Fifth Avenue Devil

Chapter 21

Twenty-One

Annalise

B eautiful people in tuxes and ballgowns press in on me from all sides. I smile and examine their faces, hoping Nate will be among them. But my gaze slides off the laughing women and jovial men.

He isn’t anywhere to be seen.

The Take Back the Night Gala glitters around me as I circulate through the well-dressed crowd. I make sure to nod and smile at the right people. Inside, though, my mind races.

It’s been three days since I laid eyes on Nate Fordham and I’m dying to know just where he is.

I snag a flute of champagne from a passing server and sip the bubbly beverage. What to do now?

I should turn my attention to my flagging company. It’s no secret that Gellar Industries has been slipping these past few years. Our stock price is slowly sinking. But I refuse to let it continue. I'll do whatever it takes to right this ship and steer us back to success.

I desperately need to pay back the money my father stole before Nate finds out about it. He could take the merger over even the allegation of financial infidelities.

I work my way into social circles with venture capitalists, talking about how bright the future of our company is. “We’re confident that we will perfect the ground-penetrating sonar. We plan to use it to find the next big shale oil deposit within a matter of months,” I say.

Is that true? That remains to be seen. But the venture capitalists and CEOs that I schmooze seem impressed.

A familiar red-headed firecracker catches my eye as I talk to a new clique of silver-haired, Hugo Boss-wearing CEO types. To my shock, Lori Parker marches toward me. Even more bizarrely, she has Gellar Industries Chief Financial Officer Lance White in tow. Lance looks awkward in his tuxedo, running a finger under his bowtie. He’s tall and storklike and his quiet demeanor makes him a dead fish at events like this.

It’s strange to see them here. I thought I only authorized a single company ticket for appearances. But they each take one of my arms, tugging me firmly toward the deserted balcony.

“My apologies!” I call to the CEO I was just talking to.

"We need to talk. Now," Lori hisses under her breath. Lance's face is grim.

As they steer me outside, foreboding prickles down my spine. I paste on an imperious look and fold my arms to hide the goosebumps from the chill night air.

"What's this about? I'm busy securing our financial future in there."

Lance and Lori exchange loaded glances. My heart pounds traitorously.

What could Lance possibly know? About the missing funds, my secret stock market scheming?

“Well?” I lift my chin, my pulse beginning to race. "Out with it. I don't have all night."

Lori takes a deep breath. "Annalise, Lance came to me about some improprieties in the company ledgers."

I arch my eyebrows, feigning faint surprise. "What are you alleging?"

Lance clears his throat, straightening his bowtie with twitchy fingers.

"Well, Ms. Gellar, I was conducting a standard audit of the ledgers when I noticed some discrepancies. Small ones at first. Payments out misaligning with funds received."

"And?" I fold my arms across my chest.

“Right.” Lance swallows hard. Perspiration dots his thinning hairline. "I printed duplicate copies to cross-reference. The figures were inconsistent across versions. They gave me completely different numbers. It’s my opinion that someone deliberately cooked the books."

Lori interrupts, placing a manicured hand on my arm. Her expression is carefully blank. "Annalise, there's a significant sum unaccounted for. Millions. Upward of twenty, I think."

“Twenty-two million, four hundred twenty-seven thousand.” Lance looks between us, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “To be exact.”

Blood roars in my ears as I process the implications. Fuck. I wasn’t ready for anybody else to find out about the missing money.

How much does Lance know?

I level Lance with a cutting glare, channeling all the authority of my pedigree. "Are you insinuating that I had something to do with this so-called missing money?" I let out a derisive snort. "I don’t believe it. Millions disappearing without a trace under my watch? I find that quite difficult to believe."

"No one is saying that you had anything to do with it. The money started disappearing twenty years ago,” Lori says soothingly.

“That’s right. You couldn’t possibly be responsible." Lance wrings his hands. His eyes dart between Lori and me like a frantic rabbit. "When I made my discovery, I thought I was going crazy. That's why I consulted Ms. Parker for a second opinion."

