CHAPTER NINETY-ONE - Mason’s Last Stand

Claire sat at her desk in her temporary home office, staring at the computer screen with bleary eyes. She had been poring over financial records and news articles for hours, trying to piece together the connection between Veronica and Universe X's competitors. The anonymous tip had been right – there was definitely something fishy going on. She leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples. The evidence was circumstantial, but it was piling up. Veronica had been spotted having lunch with the CEO of TechNova, Universe X's biggest rival, on three separate occasions in the past month. There were also some suspicious transfers of funds that Claire couldn't quite trace, but they seemed to lead back to shell companies associated with TechNova. Her phone buzzed, Mason's name flashing on the screen. Claire hesitated before answering. "Hello?" "Claire, hey," Mason's voice sounded tired. "How are you holding up?" She sighed. "I'm... managing. Mason, I need to talk to you about something imp