Chapter 17 - THE BOARD HEARING
The Hawthorne board commissioned a full access audit covering two years.
Results:
Eleven suspicious entries.
Six linked strongly to Celeste-directed anonymous credential use.
Three likely linked to event operations but improperly documented.
Two unrelated system-reuse errors.
Jonah Bell had reactivated or repurposed three inactive badge identities.
Not only Dana’s.
Why?
To create discreet credentials.
Who requested?
Celeste in four documented instances.
Another executive in one legitimate security case.
Two unclear.
The audit found no evidence of widespread theft.
No payment-card compromise.
No guest financial data breach.
No master database extraction.
Important.
The wrongdoing was targeted.
Physical access.
Private information.
Then the board asked me:
“Did you know?”
“No.”
“Should you have?”
Harder.
I had received Dana’s exit summary.
I had served on the holding company risk committee.
I had signed a quarterly note stating:
No material unresolved credential-control exceptions.
That statement came from management.
Still.
Did I ask why the compliance officer resigned?
No.
Why?
Because Stephen handled operations and I trusted him.
That did not make me liable for Celeste’s entries automatically.
It did mean governance had become too familial.
I said:
“I should have requested the underlying complaint when a senior security-compliance officer left during an access-control modernization dispute.”
My lawyer whispered:
“You can say the process should have—”
“No.”
Mine.
I stepped down temporarily from the board’s audit committee while the review continued.
Not from the company.
May you like
No reason for corporate collapse.
Specific correction.
