FAULTS
By the end of the week, Maya understood something clearly, Venn Holdings did not forgive disruption.
It watched. Then, decides whether to crush …or use it. And right now, she was the disruption.
What was she supposed to do to please them,harm herself ? or turn down her boss's offer? she was drowning in her thoughts and struggled to push them away. .
She knew for sure, she was working for just one person, Her boss. And sinking to pleasing others and to prevent further harm wasn't an option for her.
That morning, she arrived before 8 a.m. The executive floor was still quiet, which she appreciated.
She opened the financial files again and reviewed each line and each month.
The discrepancy from the third quarter that she had identified was still bothering her. As she examined the data further, she noticed more.
The vendor names and the patterns were the same. "What's going on?" she thought aloud. She spotted small redirections that didn't appear to be theft, but they were. They looked like rounding errors, so she followed them closely.
The financial plan for logistics were not well directed, yet consultancy fees were approved and documents signed.
Then she saw it. "The Venn Acquisitions." It was an operational budget plan for Venn logistics department, registered six years ago under Madeline Venn.
Maya leaned back slowly. Hmm... What is this? It wasn't random; it was well planned. Her stomach tightened.
Without wasting time, she stood and knocked on Alexander's door.
"Come in."
He looked up immediately. His eyes shifted from her face to the file in her hand.
"What is it?"
She stepped inside.
"Sir, I think the discrepancy we noticed wasn't just vendor inconsistency," she said, trying to keep her voice calm. "It's planned. I reviewed it, and there's more than we figured."
"Show me."
She walked around his desk and pointed. He didn't interrupt as he quickly calculated in his head. Then he asked
"Who approved the oversight?"
She hesitated.
"Madeline was in charge as the chair of the committee six years ago when the Venn Strategic Acquisitions project was registered."
There was a brief silence.
Alexander exhaled slowly and moved back behind his desk.
"I suspected manipulation," he said quietly. "I didn't expect it to be this consistent."
"Do you want me to stop?" she asked.
His eyes lifted sharply. "No."
He paused. "But you don't dig into this alone anymore."
His tone was firm yet protective.
She nodded.
"Okay."
By mid-afternoon, tension had begun to spread. Alexander had informed Mark to reopen the internal audit.
Daniel walked in without knocking.
"I hear the internal audit has been reopened," he said casually.
Alexander didn't look up. "Yes."
Daniel's gaze shifted briefly to Maya. "Bold move... uh."
"It's necessary," Alexander responded.
Daniel offered a small smile.
"Be careful, brother. Why would you even think of doing that?" He spoke as if concerned, but Alexander wasn't fooled. "Audits reveal things. Sometimes things you'd rather not see."
Alexander finally looked at him. "That's the point."
Daniel held his stare a moment too long, then shrugged and walked out.
The building slowly emptied that evening. By 8:30 p.m., the executive floor was nearly silent.
Maya finished reviewing one more document and stood to stretch, her back aching.
Alexander stepped out of his office.
"You don't have to prove yourself every day," he said.
"I'm not proving myself," she replied. "I'm learning."
He studied her for a second.
Then he nodded. "Go home."
"What about you, sir?"
"I'll stay. I have some files to work on."
She didn't argue. "Okay, goodnight, sir."
She grabbed her bag and left.
Alexander returned to his office, and the quiet became louder.
He should have focused on the audit files. Instead, he stared blankly.
His phone buzzed with a message from his father. He'd likely heard about the reopening of the audit files from Madeline.
Alexander ignored it.
He had felt frustrated all week. His father must have some idea about Madeline's fraudulent financial influence, but he chose to remain silent. Daniel's overly calm demeanor was annoying. The board acted as if everything was stable.
He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Unexpectedly, he remembered Maya from earlier that morning.
The way she leaned over the desk, explaining numbers without arrogance. The way she wasn't impressed by power, just focused on her tasks.
He wasn't used to thinking about someone during work hours. He wasn't used to noticing small details.
The crease in her brow when she concentrated, the way she double-checked everything.
He exhaled sharply and ran a hand through his hair.
This was distraction. He didn't need distraction, especially not now.
Still… the memory lingered.
He stood abruptly and grabbed his jacket. Enough for tonight.
Across town, Maya entered her apartment, exhausted.
Her mother was in the kitchen preparing dinner. "You're late again," she said gently.
"Work."
Her mother studied her face. "How was work today, Maya?"
Maya nodded. "It went well, I guess."
She shared with her mom everything that happened at work, including her promotion.
"My smart girl," her mom said. "Just be careful, Maya. Working with the higher-ups can be risky."
After dinner, she sat on her bed with her phone in hand, many thoughts racing through her mind. Her new job, her boss, the financial inconsistencies.
Then, she remembered her part-time jobs: the café, the delivery service. She realized she hadn't informed them about her new job.
Her thumb hovered over her manager's contact at the café.
She typed a message.
"Hi ma'am, I hope you're doing well. I wanted to let you know that I've accepted a full-time role at my workplace, and I'll be resigning . Thank you so much for everything."
She stared at it, deleted it, then rewrote it. She sent the message to both job managers.
Her heart raced immediately. She dropped her phone on the bed and covered her face.
This was real now. No more double shifts.
Minutes later, her phone buzzed with replies from the managers. Both responses were polite and supportive, wishing her well.
She hadn't expected that. She smiled quietly to herself.
Back at the office parking garage, Alexander drove out slowly.
The city lights reflected on his windshield. No rain tonight, but clouds were gathering again in the distance.
He loosened his tie slightly as he drove. His thoughts returned to the audit, and then to Madeline.
Then, unexpectedly, to Maya saying, "I'm learning."
There was no fear in her voice, just determination.
He didn't realize until now that he respected that.
He reached his penthouse later than usual. It felt quieter.
He poured himself a drink but didn't touch it. Instead, he stood by the window, looking out at the city below.
He thought about family dinners that felt like negotiations, his father who avoided confrontation, and his stepmother who planned moves years in advance.
For the first time in a long time, he felt tired—emotionally, not physically.
Strangely, amid that frustration, the thought of Maya steadied him.
He finished the drink in one gulp and set the glass down.
Tomorrow wouldn't be quiet.
Fault lines were widening, slowly and carefully.