Chapter 77: The Anonymous Account

While Louis quietly investigated Freya's impossible transformation, Derek focused on a mystery with more conventional evidence: the anonymous high-clearance account inside Stone Holdings.

The old system backups were incomplete, but one archived authentication server still contained fragments of login data. Derek hired a cybersecurity specialist who had previously worked for Stone Holdings and could legally examine the copies Louis retained.

The anonymous account had been used repeatedly during the year before the collapse.

Most logins occurred late at night or early in the morning.

"Could someone have stolen the credentials?" Louis asked.

"Possible," the specialist said. "But whoever used them also passed secondary authentication several times."

That narrowed the possibilities.

Derek compared access times with executive travel schedules. Several people were eliminated because they had been overseas or publicly occupied during key logins.

Victor remained possible for some sessions but impossible for others.

Then they found one unusual pattern.

Whenever the anonymous account accessed major strategy files, an administrative terminal on the executive floor had been active within minutes.

The terminal belonged to the chairman's office.

Louis stared at the report.

After his grandfather Charles died, the chairman's office had been used by Louis himself and a small administrative team until Stone Holdings reorganized.

"Who had physical access?" Derek asked.

"Too many people during business hours. Very few at night."

Security records from that period had mostly been erased during liquidation, but Derek found archived parking logs.

One vehicle appeared repeatedly on the same nights.

It belonged to Eleanor Price.

Freya didn't recognize the name when Louis mentioned it later.

"Who is she?"

"My grandfather's former chief of staff."

Eleanor had served Charles Stone for nearly twenty years. After his death, she remained with the family office and helped Louis manage inherited investments. She retired shortly before the conflict with Ethan escalated.

"You trusted her?" Freya asked.

"Completely."

That single word told Freya how serious the discovery was.

"Does the parking record prove she used the account?"

"No."

"Then we're back to not accusing people before evidence."

Louis nodded.

Derek discovered Eleanor currently lived outside the city and maintained almost no public business presence. Her finances appeared comfortable but not suspiciously wealthy.

One detail stood out: after retiring, she had joined the board of a charitable foundation.

Greyline Partners had donated to that foundation twice.

Freya rubbed her forehead. "Does every road lead to Greyline?"

"Apparently."

"Then maybe Greyline is designed to be found."

Louis looked at her sharply.

Freya continued, "Think about it. If every suspicious payment eventually points there, maybe it's a shield. You find Greyline, blame Daniel, maybe Victor, and stop looking higher."

The possibility hadn't occurred to Derek in exactly that form.

Louis called him immediately.

Freya returned to her writing, unaware that one casual observation had just shifted the investigation again.

If Greyline was the center, they were getting close.

If Greyline was only camouflage, someone had spent years preparing a very convincing false ending.

Louis wrote Eleanor's name beside Victor and Daniel on the investigation board but refused to draw a conclusion. Freya's warning about Greyline remained more useful than any assumption. If someone wanted investigators to find an obvious villain, then the obvious villain deserved more scrutiny, not less.

The next move would have to be careful. Too many people were now connected to the investigation, and a careless question could warn the person they were actually searching for. For the moment, patience remained their strongest advantage.