Instead, they placed restrictions where their procedures permitted, reviewed the signatures, and asked for supporting documentation.

That slowness was frustrating.

It was also real.

For once, I preferred a slow process I understood to a fast one that happened without me.

Joanna emailed me her company’s true billing ledger.

It confirmed that some Harbor Vale expenses were legitimate, but several payments had been redirected using an administrator account tied to Colton’s email.

She offered to cooperate fully with an independent review.

The more I learned, the clearer a pattern became.