Page 47 of Sweet Omega
“I was thinking,” Ludiin said. “If Deltta signed off on everything, he would’ve spotted the corruption.”
Thank God, a safe topic. Tarymn let out a slow breath and leaned back in his chair, grateful for the lifeline. “Go on,” he said.
“He wouldn’t have signed documents that looked suspicious, unless the changes happened after he approved them,” Ludiin said.
“I’ve looked into that,” Tarymn muttered, “I found nothing.”
“There’s always a trail,” Ludiin insisted. “Look for something that overwrites records without drawing attention.”
Tarymn’s gaze lingered on him, weighing his words. “Can you do that?”
“Me?” Ludiin’s eyes widened in shock.
“Yes. You’ve already thought of where to look. You can find the proof.”
“I… you could just hire someone,” he said. “There are professionals who handle this sort of thing.”
“I know,” Tarymn replied, “but we can’t involve anyone, not yet. The moment word gets out we’re investigating, it’s over. I can’t risk bringing in forensic accountants. Too much is at stake. Please.”
Ludiin stared at his plate for so long that Tarymn thought he wasn’t going to answer. Then, with a small nod, he murmured, “Okay. I’ll need access to your system.”
“I can’t give you direct access,” Tarymn replied. “Everything’s monitored. Deltta sent me a few files, you can start with those. Will that work?”
“I don’t know. It depends where the change happened in the system. A live document and a saved one don’t have the same data. I won’t be able to tell if it was manipulated or not. Or did Deltta save the document before and after he signed?”
“No. There was no reason to. He trusted his alphas. Just look at it and tell me what you see,” Tarymn pushed back his chair and stood, the scrape of wood against tile cutting through the air.
Ludiin blinked at him. “Now?”
“Do you have something better to do?”
“I’m eating.”
Tarymn’s mouth curved in a short laugh. “Bring your plate.” Without waiting for an answer, he headed upstairs toward his office, certain Ludiin would follow.
“I’ll be right back,” he said, disappearing briefly to his room. A moment later, he returned wearing a shirt, finding Ludiin perched on the couch with his plate balanced awkwardly on his lap.
“Here,” Tarymn said, handing him his e-reader.
Ludiin nodded, thumbing through the files. Tarymn settled at his desk, eyes drifting to him now and then as the quiet settled in around them.
“How do you even know how to do this?” Tarymn asked after a long pause.
“I don’t know,” Ludiin admitted, his eyes fixed on the e-reader. “I just… do. Dad used to call me a super bot.”
“Really?” Tarymn’s throat tightened, the mention of his dad pulling something taut inside him. He shifted back in his chair, jaw ticking. He didn’t like talking about the alpha.
Ludiin looked up, studying him for a moment before speaking again. “He talked about you and Hym a lot.”
“He did?”
Ludiin nodded slowly, his expression soft. “He said you were an amazing alpha. Strong, with a deep sense of duty.”
Tarymn let out a short, humorless chuckle. “How would he know that? When he left, I was barely old enough to know what kind of alpha I’d even be.”
“How old were you?”
“Fifteen.”
