Chapter 13 - THE SENTENCE CUT IN HALF
Daniel remembered the meeting, but not those exact words.
The original discussion concerned three stones with damaged certificates. He had said, “If three stones got through, pull the report and audit before the launch.”
Audio experts found a splice between three stones got through and bury the report. The second phrase came from another meeting where Daniel discussed delaying an unfinished marketing survey.
The recording was false.
Victoria insisted she received it from Cassandra and believed it genuine. Cassandra denied giving it to her.
Metadata traced the file to North Coast’s crisis-consulting firm, Redline Strategic. The fabrication weakened Vane’s public case but did not erase Daniel’s signed waiver.
Prosecutors opened an evidence-tampering investigation. Vane called the splice an unauthorized contractor’s mistake.
Meanwhile, the boutique HR investigation concluded Victoria violated anti-discrimination policy repeatedly. Six former customers described being dismissed based on clothing, accent, disability, or assumed wealth. Managers had rewarded high average spending but never instructed staff to insult anyone.
Victoria was terminated.
She sued, arguing selective enforcement because executives designed the profiling system. The labor agency allowed her claim about incentive structures to proceed while affirming that personal misconduct remained hers.
Both could be true.
Harrison resigned as trustee of Lily’s shares and interim CEO. An independent bank replaced him at the trust. The board appointed Naomi Reed, Aurelia’s head of manufacturing, as acting chief executive.
Naomi froze the North Coast contract and recalled every private-sale stone with duplicate marks.
The recall revealed forty-three compromised pieces—far more than Elise’s ledger listed.
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One belonged to a United States senator’s spouse. Another had been donated to a museum. A third was the center stone in a royal family’s ceremonial brooch.
Aurelia’s credibility was no longer a family matter.
