Chapter 5 - The Employee Nobody Could Afford to Lose|
Noah arrived early the following morning.
Richard's office door was closed, and the lobby smelled of fresh lilies. A corporate delegation was expected that afternoon, and the staff had been instructed to make every corner of the hotel look immaculate.
Victoria remained in the staff passage, where Noah had arranged for her to sit while he spoke with Denise and Maria.
She had not slept much.
The folder in her backpack contained enough information to explain why she had come to the Sterling Grand, but she still wanted to understand the hotel before revealing herself.
She had inherited the company after her father's death six months earlier. The Sterling Hospitality Group owned the hotel and eleven other properties across the country.
Her father had built the business from a single roadside inn. He had taught Victoria that a company's reputation depended on how it treated people when nobody important was watching.
After his death, she had spent months reviewing financial reports, customer complaints, and employee turnover figures.
The Sterling Grand's numbers were excellent.
Its employee complaints were not.
Anonymous reports described intimidation, wage discrepancies, suspicious disciplinary actions, and an unusual pattern of workers being demoted after questioning management decisions.
Victoria had decided to visit the hotel without announcing her identity.
She wanted to see the culture for herself.
She had expected arrogance.
She had not expected Noah.
A woman entered the passage carrying a paper bag. She was in her thirties, with tired eyes and a small child asleep against her shoulder.
"Noah?" she asked.
He came out of the lobby.
"Elisa. I heard what happened."
Elisa gave a weak smile.
"I came to return my uniform. Richard said I couldn't collect my final pay until I signed the separation agreement."
Noah frowned.
"Did you sign it?"
"No. It says I resigned voluntarily. I didn't."
Victoria stood.
"Then don't sign anything until someone reviews it."
Elisa looked at her.
"Who are you?"
"Someone who thinks you deserve to be paid for the hours you worked."
Elisa's face tightened.
"I need that money. My youngest has asthma. I missed two appointments because I couldn't afford the prescription."
Noah looked stricken.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because you already have enough trouble."
She handed him a folded document.
"This is my time record. I kept copies because the clock-in system kept losing my overtime."
Victoria opened the paper.
The recorded hours exceeded the hours on the final payroll statement by nearly thirty hours.
"How long has this been happening?" she asked.
"Months."
"Did you complain before?"
"Three times. The first time, Richard said the system was wrong. The second time, he said I should be grateful to have a job. The third time, he fired me."
Victoria carefully folded the document.
"May I make a copy?"
Elisa nodded.
Noah offered her a chair and went to get water for the child.
While he was gone, Elisa lowered her voice.
"Richard has been taking money from the staff development fund. He tells employees there's no budget for training, but he hires outside consultants every month."
Victoria looked up sharply.
"How do you know?"
"I used to clean the executive offices. I saw the invoices."
"Did you keep copies?"
Elisa shook her head.
"Not then. But the files are still in the office computer."
A door slammed at the far end of the corridor.
Richard emerged.
He spotted Elisa immediately.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came for my final pay."
"You were dismissed. You have no reason to be on the property."
"She has a reason," Noah said. "You owe her wages."
Richard pointed at the entrance.
"Security!"
Two guards approached.
Victoria stepped between them and Elisa.
"She is leaving voluntarily. There is no reason to touch her."
Richard stared at Victoria.
"Who do you think you are?"
She met his gaze.
"Someone who knows the difference between enforcing a policy and abusing authority."
His face darkened.
"Get her out of my hotel."
Noah took Elisa's bag and escorted her toward the entrance.
As they passed the reception desk, Victoria heard Richard mutter to one of the guards.
"Find out where that woman came from. I want her name, her address, and every detail about her."
The guard nodded.
Victoria waited until Richard disappeared.
Then she opened her backpack and removed her phone.
She called the company's legal director.
"I need you to preserve every payroll record at the Sterling Grand," she said. "Don't alert the general manager."
There was a pause.
"Is there a problem, Ms. Sterling?"
May you like
Victoria looked toward the lobby, where Richard was smiling at a wealthy guest.
"Yes," she replied. "And I think it's much bigger than one missing towel."
