Chapter 4
The Shadow of Corruption
Her research uncovers a conspiracy. Corrupt Sodra officials are planning to divert funds meant for pension increases. Lina realizes the stakes are higher than she imagined.
The air in the Jurbarko Laikraštis office was thick with the scent of cheap coffee and aging newsprint, a familiar perfume to Lina. Sunlight, hazy with the dust motes dancing in its beams, slanted across Jonas Valaitis’s cluttered desk. He’d been quiet since she’d shown him her initial findings, his brow furrowed deeper than usual, like a farmer surveying a field of struggling crops. Lina, perched on the edge of her chair, felt a prickle of unease. She’d expected a stern lecture, perhaps a dismissal of her “wild theories,” but Jonas’s silence was more unnerving.
“So,” Jonas finally said, his voice a low rumble, “you’re saying this isn’t just a clerical error. You think it’s… deliberate.”
Lina nodded, her heart thrumming a nervous rhythm against her ribs. “The patterns, Jonas. They’re too consistent. And the numbers… they don’t just add up, they subtract in very specific ways.” She tapped the stack of photocopied Sodra documents spread between them. Each one was a piece of a puzzle she was still struggling to comprehend, a puzzle that hinted at something far more sinister than a simple miscalculation. “It’s like they’re building a secret vault, right under everyone’s noses.”
Keep reading "The Shadow of Corruption"
Open the same story in AIBookCraft. Later chapters may require an active subscription.
Free on iOS & Android · No signup to read