The offices of Johnson & Associates were unnervingly quiet for a Monday. The usual pressure-cooker atmosphere had transitioned into a cold, clinical efficiency as the firm prepared for the final audit of the Infrastructure Reconstruction Fund—a massive project born from the recent shifts in the Sterling construction assets.
Catharine sat at her station, the white glow of three monitors reflecting in her eyes. On her screen was the master ledger Henderson had finalized the night before. Her eyes snagged on a figure that felt like a jagged piece of glass in a smooth pile of sand.
42 million marks.
It was listed as a 'pre-paid procurement expense' for northern steel imports. But Catharine remembered her conversation with Jake and the news from the morning: the northern trade routes had been officially frozen due to the new regulations. There was no way that payment had cleared, yet Henderson was logging it as a completed transaction to bolster the fund's liquid appearance.
