“No.”
I picked up the phone.
My finger hovered above the voicemail icon.
Liam moved his chair closer.
I pressed play.
For three seconds, there was only background noise.
Then a woman’s voice.
Tired.
Breathing quickly.
“Maya, it’s Claire.”
I stopped breathing.
Liam sat forward.
The message continued.
“I don’t know what Halden has told you, but you need to hear this from me. I didn’t resign.”
A pause.
“I was removed from your audit.”
My hand tightened around the phone.
Claire’s voice became quieter.
“Three weeks ago, I found a document in the Apex records that wasn’t part of the files you sent me. Someone had inserted it into the archive.”
She took a breath.
“I thought it was a mistake. Then I saw the signatures.”
Liam looked at me.
I could not move.
Claire continued.
“Maya, the Northline payments aren’t the thing you should be worried about.”
