Chapter 102
Chapter 102
The entire city of Denver was hot with the latest update from the inquirer. Like Rashel had suggested, Ryan uploaded the new evidence she presented to him, and it set the city on fire. There were people who didn’t believe she was innocent, of course. They left comments and posts saying that the new evidence presented was forged.
There were others who believed she was innocent, but the opinions of the two parties clashed viciously. There were online battles and even hashtags, ‘Team Sceptre’ and ‘Team Fortis,’ and it was a big deal in the city.
It wasn’t exactly what Rashel hoped would happen, but it was sufficient that there were people who believed strongly that she was innocent. The council hearing was in a few hours, and all the fear Rashel had been feeling after the last meeting had totally disappeared. If anything, she was confident that the judgement at the hearing would not be too vicious.
“Hey. You ready?” Jethro’s voice broke into her thoughts.
“Yeah. I was waiting for you.”
“You seem…calm. I love that.”
“Well, we shouldn’t worry about the things we can’t control, right?” Rashel laughed softly.
“Things we can’t control, eh? I know what you did, Rashel. You found the inquirer and set this entire thing in motion.” Jethro’s tone was serious, but his eyes twinkled with mischief. Even though he didn’t say it, he was grateful for what she had done.
“Guilty,” Rashel said with a slow smile.
Pride filled Jethro’s heart as he watched her. At the start of this saga, he feared that she had finally reached her breaking point, but it seemed Rashel had been reborn. It seemed to him that this hurdle only refined her. This was proof that Rashel had finally learned to do battle without weapons and combat, just wits. He held the door open as she climbed into the SUV.
They decided it was best to be inconspicuous this time in order not to attract any unwanted attention. They took just the one car with two guards to the venue, but there was a security van with a ready team on standby, just in case.
They arrived twenty minutes early, meaning that they would have enough time to relax before the members of the high seating arrived. Barrister Michael was already waiting at their designated corner of the room when they arrived; when he sighted them, he stood and flashed a bright smile as he waved at them.
Jethro took Rashel’s hand and led the way as he led her to where their lawyer stood waiting for them. As they walked through the aisles, the allowed observers shot them glances, but Jethro didn’t stop to exchange pleasantries with anyone, mostly because he knew it made Rashel uneasy. He needed her in the best frame of mind, so he didn’t give room for anything to set her on edge before their hearing.
“Good morning, Alpha, Miss Rashel.” Barrister Michael greeted them when they finally made it to where he stood waiting.
“Hello, Michael.” Jethro held out a hand, offering him a firm handshake.
“It’s nice to see you, Michael.” Rashel returned his bright smile as she shook his hand.
“The session will begin in five. Do you want to go over the details one more time, or are we good?”
Jethro looked over at Rashel and saw her shake her head.
“We’re good.”
“If the social media hashtags and statistics are anything to go by, then we’ll most likely nail this thing. Also, that was a good job; whoever is responsible for all of that made sure there was no drama or dirt. Nice.”
Just then, the chairperson of the high seating, Dr. Bridgette, appeared at the high table, followed by the other members of the high seating. Everyone present went silent and stood to their feet in acknowledgment, and only took their seats after the members of the high seating were seated.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank you for appearing before this council at our request. This is a private session and, as such, will not follow the regular order of things. I will need you to have this in mind should you take note of any inconsistencies. Any questions?” Bridgette paused and observed the small crowd.
“In the absence of questions, we shall now commence the session. I’ll invite Alpha Jethro to take the stand.” She said and struck the gavel before taking her seat.
“Hey, break a leg,” Rashel whispered just before Jethro stood to take the stand.
Jethro didn’t rush to the stand; instead, he walked to it like he was going to accept an award instead of the questioning he was about to receive. When he took place on the stand, the clerk handed him the constitution, which he swore by to tell the truth.
“Your first question, Alpha Jethro. Is it true that there were fraud allegations leveled against Miss Rashel shortly after she joined your company?”
“Yes.”
“And this was brought to your notice by a longtime staff member of your company; is that correct?”
“That is correct.”
“Would you like to tell this council what you did when this was brought to your notice?”
“I ordered investigations to be carried out, just like I would for any report brought to my table.”
“And you thought it wise that the accused person should oversee these investigations?”
“I trust my staff to do the right thing. I entrusted the job to the entire department, not just one person; surely they wouldn’t let their jobs be compromised.”
Dr. Bridgette was silent for a moment before she spoke again.
“And what were your findings?”
“Rashel was found innocent, and the culprit was taken care of.”
“How do we confirm the legitimacy of this information?”
“You’re welcome to interview the staff of the security and intelligence department.”
“Thank you for your honesty, Alpha Jethro. You may exit the stand now.” Bridgette said as she watched Jethro return to his seat.
“You did so well,” Rashel whispered when Jethro returned to his seat.
“Thank you, baby. Thank you. You’re up next.”
“Yeah.” She smiled. Just then, she heard Bridgette summon her to the stand.
“Miss Rashel, it’s your turn to take the stand.”
Rashel took the stand and swore by the constitution handed to her as well. Before Dr. Bridgette began to question her.
“We understand that shortly after your employment at Scepter Technologies, there were fraud allegations leveled against you. Is this true?”
“That is true.”
“Would you tell this honorable seating how this played out and what happened afterward?” Rashel knew that this was a way to know if her story would change or if it would tally with Jethro’s. Basically, they were looking for the smallest slip-ups or inconsistencies in her story. She didn’t blame them, though; it was their job.
“Definitely. A few weeks after I assumed office as the head of security and intelligence, allegations were made by Miss Veronica and another member of the board, Dorian. Stating that I had embezzled company funds, diverting them to secret accounts. My digital signature was used to access the company’s portal and accounts. Now, I knew I was innocent, but I had to prove it.” She paused to observe the high seating before she went on.
“So, as the head of security and intelligence, I had the responsibility of investigating and providing proof, and most importantly, finding the actual culprit. I enlisted the help of the most trusted accountants and security team members, all current staff of Scepter Technologies. This is also verifiable. We tried to trace the routes through which these funds were dispersed, because it was found that they were spread into different accounts to avoid being traced.” She paused again and looked at her lawyer, who gave a single nod in encouragement.
“As you’re aware, I am a software engineer and a master in cybersecurity and intelligence. I also have a degree in web development and ethical hacking. I will provide you with the names of the institutions, and you may verify this if you wish. So, we discovered later that the actual signature used in accessing the portal actually belonged to Miss Veronica. Not only that, but she was working with external help. Unfortunately, her accomplices could not be traced, and she refused to give up their names. Sceptre Technologies did not report this to the council because we felt that she needed another chance. And this was something we could handle internally.” When Rashel stopped speaking, the hall was silent for a heartbeat before Dr. Bridgette spoke.
“Thank you for your honesty, Miss Rashel. The council has no further questions; you may now return to your seat.” Dr. Bridgette waited till Rashel had settled in her seat before speaking again.
“The session will go on a twenty-minute recess and return for the final judgment.” She struck the gavel, and everyone stood quietly until the high seating had disappeared through the back door before they began to speak.