The review confirmed the unauthorized use of corporate resources and Linda's misleading description of the assignment. It also confirmed that the money was intact in police custody and that Bobby had acted under instructions he reasonably believed came from a legitimate client. Sterling Living arranged for the recovery and reconciliation of the funds, paid the courier what he had been promised, and ensured that he was not blamed for Linda's concealed purpose. Linda's employment ended after she had an opportunity to submit her explanation. The company documented the reasons accurately, without a public campaign against her.
Victoria visited Daniel that Friday with no folder, no contract, and no attempt to purchase forgiveness. She told him the full truth while they sat near the workshop window. Daniel listened without interrupting, though his expression grew more troubled as she described how his home had been used as the location for the test. She finished by saying that she had not authorized it and that she regretted the intrusion deeply. Then she waited for him to respond.
"It wasn't just the money," he said after a while. "Someone watched my front door. Alice walks past that porch every day. What if she'd picked up the wallet before I saw it?
What if someone had decided she stole it?" Victoria felt the weight of the question. She admitted that no one at the company had considered those possibilities until the incident was exposed. "I'm sorry," she repeated, this time more quietly.
Daniel looked down at his hands. "I believe you weren't behind it. But I'm not going to pretend it was harmless just because everything ended all right." Victoria nodded.
She was relieved, in a strange way, that he did not hurry to make her feel better. His trust was not a prize she could collect with the right sentence. It would have to be protected by her behavior from that day forward.
When she explained that Linda's position had ended, Daniel seemed genuinely saddened. "She went much too far," he said. "She should answer for that. But people don't become suspicious of everything for no reason.
Maybe somebody taught her that trust was dangerous." Victoria told him briefly about the failed contracting business in Linda's family. Daniel listened and nodded. "Then she probably understands what losing something important feels like. That doesn't excuse what she did to me. It might explain why she couldn't recognize that returning your wallet was the end of the story."
Victoria had expected satisfaction from him. Instead he asked whether Linda would have a chance to leave without being publicly shamed and whether a company of Sterling Living's size had a responsibility to treat departing employees fairly even when their decisions were wrong. Victoria considered that question