Chapter 16 - The Audit of the Century
The financial district of Chicago was waking up to a brisk autumn morning, but inside the executive boardrooms of the Obsidian Corporation, an entirely different kind of storm was brewing.
Maya Vance sat at the head of the obsidian conference table, her fingers moving across the keyboard of her encrypted terminal with the cool, rhythmic precision of a concert pianist. Spread out before her were sixteen digital monitors displaying real-time cash flows, international wire transfers, asset depreciation schedules, and corporate tax filings across three continents.
Beside her, Dominic stood with his hands resting on the back of her leather chair, watching the incoming data streams with a silent, hawk-like intensity.
“The European banking cartel is trying to reroute forty million euros through a Cayman Islands shell subsidiary,” Maya noted casually, not looking up from her screen. “They’re hoping we won’t notice the currency conversion fee discrepancy buried in line item 404 of the quarterly logistics report.”
Dominic’s jaw tightened, a dark shadow passing over his eyes. “Do they want to test whether my enforcement division still knows how to pay a visit, or should we handle this through legal channels?”
“Let’s handle it through the most devastating weapon in the modern world, Dominic,” Maya said, a sharp, brilliant smile touching her lips as she hit a single keystroke. “An automated IRS compliance audit coupled with a complete corporate asset freeze. They’ll be too busy explaining their offshore tax loopholes to federal investigators to even remember my name by noon.”
May you like
Dominic let out a low, approving rumble, leaning down to press a light kiss against the crown of her head. “You are terrifying, Miss Vance.”
“I’m just good at my job,” she retorted, pulling up the final balance sheet. “And right now, the books are spotless.”
