I studied Augustus's expression.
I'd known him since childhood. Long enough to recognize the rare cracks in that infuriatingly perfect composure.
He wasn't lying.
"So, do you have an evil twin?" I asked. "Secret habit of approving suspicious contracts in your sleep? An alter ego who moonlights in procurement fraud?"
Augustus ignored the joke, focusing on the digital authorization details.
"Executive approvals are processed through Ever Holdings' secure internal system. High-value transactions require an account with appropriate authorization privileges."
"Could someone have just typed your name into the approval field?"
"No. That's not how the system works."
"Wonderful. Sophisticated corporate fraud. Very premium. Very Ever Holdings."
He pulled out his phone.
"Evans," he said when someone answered.
"I need a confidential investigation into Hendrick Maritime's procurement approvals. Preserve the original records immediately. Access logs, approval histories, delegated authorizations."
A pause.
"Tonight."
He ended the call.
"Director of Internal Audit," he explained, typing an encrypted message.
Right.
Because Augustus Evans kept audit directors on speed dial for late-night fraud investigations.
"Walk me through the standard approval process," I said.
He glanced at me, almost surprised by the question.
"Procurement submits the request. Finance verifies costs. Compliance reviews flagged suppliers. High-value contracts require executive authorization."
"And compliance reviews can't just disappear?"
"Not without a documented exception."
"So your signature is basically a royal decree?"
"It's an authorization, Juliette."
"Same thing. Less attractive stationery."
His mouth twitched.
"The missing compliance reviews concern me more than Hendrick receiving new contracts," he said.
I straightened.
He was right.
Someone—or something—had bypassed the safeguards designed to catch exactly this kind of irregularity.
"What's your opinion?" Augustus asked.
I blinked.
Yesterday, I would have assumed he was testing me.
Tonight, I had the unsettling suspicion he genuinely wanted to know what I thought.
"I think someone found a way to approve contracts without proper compliance review. Hendrick received favorable terms despite cheaper alternatives and existing red flags because someone wanted them to."
Augustus nodded.
"Agreed."
Two syllables.
But coming from him, they felt like a standing ovation.
While Augustus reviewed the transaction references he'd sent Internal Audit, I examined the approval timestamps.
Three suspicious transactions had cleared within four days.
The dates looked familiar.
I'd seen them while organizing Augustus's meetings and reviewing his travel commitments.
I opened his executive calendar.
My pulse quickened.
"Augustus."
He looked up.
I turned the laptop toward him.
"You were attending an international business conference in Zurich when these approvals occurred."
His expression shifted as he examined the itinerary.
"I was in Switzerland during those dates."
I highlighted one transaction.
"This approval was recorded at 2:47 PM Zurich time, after conversion from the system timestamp. Your keynote was scheduled from 2:30 to 3:15."
Augustus leaned closer.
"Remote authorization is possible."
"Can you remotely authorize contracts while standing onstage delivering a speech?"
He fell silent.
"Unless you've developed the ability to exist in two places simultaneously, we have a problem."
"The timing needs verification," he said, already reaching for his phone.
He called Margaret again.
"We've found something. I need you on a secure video call."
Five minutes later, Margaret Shaw appeared onscreen, hair pulled into a professional bun, reading glasses perched on her nose.
"Mr. Evans. Miss Harper."
Augustus gestured toward the records.
"Three Hendrick approvals were processed while I was attending a conference in Zurich. At least one occurred during my scheduled keynote."
Margaret frowned.
"The authorization record exists within our production system. That doesn't establish you personally initiated it."
"Can you retrieve the authentication logs?"
"Information Security is preserving them now. We'll examine whether the approvals came from your account, a delegated user, or an administrative override."
"Limit access to a small investigation team."
Margaret nodded.
I noticed Augustus didn't mention Vanessa.
"Who identified the irregularities?" Margaret asked.
"Juliette Harper."
Margaret's eyebrows rose.
"She noticed the missing compliance sign-offs and unusual approval timelines," Augustus added.
I stared at him.
Augustus Evans had just credited me in front of a senior executive.
Voluntarily.
I should probably frame the occasion.
Margaret consulted another screen.
"Information Security has confirmed the missing compliance sign-offs. We're reviewing preliminary authentication data."
"So no dramatic detective moment involving powdered fingerprints and a magnifying glass?" I asked.
"You watch too many crime dramas," Augustus said.
"I watch the correct amount, thank you."
Margaret adjusted her glasses.
"Digital records leave fingerprints of their own. Account identifiers, session records, authentication events. But they don't necessarily tell us who was operating the account."
"Meaning someone could have used Augustus's credentials?" I asked.
"Potentially. We haven't established how the authentication occurred."
Her screen refreshed.
She stopped speaking.
Augustus noticed immediately.
"What did you find?"
Margaret studied the report.
"The preliminary logs confirm that your executive account was used. But Information Security has identified something else."
I leaned forward.
"The authentication session originated from a company-managed workstation. They've matched its device identifier to our internal asset registry."
"Where?" Augustus asked.
"Ever Tower."
I frowned.
"But Augustus was in Zurich."
"Precisely."
Margaret checked the report again.
"The workstation is registered to the seventieth floor."
I looked at Augustus.
The seventieth floor.
Our floor.
The same floor where Vanessa worked. Where I sat outside Augustus's office. Where senior executives came and went every day.
Augustus's expression turned unreadable.
"Does that establish who used it?" he asked.
"Not yet. A registered device doesn't prove who was physically operating it. We'll need to examine access records."
"Do it."
Margaret nodded.
"I'll update you when we have verified findings."
The call ended.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Rain hammered against the windows.
I glanced toward the closed office door.
Suddenly, the empty executive floor felt considerably less empty.
"So," I said slowly, "someone may have used your credentials from our own office while you were overseas."
"That's what we're investigating."
"And we have absolutely no idea who."
"Not yet."
I folded my arms, the oversized sleeves of his borrowed shirt slipping over my hands.
Great.
I was investigating corporate fraud at ten o'clock at night, wearing my boss's clothes, while a potential suspect might have access to our floor.
My professional reputation was thriving.
Augustus closed the procurement file.
"Juliette."
"Yes?"
"Until we know more, don't discuss this with anyone."
"Understood."
He studied me for a moment.
"Good work tonight."
I blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Was Augustus Evans actually complimenting me?
Before I could formulate a suitably sarcastic response, he reached for his jacket.
"Come on. I'm taking you home."
And just like that, the terrifying CEO was back.
Except this time, I wasn't entirely sure I minded.