The chemical formula on the new logs did not match my original design.

The safe compound had been substituted with a synthetic ester known as butyl-paraben derivative.

This wasn’t just any standard preservative.

According to the chemical registry numbers listed in the supply manifest, this was a cheap, industrial-grade variant.

It was a compound banned in food production due to its high toxicity levels in human trials.

I leaned closer, my breath fogging the bottom of the screen.

The batch numbers showed that this toxic alternative was already being mixed into the pre-production runs for our national launch.

This wasn’t a simple mistake.

Someone had manually authorized the change in the supply chain database.

I looked at the user log-in credentials associated with the change order.

The authorization code belonged to a senior administrator.

But the terminal IP address used to input the command didn’t belong to the lab.

It came from the executive offices on the top floor.

Specifically, the sub-suite assigned to the vice president of operations.

Julian Leprince.

He was using his clearance to alter the chemical makeup of the product.