PART 7
The arrest happened three days later.
General Hale was taken into custody while leaving a government building.
The investigation revealed that he had coordinated with the contractor to manipulate readiness data and redirect millions of dollars in future contracts.
But there was one question everyone kept asking.
Why had he targeted Brandon?
The answer was brutally simple.
Hale had learned about my family.
He knew my father favored Brandon.
He knew Brandon's reputation was weaker than mine.
He knew Dad had arranged opportunities for his son.
And he knew I would eventually investigate discrepancies involving my brother.
He had designed the entire scheme around one assumption:
I would believe Brandon was guilty.
He was wrong.
Not because Brandon was perfect.
He wasn't.
Brandon had lied to investigators at first.
He had hidden information.
He had accepted favors from Dad.
And he had spent years using family connections to avoid uncomfortable consequences.
But he hadn't stolen equipment.
He hadn't falsified the records.
And he hadn't betrayed his crew.
For the first time, Brandon had to face the difference between being protected and being innocent.
He was cleared of the major allegations.
But his career wasn't untouched.
The investigation found that he had violated regulations by concealing his father's involvement and accepting unauthorized assistance.
He received disciplinary action and was removed from his position.
When I visited him afterward, he was sitting alone on a bench outside the administrative building.
He didn't joke.
He didn't smirk.
He didn't call me Sis.
He simply looked at me.
“I owe you an apology.”
I sat beside him.
