“Then what do you propose?” Julian asked.

“If we sue him, it remains a private corporate dispute until it reaches trial,” I said. “But if I present this directly to the municipal board, it changes the game.”

“How?” Julian asked.

“Bennett Urban Systems has three pending public bids with the city of Chicago,” I said. “Including the loop transit expansion.”

“If the Department of Buildings sees that Adrian personally tampered with an active municipal project file to cause a safety violation, they will blackball him,” Julian realized.

“They will freeze his existing public contracts instantly,” I said. “It is standard city policy for any contractor accused of compromising public safety infrastructure.”

“And Margaret Hale sits on the advisory board for those contracts,” Julian added.

“Exactly,” I said. “I don’t need a courtroom to ruin him. I just need the truth in the right hands.”

I saved the log files, exported the security token registry as a secure PDF, and carbon-copied my private email address.

“Let’s go talk to our guest,” Julian said, gesturing toward the main floor.