Chapter 3 - Unraveling Claire's Legacy
While Emma was stabilized under intensive care, Ethan arranged for Lily to have warm clothing, a hot meal, and a private room in the hospital’s guest suite. Once Lily fell into an exhausted sleep, Ethan retreated to the hospital's private lounge with his laptop.
He needed to understand how Claire Brooks—a brilliant, determined woman who had graduated from his company's charitable training program—had ended up dying in poverty, leaving two young daughters behind.
Ethan accessed Cole Meridian Systems' archived databases. Bypassing security firewalls with his CEO credentials, he pulled up Claire Brooks' file. What he found made his blood run cold.
Four years earlier, an automated algorithm update in Cole Meridian’s healthcare billing and insurance verification software—a feature designed to optimize corporate profits—had flagged Claire’s file due to a clerical error in her regional clinic. The software automatically denied her health insurance coverage and canceled her vocational job placement assistance.
Claire had submitted five separate appeals. Every single appeal was automatically rejected by an AI protocol designed to minimize administrative overhead. No human being had ever reviewed her file.
Without healthcare or stable employment, Claire fell into severe debt when she got sick. She could not afford treatments, nor could she afford proper housing during harsh winters.
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Ethan leaned back, staring at the glowing screen. His company had built a system so efficient at cutting costs that it had cut away a mother's life. His pursue of corporate perfection and bottom-line efficiency had directly contributed to the tragedy unfolding before him.
He buried his face in his hands as tears hot with remorse finally spilled over.
