Chapter 5 The Transfer
Joan barely had her coat off before Reiner confronted her in the penthouse entryway.
He didn't say a word. He simply held out his phone. On the screen was the crisp photograph Macey had taken outside the café: Joan, standing close to Graham Voss, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck in an intimate embrace.
"Care to explain this?" Reiner asked, his voice low and dangerous. "You told me you weren't talking to him. Yet here you are, hugging my biggest competitor in broad daylight."
Joan took a deep breath, refusing to shrink back. "Graham called me because his mother died last night, Reiner. I was comforting a friend. But more importantly, he reached out because someone is using my company login to steal from Loft International!"
Reiner gave a humorless laugh. "Stealing? Joan, stop making up wild stories to cover your tracks. Why would you go to my rival with company business instead of coming to your husband?"
"Because I did try to talk to you." Joan shouted, her voice ringing through the high ceilings. "I told you someone tampered with my safe. I told you my passwords were compromised. But every single time I speak up, you dismiss me and give my sisters even more access to our company."
Before Reiner could reply, his phone chimed with an urgent notification from corporate finance. As he read it, the color drained from his face.
"What is it?" Joan asked, a sick feeling rising in her stomach.
"A transfer was just authorized ten minutes ago," Reiner said, staring at the screen in disbelief.
"Five hundred thousand dollars was moved out of the Loft Haven launch fund through Bellamy Wellness Holdings and into Voss Hospitality Consulting.
The transfer came from your authenticated account and was approved with your executive security key, Joan.
On paper, the destination looks connected to Graham Voss. "
"No... no, that’s impossible!" Joan gasped. "I was sitting in a café. I wasn't even near a computer."
"The digital signature and hardware-key certification are yours," Reiner said, his gray eyes turning hard as ice. "The messages, the photograph, and now a massive payment routed through a company bearing Graham’s name... It’s all right here."
"Reiner, listen to me." Joan pleaded, reaching for his arm. "Annabelle has been digging into the marketing drives. She used the access you gave her to set me up!"
Reiner pulled his arm away. "Enough, Joan. As Chief Executive, I cannot ignore a half-million-dollar financial breach. Effective immediately, I am placing you on temporary administrative leave pending a full board review."
Joan froze, feeling as though the room was spinning out of control. "Administrative leave? Reiner, I am the co-founder of this company. I designed Loft Haven."
"You keep your shares and your seat on the board for now," Reiner said. "But your system access is revoked, and your daily authority is suspended until the investigation is complete. Hand over your keycard and company phone."
Joan stared at him as something inside her gave way. She pulled her keycard from her bag and set it on the marble table.
The next morning, Joan walked into Loft International headquarters to pack her personal belongings from her office.
The next morning, Joan entered Loft International’s creative suite to pack her office and stopped at the glass doors.
Sitting behind the grand, custom-built desk that Joan had hand-designed four years ago was Annabelle. She was dressed in a sharp business suit, typing away on Joan’s computer while reviewing the Loft Haven floor plans.
Reiner stood beside Annabelle, pointing to a schedule.
"Since Joan is on leave, Annabelle will serve as an unpaid launch adviser to keep the project on track.
Her expanded access covers scheduling, vendor documents, and operational launch files.
Financial approvals remain subject to normal controls," he told the staff, as though the arrangement were routine.
Joan stood in the doorway, feeling erased from the empire she had built with her own hands.
Annabelle looked up and met Joan’s gaze. She offered a sweet, innocent smile to the room, but as Reiner turned his back to grab a file, the expression shifted into a victorious smirk.
She leaned forward over Joan’s desk and spoke in a quiet whisper that only Joan could hear.
"Don't worry about the launch, Joan," Annabelle murmured. "Soon, Reiner won't even notice you were ever here."