Chapter 12
The financial consequences spread quickly.
Vale Strategic Transport lost most of its major contracts.
Several lenders called loans.
The company entered restructuring before the criminal case was even resolved.
Employees who had nothing to do with Adrian’s fraud were suddenly at risk of losing jobs.
Cassian hated that.
He also refused to conceal fraud simply because exposure injured innocent employees.
Instead, Rinaldo Marine offered legitimate positions to some workers whose divisions were commercially useful and uninvolved in wrongdoing.
No requirement to remain loyal to Adrian.
No silence agreements.
No family favors.
Daniel called it expensive.
Cassian answered:
“They shouldn’t pay for invoices they never created.”
Adrian’s attorneys began negotiating.
The fraud records were strong.
The attempted abduction made everything worse.
His cooperation could reduce consequences.
It could not erase them.
Sabine faced her own charges.
Her role in the historic billing was smaller than Adrian’s.
Her role at the hangar was not.
Prosecutors had security footage.
Flight documents.
The forged travel consent.
Witnesses.
The unlisted child.
The suitcase.
There was very little ambiguity about the attempted removal.
Sabine’s attorney argued she had been under Adrian’s pressure for years.
Evidence partly supported that.
Adrian was older.
He controlled the original company.
He repeatedly asked Sabine to help conceal billing.
But Sabine was thirty-five.
Educated.
Financially independent by the time she met Cassian.
She had numerous opportunities to leave.
She made independent decisions.
Rebecca summarized it simply.
“Adrian explains the beginning.”
Cassian looked at her.
“He doesn’t explain the hangar.”
“No.”
That was the distinction Cassian carried forward.
Understanding motive did not require forgiving conduct.
Outside the legal case, the independent audit continued.
It uncovered several unrelated problems inside Rinaldo companies.
None as personal.
Some expensive.
Cassian allowed them to be corrected.
A few senior associates left when they realized the old rules had changed.
One confronted Cassian.
“Claire finds one bad vendor and suddenly everyone gets investigated?”
Cassian looked at him.
“No.”
“Then why?”
“Because if you’re afraid of someone checking the books, I want to know why.”
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The man resigned two days later.
Cassian accepted that too.
