Elara Quinn POV
The email hit Elara's inbox at 8:03 a.m.
She opened it while standing in the hallway, coffee still too hot in her hands.
Her smile faded.
Emergency Board Meeting. Mandatory attendance.
Her stomach dropped.
She read the message again, slower this time. Her name was listed. So was Marcus's. So was Carol's.
No reason was given.
Elara walked faster, heart pounding, her steps echoing down the hall. People whispered as she passed. She felt it. The shift. The quiet tension that had not been there yesterday.
Inside the meeting room, the board sat stiff and serious.
Carol Winters stood near the window, her face pale.
"Elara," Carol said. "Please sit."
Elara did.
Her coffee went untouched.
Carol cleared her throat. "We received an anonymous tip early this morning."
Elara's breath caught.
The words anonymous tip rang loud in her head.
"It claims there are irregularities in the charity accounts," Carol continued.
The room seemed to tilt.
"That can't be right," Elara said before she could stop herself.
Carol raised a hand gently. "We are not making accusations. Not yet."
Elara's chest burned. "Then why am I here?"
"Because your access is connected," a board member said. "We have to be careful."
Elara looked around the room. Faces avoided her eyes.
"I reported concerns myself," Elara said. "Days ago."
Murmurs rippled.
"You did?" Carol asked, surprised.
"Yes," Elara replied. "I was told it would be handled."
She felt eyes turn toward Marcus.
Marcus sat calm, hands folded.
"That's correct," he said. "Elara brought a small concern to me. I reviewed it. Nothing alarming."
Elara stared at him.
"Then why the tip?" she asked.
Marcus shrugged. "Sometimes people misunderstand numbers. Or have personal reasons."
The word personal landed like a slap.
Carol exhaled slowly. "The board has decided to call an emergency audit."
Elara's heart raced. "An audit is fine," she said. "I have nothing to hide."
"That's good," a board member replied. "This is about protecting the charity."
Elara nodded. "Of course."
Still, fear crept in. Not because she had done something wrong, but because she had seen how quickly truth could be twisted.
Carol looked at Marcus. "We will need someone to coordinate the audit."
Before Elara could speak, Marcus stood.
"I'll do it," he said smoothly.
The room went still.
Elara's head snapped up. "What?"
Marcus smiled. "I know the systems. The donors. The timelines. It makes sense."
Carol hesitated. "Shouldn't we bring in an outside party?"
Marcus shook his head. "That will slow things down. And raise unnecessary concern."
Elara's hands curled into fists.
"I should be involved," she said. "This is my work."
Marcus turned to her. His eyes were calm. Too calm.
"Of course," he said. "You'll cooperate fully."
The word cooperate made her skin prickle.
The board exchanged looks.
"All right," Carol said at last. "Marcus will coordinate. We begin today."
The meeting ended quickly after that.
Too quickly.
People filed out without meeting Elara's eyes.
She sat frozen, heart hammering.
Marcus approached her.
"This will blow over," he said quietly. "Trust me."
Elara stood. "I trusted you before."
His smile did not falter. "And you were right to."
She did not answer.
As she walked out, her phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
You should not have stayed quiet.
Her breath hitched.
She typed back with shaking fingers.
Who is this?
No reply.
The hallway felt longer than usual. Colder.
At her desk, Elara opened the donation records again. She checked everything. Twice. Three times.
Clean.
Her phone buzzed again.
A message from Vanessa.
Board drama already trending. Don't worry. I'll protect your image.
Elara closed her eyes.
"I don't need an image," she whispered. "I need the truth."
Across the building, Marcus closed his office door and locked it.
He opened his laptop and smiled.
"Perfect timing," he murmured.
He pulled up files. Logs. Reports.
Outside, Christmas lights flickered on as the sun dipped low.
Inside, the audit began.
And the person leading it was the one who had the most to hide.