“Then we investigate whatever we can from the photos.”
She walked to the whiteboard and rewrote the timeline.
Vivian Vance objected.
Vivian Vance passed away.
Materials were classified as “Legacy.”
Ledger B-17 logged the transfer.
Routed to Apex testing team.
Langford Medical profited.
Quentin Whitaker received payment.
Warren Stafford fled overseas.
Sean Stafford acted as domestic proxy.
She finished the last word, the tip of her marker resting against the board.
The timeline was brutal.
But at least it was no longer shrouded in fog.
Phoebe looked at the whiteboard, her voice dropping. “Wren, your mother must have been so incredibly isolated back then.”
Wren gently closed her eyes.
She remembered Florence saying that Vivian had once asked: if a file that shouldn't be taken is removed, does the person who logged it bear responsibility?
That hadn't been a casual question.
She was leaving evidence behind for after her death.
She must have sensed the danger, the undercurrents between the project team, Quentin, and The Board Office. She submitted her objections, turned in the supplementary ethical reviews, and made sure every handover was recorded in the ledger.
But she never got to see anyone finish the fight for her.
Wren opened her eyes.
“Which is why I have to see this investigation through to the end.”
The words were spoken softly.
But no one in the conference room took them lightly.
At half-past eleven that night, Lawrence called.
Wren glanced at the screen and didn't answer.
A few seconds later, he sent a text.
I saw the photo index Mr. Lawson shared. The dates are after Vivian's passing.
Wren replied: Yes.
Lawrence: Langford Medical will cooperate in investigating the chain of custody.
Wren stared at the text. A moment later, she typed her reply.
I don't just want cooperation. I need Langford Medical to confirm one thing: after Vivian Vance passed away, did the company continue to use the materials or findings she explicitly objected to?

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