“I’m afraid he’s right.” Lori gives me a sympathetic glance. "The evidence is all there, plain as day. We wanted to come to you quietly before jumping to conclusions or making accusations."

I survey them both with impassive eyes. My mind races behind the mask of stony composure. How should I play this? Would it be better to feign ignorance and righteous outrage? Will Lance fold under threats?

"You say we don't have proof yet that my father is involved in this, and I won't throw him under the bus just because it's convenient. What's our plan?"

Lance hesitates for a moment, weighing his words carefully. "If you're willing to take this seriously, we could bring forensic accountants to investigate the discrepancies. They'll scour the books and determine any merit to these claims."

"Forensic accountants? That could take months. If Gellar Industries is indeed hemorrhaging money as you claim, we don’t have that kind of time."

"Annalise, I understand your concerns," Lori says. Her eyes are steady on my face. "Let’s not act rashly. It’s better to take time to figure out what exactly we are dealing with."

"Ms. Gellar." Lance’s tone is impatient. "If there's money missing, I'm committing a crime by not notifying the FEC immediately. I put my career in jeopardy. Not to mention the company's reputation."

"I hear you." I put my hands behind my back and start to pace. "I agree that we have to proceed with the investigation. But we have to keep this discreet. No red flags. Lance can contact an outside team of forensic accountants and the team can scrutinize the trail of the missing money."

Lance looks relieved. “Thank you, Ms. Gellar.”

“No, I should thank you. Not every finance man is as ethical as you are, Mr. White.”

He blushes. “Of course, ma’am.”

Lance's footsteps echo across the polished marble floor as he strides back into the lavish gala. Lori and I are left alone in the cool night air.

"Annalise," Lori begins. “I’m sorry that we pounced on you. Lance sandbagged me. I didn’t even have the time to send you a text.”

“It’s okay,” I assure her. I exhale a long breath. “God, I was hoping to replace all the missing funds before anyone noticed.”

Lori sends me a distressed expression. “There's something you need to know. I've done some digging of my own. I checked the IT logs, trying to see if the person who did this was stupid enough to leave their digital fingerprints all over their logins. The login used to make those money transfers was your father's login. But it probably wasn’t him."

“What?” My heart skips a beat. "What are you saying?"

"I looked into the dates more deeply. I just checked your father’s business calendar before, to line up the dates of the withdrawals with his availability. But it turns out that your father was actually out of town during two of the transactions. His personal secretary had the dates and times of every flight he took, including two flights that would have taken him out of the country just before two of the transactions.” Lori takes a beats. “The level of sophistication needed to fake the login records is beyond anything your father could have done himself. It’s possible that he hired help, but I know you father very well. It's doubtful that he committed this fraud."

"Then who could’ve done it?" I demand, incredulous.

I already know the players in this game, though. My father, Don Young, even Lori or Lance. There’s also the distinct possibility that it was someone else. But who? Who else would have the company knowledge and access to the bank accounts?

Without further evidence, there are just too many suspects.

"Thank you, Lori," I murmur. "I'll find the damn truth, no matter what it takes."

“We’ll find out who is responsible. Lance and I have that covered. Your job is figuring out how you’ll handle this when it becomes public.”

I look at her with surprise. “You think it will?”

“Lance just assured us that the information will be public knowledge sooner or later. Your task will be disciplining the perpetrator. It’s easy to fire the guy if he’s a VP like Don. But what if Lance starts making noise?”

I raise a trembling hand to my heart. Lori is right, of course. The public will need a strong response from the acting CEO to ensure the survival of Gellar Industries.

When I don’t respond, Lori squeezes my arm comfortingly. Then she leaves me alone on the balcony with my thoughts. All I can think is that someone is playing a dangerous game.

And I won't let them sacrifice me or Gellar Industries as part of their endgame.