avoid unnecessary panic before the facts are established.”
Dr. Park closed her notebook.
“My recommendation is based on what I observed, not panic.”
Sebastian gave her a polite smile.
“Understood.”
That evening, Vincent instructed the company to preserve all records connected to Mercer Supply Group.
He also ordered that employees who reported concerns would not face retaliation.
Caroline respected him for that.
But she could see the pressure building around him.
Hawthorne Commons was not merely another construction project.
It represented tens of millions of dollars, hundreds of workers, investors, and families waiting for homes.
And now someone had turned that project into a dangerous secret.
When Caroline returned to the mansion, Daniel was sitting at the dining table with a notebook.
“Caroline!”
She smiled.
“Hello, future engineer.”
He grinned.
“I need to build a model bridge for school.”
“That's wonderful.”
He hesitated.
“Can Vincent help me?”
Caroline looked toward Vincent's office.
“I think he'd enjoy that.”
Daniel nodded.
Then he looked at her more carefully.
“You look tired.”
“Just a long day.”
He reached across the table and squeezed her hand.
“You always tell us not to give up.”
Caroline smiled.
“I do.”
“So don't give up either.”
She felt tears forming.
“I won't.”
Later that night, Vincent received an urgent call from the external forensic specialist.
He listened silently.
Then he asked the caller to repeat something.
Caroline watched his expression change.
When he ended the call, he turned toward her.
“The specialist found something.”
“What?”
“The approval made under your name came from an administrator-level session.”
Caroline frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“It means someone with high-level access impersonated your account.”
“Can they identify who?”
Vincent hesitated.
“The administrator credentials used for that session were assigned to my executive office.”
Caroline stared at him.
Then Vincent's phone vibrated again.
He looked at the message.
His face drained of color.
“What is it?” Caroline whispered.
May you like
Vincent raised his eyes.
“The specialist says the system logs have just been deleted.”
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