She paused.
“We can also confirm that I didn't consent to the search.”
The officer nodded.
The CEO looked toward the financial audit.
“And we can say our company remains committed to the authorized investigation of municipal vehicle records.”
The communications officer asked whether she wanted to address the personal insults.
The CEO considered that.
Then shook her head.
“Not yet.”
“Why?”
“Because people already saw them.”
She leaned back.
“The more important question is whether those officers were acting independently or on someone's instructions.”
For several moments, the room remained quiet.
Then the CEO added something her staff hadn't expected.
“I don't want us to describe this as a billionaire defending her supercar.”
The communications officer looked surprised.
She continued.
“I want to know what happened to the health aide's thirteen-year-old sedan.”
Silence.
The CEO looked around the room.
“That's where the investigation started.”
Three days later, the company's board held an emergency meeting.
Most directors supported the CEO.
But a few worried that the municipal investigation had become a distraction.
One director, a wealthy investor in his sixties, leaned forward.
“Our obligation is to protect the company.”
The CEO nodded.
“I agree.”
He glanced toward the news coverage.
“Then we need to consider whether continuing this audit creates unnecessary reputational risk.”
She studied him.
“Unnecessary?”
The director adjusted his glasses.
“The situation has become politically charged.”
The CEO remained calm.
“Our contract requires us to report material record-integrity concerns.”
“I understand.”
“Then what are you suggesting?”
He hesitated.
“Perhaps we complete the minimum required disclosure and step away from the broader controversy.”
The CEO looked toward the other directors.
Several were silent.
She considered her response carefully.
Then she opened the financial documents.
“Our company's value depends on customers believing our records can be trusted.”
The director nodded.
“Of course.”
She continued.
“If we identify a credible problem and choose not to examine it because powerful people might become angry, what exactly are we selling?”
The room became quiet.
She looked toward the screen.
“Software?”
No one answered.
She continued.
“Or the appearance of integrity?”
The director frowned.
“That's not fair.”
The CEO nodded.
“Then let's discuss it fairly.”
She explained the company's contractual duties.
The safeguards.
The independent investigators.
The limits of the company's role.
And the distinction between helping preserve records and attempting to prosecute people.
She made clear that Lattice Integrity wasn't responsible for deciding criminal guilt.
It wasn't going to conduct unauthorized searches.