“It is a direct electronic trail,” Julian said, a cold smile appearing on his face. “This is criminal tampering, Claire.”

“It is,” I said. “He wanted the city to flag the mismatch, halt our progress, and force Margaret Hale to question my competence.”

I looked across the room.

Adrian was standing near the grand piano, speaking to an older gentleman in a tailored tuxedo.

Serena stood beside him, her fingers lightly brushing the sleeve of Adrian’s jacket as she laughed at something the older man said.

Adrian caught me looking and raised his champagne flute, his eyes filled with a quiet, mocking satisfaction.

“He thinks he just ended my career in Chicago,” I murmured.

“We can call the state attorney’s office tonight,” Julian said, turning his back to Adrian to shield our screen from view. “With this digital footprint, we can file for an emergency injunction and have the police at his office by tomorrow afternoon.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “A lawsuit takes months. The legal discovery process would freeze my waterfront project anyway while the court reviews the data.”