Chapter 4 - THE FIRST BOX
Nicole Cole refused to take company documents casually.
She told Madison:
“If you think there’s fraud, get a lawyer.”
Madison said:
“I don’t even know whether I’m allowed to have the files.”
“Then especially get a lawyer.”
Smart.
Madison hired attorney Allison Grant.
Privately.
Allison advised:
do not remove originals,
do not hack passwords,
do not access accounts Madison had no authorization to enter,
preserve only materials legitimately available in the marital home.
Madison began copying papers Marcus routinely brought home.
Invoices.
Project summaries.
Printed bank reconciliations.
Board packets left on his desk.
Was that legally clean?
Not completely.
But cleaner than stealing servers.
How to move copies without Marcus’s household security logging courier visits?
Travis suggested his delivery route.
His vans already came through the neighborhood.
No unusual entry.
No extra car.
No envelope visible at the gate.
The milk boxes carried groceries in the top compartment.
Documents in the bottom.
Travis delivered them to Allison’s office later.
It was covert.
Deliberate.
And Lily noticed.
She loved the chocolate milk Travis sometimes brought as part of the normal delivery.
“Travis’s milk is the best.”
That innocent sentence cracked open months of secrecy.
Marcus listened.
Then said:
“You built a smuggling route through my house.”
Madison’s expression hardened.
“I built a way to preserve evidence from a man who lies when I ask one question.”
Marcus clenched his jaw.
Then caught himself.
No step forward.
No raised hand.
He had already crossed that line.
“Did you sleep with Travis?”
“No.”
“Do you love him?”
“No.”
“Then why didn’t you come to me?”
May you like
Madison’s answer came instantly.
“Because I thought you were part of it.”
