Chapter 13 - THE FALL OF BENNETT CYBER DEFENSE
By evening, Lisa’s name was everywhere.
News channels displayed her photograph beside headlines about military corruption.
Anonymous sources claimed Bennett Cyber Defense had helped move millions through foreign accounts.
Clients suspended contracts.
Government agencies froze payments.
The company’s board scheduled an emergency meeting.
Lisa watched it happen from Fort Halden.
Rebecca had weaponized the truth by mixing it with lies.
The authentic Sentinel release gave the fabricated Lisa files credibility.
Noah called from headquarters.
“We’re losing clients by the hour.”
“Let them go.”
“Lisa.”
“Protect the servers.”
“Preserve every log.”
“Do not delete anything.”
Noah understood.
“If we fight by hiding, we look guilty.”
“Exactly.”
At nine that night Lisa joined the board meeting by secure video.
Twelve directors appeared.
Claire’s chair was empty.
The chairman, Harold Winslow, spoke first.
“Lisa, pending investigation, we believe you should temporarily step aside as CEO.”
She had expected it.
“What evidence are you relying on?”
“The federal release.”
“Which contains manipulated records.”
“We don’t know that.”
“I do.”
Winslow sighed.
“This is about protecting the company.”
Lisa looked at each director.
Then she noticed something.
Three members were not surprised.
They were prepared.
Lisa opened a second screen.
“Before you vote, Noah is sending everyone an ownership disclosure.”
Winslow stiffened.
“What disclosure?”
“For the investment fund that purchased twelve percent of Bennett Cyber Defense last year.”
A document appeared.
The fund traced through five entities.
The final beneficiary was Sentinel Foundation Holdings.
Three directors had secretly accepted compensation from the network.
The meeting erupted.
Winslow disconnected.
Two others followed.
Lisa remained calm.
“Meeting adjourned.”
Ten minutes later federal agents arrived at Winslow’s home.
Lisa had not saved her company.
Not yet.
But she had found the infection.
Daniel approached her.
“You planned that?”
“I suspected it.”
“When?”
“The second Claire tried to seize my company.”
Claire stood several feet away.
“That wasn’t my plan.”
Lisa turned.
Claire looked exhausted.
“The board takeover was Rebecca’s.”
“I pretended to cooperate so I could see which directors were compromised.”
“You could have told me.”
“I couldn’t risk it.”
Lisa laughed bitterly.
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
Claire looked away.
Lisa continued.
“My mother couldn’t tell me.”
“My father couldn’t tell me.”
“My brother couldn’t tell me.”
“My husband couldn’t tell me.”
“My best friend couldn’t tell me.”
“Apparently secrecy is how everyone protects Lisa.”
Claire had no defense.
Before midnight Captain Cole received new intelligence.
Rebecca’s escape vehicle had been found abandoned near a private airfield.
Marcus’s blood was inside.
No body.
No Rebecca.
A charter aircraft had departed thirty minutes earlier using forged diplomatic clearance.
Destination unknown.
Ryan insisted Rebecca was leaving the country.
Daniel disagreed.
“She’s too angry.”
Lisa knew Daniel was right.
Rebecca did not run when she was losing.
She retaliated.
Lisa checked the Orion logs again.
One authentication request had been made after the Fort Halden escape.
It originated from New York.
Specifically from a Sentinel-owned building near Wall Street.
Lisa enlarged the address.
She knew it.
Her company had rented three floors there when Bennett Cyber Defense was founded.
The original office.
The place where Lisa had built Orion’s first prototype.
Then another message arrived.
A live video.
Marcus sat tied to a chair.
Rebecca stood behind him.
She looked directly into the camera.
“You wanted accountability.”
“Come see what it costs.”
The camera moved.
A second chair appeared.
Ryan’s mother, Evelyn, sat bound beside Marcus.
Then a third person was dragged into frame.
James Bennett.
Lisa’s father.
Captain Cole cursed.
James’s safe house had been breached.
May you like
Rebecca now had everyone who helped create the lie.
And she was waiting in the place where Lisa built the truth.
