Chapter 21

Freya said, her gaze sharpening as she deliberately slowed her pace. She flipped through the financial statements from the first page to the last with a feigned meticulousness. Across from her, Galen was visibly freaked out under the pressure, his legs trembling so badly that he could barely stand upright. Embezzling millions of dollars from the company meant potentially spending the rest of his life behind bars!

Suddenly, Freya slammed the financial reports onto the desk. Galen almost dropped to his knees from the sudden movement, but then he heard Freya frown and complain, “What is all this? Just a bunch of numbers; who can even make sense of this mess?”

Galen was stunned and thought, ‘Freya can’t understand the report?’ Beside her, Alison’s expression soured with disappointment in her eyes. Mr. Gavin Dawson’s daughter couldn’t decipher a financial statement, huh?

Galen wiped his sweat, stepping forward with a forced smile. “Ms. Dawson, I’ve said it before. I can tell you if you want to know about the company’s affairs. It would save you the hassle of going through all this paperwork.”

“That’s true, but these documents still need to be signed,” Freya said, turning to Alison. “Alison, could you help me pick which ones need my signature and which don’t? I do want to learn how to manage the company.”

“Of course, Ms. Dawson,” Alison replied, her voice heavy, clearly disappointed in Freya.

Seeing Galen lingering, Freya said, “Galen, what are you still doing here? Your presence isn’t needed.”

Relieved that Freya seemed clueless about the company’s inner workings, Galen felt a weight lift off his shoulders. “Okay then, Ms. Dawson, I’ll leave you to it. I’ll be off.”

“Fine.” Freya seemed unbothered by the minor details of the company, letting Galen leave with a sense of relief. On his way out, Galen shot Alison a warning look, cautioning her against disclosing any company matters.

Once the office door closed, Alison moved closer to Freya, asking, “Ms. Dawson, if there’s anything you don’t understand, please feel free to ask me.”

Freya asked, “You’re disappointed in me, aren’t you?”

Alison shook her head. “Not at all.”

Freya smiled. “You took a big risk today handing me the financial statement before that old fox, Galen. Aren’t you worried about the consequences?”

Alison paused, shocked. “Ms. Dawson…”

Freya spoke lightly, “I know about Galen and Johanna embezzling company funds. It’s all here in the report, clear as day. It’s millions of dollars.”

Millions. Freya hadn’t expected Johanna and Galen to be bold enough to siphon off this significant amount of the company’s assets. But this, in a way, made things easier for her. With the amount they stole, Johanna and Galen would spend the rest of their lives in prison.

“Ms. Dawson, you knew everything? Then why you…”

“Johanna has had control of the company for a while and is quite the charmer with the board and shareholders. As a newcomer, without offering any incentives to those board members, I’m hardly in their good graces. If I acted rashly against Galen and Johanna, and they rallied the shareholders against me, where would that leave me?”

Chapter 22