“My customers.”
“How long?”
“Year.”
“Did you report?”
Nina laughed nervously.
“Twice.”
“To whom?”
“Cassandra.”
“And?”
“She said finance owns paperwork.”
“Then finance?”
“Derek Walsh.”
The finance director.
Simone remembered his name from diligence.
“And?”
“He said customers misunderstand.”
Nina swallowed.
“I started saving screenshots because CRM notes disappeared.”
Simone’s expression changed.
“How many?”
“Maybe forty.”
“You have them all?”
“Yes.”
Simone sat.
“Why didn’t you report outside store?”
Nina looked embarrassed.
“My mother is sick.”
“I need insurance.”
“I’m not proud of that.”
Simone’s voice softened.
“Fear is not a moral failure.”
Nina’s eyes filled slightly.
Simone continued.
“But now you’re talking.”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
She held out hand.
“Send everything to this address.”
She wrote outside counsel’s secure email.
Nina stared.
“Am I going to lose my job?”
“No.”
“Can you promise?”
Simone thought.
“I can promise you will not lose it for reporting in good faith.”
“That is different from promising employment forever.”
Nina nodded slowly.
“Fair.”
Before she left, Simone asked:
“Who else knows?”
Nina hesitated.
“Detail manager.”
“Luis.”
“What does he know?”
“More than me.”