Chapter 9 - Julian had participated
Julian Dane was not innocent.
The archive admitted that.
His logistics company controlled some of the bonded movement.
He knew packages were being substituted.
At first, according to his memo, he told himself:
No charity lost money.
Every lot still sold.
The replacements were genuine stones, just cheaper.
That was how bad systems survive.
People redefine theft until it sounds administrative.
Then Seraphina found the mismatches.
She confronted Julian.
He promised to stop.
But the scheme involved someone more powerful inside my own organization.
Someone Julian feared.
The archive never used the name on the first page.
Only initials:
R.V.
I knew immediately.
Ronan Vescari.
My chief financial officer.
May you like
My oldest friend.
The man sitting beside me at Seraphina’s funeral.
