“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Her answer came too quickly, but fear can make honesty sound defensive.
Priya leaned forward.
“Elena, before we go further, I need you to understand that the situation may involve more than Adrian’s private life.”
My stomach tightened.
“How much more?”
“Three months ago, our internal audit flagged a series of payments made through a vendor called Northline Advisory. The invoices were approved directly by Adrian.”
“What services did they provide?”
“That’s the problem. The descriptions were vague. Strategic outreach, market development, executive liaison work. No deliverables were attached.”
“And Claire Bennett owns Northline?”
“According to the filings, yes.”
I looked toward the closed door.
“So my husband has been paying this woman through his company.”
“We don’t know the full context.”
“But you suspected something.”
“I asked Adrian for documentation. He told me the work involved a confidential acquisition.”
“Was that true?”
