The First Sign

OLIVIA'S POV

As I sat down in the corner of my office, the morning sunlight filtered through the tall windows, casting a soft glow over the polished desk. It was one of those rare mornings when everything felt calm, almost serene. For a brief moment, I allowed myself to enjoy the quiet, the kind that only arrived before the hustle and bustle of the day took over. Yet, as I began to review the financial report for the Chen project, the calmness started to evaporate.

The Chen project was one of the company’s more significant undertakings, a long-term construction deal involving hundreds of thousands of dollars funnelled into various suppliers, contracts, and resource allocation. I took pride in knowing every detail of each project I worked on, especially one as high-profile as this. It was one of the qualities that Dawson valued in me. My attention to detail was impeccable, and my instinct for spotting issues was nearly unmatched.

Yet, as I scanned the columns of numbers, a feeling tugged at me. I couldn't identify it precisely, but I had learned to pay attention to that sense.

“Okay, step by step,” I muttered as I pulled down my reading glasses from the top of my head and opened my notebook. I was used to pretty much everything on a large scale, but still, I knew this project’s finances almost intimately. A small cost here, a slight variance there- all that could be justified. But not this one. It was a slight discrepancy; something was amiss.

I ran a finger down the line items, tracing each expense in meticulous detail. I noticed a repeated entry for a payment to a subcontractor that I was certain had been paid off weeks ago. It was only a small sum in the grand scheme of things, a few thousand dollars, but it stuck out in my mind like a tiny thorn. Frowning, I flipped back through previous reports, trying to locate a similar transaction. There it was, paid in full last month. I double-checked the dates, confirmed the amounts, and I felt my stomach tighten.

“Could just be a clerical error,” I thought, trying to brush it off. But I knew better. Small errors in big projects often led to larger issues down the line. I jotted down a note to myself, highlighting the discrepancy.

As I continued to examine the report, I found two more similar instances, all with minor amounts but each repeated with an unexplainable gap in reasoning. My fingers tightened around my pen, my brows knitted in concentration. The fact that they were minor amounts made it easier to overlook,but I wasn’t in the habit of overlooking things. Not when they involved company funds.

“Strange,” I whispered. My gut feeling told me this wasn’t just a one-time glitch.

I straightened up and adjusted my chair, letting out a slow breath. I considered bringing it up with Dawson right away but hesitated. We've both been working tirelessly on the Chen project, and the last thing I wanted was to raise an alarm over something that could be nothing. I also didn’t want to jump to conclusions too quickly, not without more substantial evidence.

“Let’s keep digging,” I decided, opening a new spreadsheet on my computer. I entered each suspect transaction, noting down the dates, amounts, and the corresponding vendors. As the data accumulated, a pattern began to emerge,small, seemingly inconspicuous payments to suppliers that didn’t seem entirely necessary.

I leaned back in my chair, folding my arms as I contemplated what was on my desk. It was almost as if someone was deliberately padding the invoices, disguising the small discrepancies among larger, legitimate expenses. But who would go through all that trouble for a few thousand dollars here and there? Unless... They were testing the waters, seeing what they could get away with before moving on to larger amounts.

The thought unsettled me, yet it made sense. Embezzlement, if that’s what this was, often started small. It was the classic tactic,take a bit, see if anyone notices, then gradually increase the amount.

As my suspicion grew, so did my curiosity. I didn’t want to tell Dawson yet, but I needed some way to keep track of everything without tipping off anyone who might be watching. Closing my spreadsheet, I opened my email and began a draft addressed to myself, labelling it “Chen Project Notes.” In it, I listed each questionable transaction, my thoughts on the pattern, and my plan to monitor the finances more closely in the coming weeks.

The ringing of my office phone broke my concentration, and I answered it absently, still lost in thought.

“Olivia, this is Janet from accounting, Mr Wyatt's assistant,” came the familiar voice on the other end. “I wanted to confirm that you received the latest expense report for the Chen project. Is everything in order? Has Mr Pierce signed it?”

“Yes, I did, thank you, Janet,” I replied, her tone warm but distracted. “Just going through it now, actually. I’ll let you know if I need anything else.”

As she hung up, I wondered if I should dig into Mr Wyatt’s records next. The accountant was trustworthy, at least from my perspective, he was Dawson's half brother, but if something was amiss, I'd have to check every angle. After all, fraud could happen anywhere, even among people you thought you could trust.

I continued my review, my sense of unease growing with each passing minute. Every time I found another repeated expense, another seemingly unnecessary transaction, my suspicions deepened. This couldn’t just be sloppy bookkeeping. It was too consistent, too methodical.

“Vanessa,” I thought suddenly. My thoughts drifted to Vanessa,She was in charge of the project,Her responsibilities occasionally included handling payments and organising transactions. Vanessa’s attention on the project had often impressed everyone including me, but now I wondered if that attention might be a front for something more sinister.

“Am I really thinking this?” I asked myself, unsettled by my own suspicions. I didn’t want to believe that anyone in the office,especially Vanessa, who was supposed to be Mr Chen's trusted ally, could be involved in something underhanded. But then again, I couldn’t ignore the pattern I was seeing.

To clear my mind, I glanced out the window, taking in the view of the city skyline. This was my life now,a far cry from where I had started, and I wanted to protect it. I wasn’t just working for a company; I was building a future for myself and Lily. I couldn’t let anyone compromise that.

Finally, I saved my notes and closed my email, resolving to keep a close eye on the financial reports moving forward before handing it to Dawson for final approval. For now, I’d keep this information to myself, but if I found any more discrepancies, I'd bring it to Dawson.

Rising from my chair, I took a steadying breath. I wasn’t ready to sound the alarm yet, but the seed of suspicion had been planted. If this was the beginning of something larger, I would find out and when I do, I’d be ready.