LOGINEthan examined the last page. A typed name appeared beneath a digital signature block. The signature itself was a stylised mark he had never used.
“No.”Helen turned to Augustus. “We need to preserve the original electronic file and its transmission records. A printed copy won't establish who created it or whether the signature was inserted later.”“Then preserve them,” Augustus said. “No one is to overwrite, replace, or circulate a revised version before the original has been secThe following morning, Ethan arrived downstairs earlier than expected.He had spent part of the night reviewing the documents Ruth Bennett had left behind, but the more he examined them, the less he trusted the brief explanation contained in the eviction notice. The company claiming control of the property had provided a reference number for the transfer, yet there was no copy of the original agreement, no clear explanation of the consideration paid, and no evidence that the Calder Technical Centre had been formally notified before the decision was made.He closed the folder as Samuel entered the sitting room."You're ready?""I've been ready for an hour."Samuel glanced at the documents. "I hope you haven't spent the entire night trying to solve this.""Not the entire night.""That isn't reassuring."Ethan gave a faint smile and stood. "I'd rather see the place before deciding what to do. Ruth spoke about eighty-six students, but I want to understand
His grandfather had spent years protecting the Calder Technical Centre, yet the land was now being claimed by a company connected to the very empire Ethan had inherited. If Alexander had intended to transfer the property, why had the centre's director known nothing about it? And if he had not, who had decided that eighty-six students could be displaced with a week's notice?Samuel laid the notice on the table."We should avoid jumping to conclusions," he said. "The company may have acquired an interest in the land through a legitimate transaction. We need the underlying agreement, the title records, and the authority under which the notice was issued.""I agree. But if the transfer was legitimate, someone should be able to explain it. Ms. Bennett has been left with a deadline and no answers.""Then we'll start with the documents she provided. I'll have my office check the property records and identify the legal representative who signed the notice."Ethan nodded, then glanced towards
"She brought some papers, sir. She says they cannot wait until tomorrow."Whitmore's composure tightened. "Did you explain that Mr. Cole has only just arrived?""Yes, sir. She said that was precisely why she needed to speak to him."Ethan glanced at the letter in his hand."Bring her to the sitting room," he said. "I'll meet her there."Whitmore turned back towards him. "You have only just arrived, Mr. Cole. You needn't involve yourself before you've had a chance to rest.""She travelled here because she believes the matter is urgent. I can at least hear what she has to say."A few minutes later, Ethan entered the ground-floor sitting room with the envelope tucked inside his jacket. Samuel was still in the entrance hall, speaking quietly with another member of the household staff. When he noticed Ethan's expression, he excused himself and followed him.The woman waiting in the sitting room stood as they entered. She appeared to be in h
The room was larger than he had expected, but it was not the sort of extravagant office he had imagined belonging to a man who controlled a trillion-dollar empire. There were no gold ornaments or oversized displays of wealth. Books filled the shelves from floor to ceiling, their spines worn from use. A leather armchair stood beside a reading lamp, and a broad desk occupied the space beneath the windows. Several framed photographs rested among the books, most of them showing places rather than people.The room smelled faintly of old paper and cedarwood.It felt less like an executive's office and more like a place where someone had spent years thinking without interruption."Your grandfather preferred to work here whenever he was at the estate," Whitmore explained. "He believed the headquarters was where decisions had to be implemented. This was where he decided whether they were worth making."Ethan moved towards the desk. A closed notebook lay beside a fountain pen,
Outside, the afternoon traffic moved in a steady stream. Ethan folded the notice into his document case and checked his phone. There was a missed call from Samuel Brooks, followed by a short message asking him to call as soon as he was free.Ethan returned the call while walking towards the car Augustus had arranged to take him home.“Good,” Samuel answered. “I was beginning to wonder whether Sterling had swallowed you whole. Any solution yet?”“The immediate problem is resolved. Their board suspended the transfer, and the evidence identifies who used my account.”“Excellent. Then we can stop spending your time on another man's mess.”Ethan heard the change in Samuel's tone. It was not quite urgency, but it was more serious than a routine check-in.“What's happened?”“Nothing bad. But it's time you visited your grandfather's estate.”Ethan slowed beside the car. “Why now?”“Because you've spent weeks trying to understand what you inherited f
Ethan stared at the name on Helen Price’s screen.“Darren Pike.”Darren had handled administrative records in a small logistics company where he had worked briefly before his marriage. They had never been much close, but when Ethan lost access to an old email account, Darren had helped him recover it and had suggested adding a secondary contact in case the problem happened again.Ethan had trusted him with a simple favour. He had never imagined that favour could matter years later.“I knew him,” Ethan said. “We worked at the same company for a short time. He helped me recover that account once.”“Do you know whether he still has access to it?” Helen asked.“No. I haven't spoken to him in years.”Augustus joined them in the corridor, having just finished speaking with the board chairman. “Can we establish whether this man submitted the recommendation?”Helen checked the notice again. “The recovery contact alone doesn't prove he did. However, the provid







