## Chapter 2
The tablet showed a live transfer attempt.
Not from Angela’s account.
From an internal Meridian reserve account worth **eighty million dollars**.
The destination was hidden behind layers of offshore routing.
Angela’s breath slowed.
Her eyes sharpened.
“Who authorized this?”
The analyst swallowed.
“It appears to be routed through this branch.”
Jessica whispered, “That’s impossible.”
Angela looked at her.
“Is it?”
Corporate security moved fast.
Every terminal flashed red.
Employees stared at frozen screens as if the computers had betrayed them.
Mark stepped back again.
Beth began crying quietly.
Jessica grabbed the counter.
“This is some kind of mistake.”
Angela’s voice stayed low.
“Mistakes do not schedule themselves for 9:29.”
The regional VP leaned over the tablet.
His face turned grim.
“Ma’am, the credentials used belong to Jessica Keller.”
Jessica’s knees nearly buckled.
“No. No, someone stole them.”
Angela studied her.
For the first time, Jessica looked less arrogant than terrified.
Not guilty.
Terrified.
That distinction mattered.
Angela had built her career by reading people under pressure.
“Bring up the access logs,” she ordered.
The analyst tapped furiously.
Names appeared.
Times.
Passwords.
Override codes.
Then one entry froze everyone.
Executive override: A. Freeman.
Angela’s own name glowed on the screen.
The lobby seemed to tilt.
The board member stared at her.
Jessica saw it too.
Her fear changed into desperate hope.
“See?” she cried.
“It wasn’t me. It was her.”
Every eye swung back to Angela.
The woman they had laughed at.
The woman they had just discovered was CEO.
Now her own name was tied to the theft.
Angela handed the tablet back slowly.
“No one moves.”
Her voice was quiet.
But every security guard straightened.
“Seal the branch.”
The doors locked.
Customers gasped.
Jessica pointed at Angela with a shaking hand.
“You came here to frame me.”
Angela looked at her.
“No, Jessica.”
Then her gaze moved to the ceiling cameras.
“Someone knew I was coming.”
