Chapter 12 - The Missing Money| The investigation became serious when Lena discovered that the disputed deductions were only a small part of the problem.
Over eighteen months, the Aster Room had charged employees for broken glassware, missing cutlery, damaged linens, and customer complaints. Some charges were legitimate expenses improperly transferred to workers. Others had no supporting documentation at all.
The total was not enough to threaten Rockwell Holdings.
It was enough to ruin several employees' lives.
Lena brought the findings to Julian on a Tuesday morning.
“We've identified eleven employees who may have been charged improperly.”
“How much?”
“Just over thirty thousand dollars, before adjustments.”
Julian stared at the report.
“Thirty thousand?”
“Some deductions were small. Others were substantial. One former employee had more than two thousand dollars withheld across several paychecks.”
“Why wasn't this flagged?”
“Several deductions were categorized as voluntary reimbursements. In at least four cases, the employee records don't contain signed authorization.”
Julian closed the report.
“Contact the former employees. Have legal determine the correct restitution. And make sure no one has to fight for it.”
Lena nodded.
“There is another issue.”
“Of course there is.”
“The distributor payments.”
Julian looked up.
“What payments?”
“We found transfers from a wine supplier to a consulting business connected to Puit. The company appears to have been registered under his brother-in-law's name.”
Julian's expression hardened.
“How much?”
“Approximately eighteen thousand dollars over two years.”
“Was the distributor selected through a competitive process?”
“No. Puit renewed the contract himself.”
Julian stood and walked to the window.
He had spent his life negotiating deals in which every party understood what it was giving and what it expected in return. This was different. Puit had used the authority of his position to pressure vulnerable workers while secretly profiting from the restaurant's purchasing decisions.
“Notify legal,” Julian said. “Preserve every record. No one deletes a file or changes a schedule entry without authorization.”
“Understood.”
“And Priya?”
“She gave a full statement. Two other employees have also agreed to speak.”
Julian nodded.
“Make sure they're protected.”
Later that afternoon, Dela was called into a meeting with human resources.
She expected questions about the accident. Instead, the director told her that her hours were being restored and that the company was reviewing potential wage repayments.
Dela listened carefully.
“Will this affect the other employees?”
“The review includes everyone whose pay may have been improperly reduced.”
“Even people who no longer work here?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
The director hesitated.
“Ms. Marsh, your account helped us identify issues that may have gone unnoticed for a long time.”
Dela folded her hands.
“I didn't find the missing money. I just didn't want a girl to pay for a bottle she dropped by accident.”
“Sometimes one incident reveals a larger problem.”
“Then I hope you fix the larger problem.”
After the meeting, she found Julian waiting near the elevator.
“Did you know?” she asked.
“About the deductions?”
She nodded.
“No.”
“Then why did you come back?”
He thought about the question.
“Because I saw something that didn't sit right with me.”
“And that was enough?”
“It should have been enough sooner.”
Dela looked at him for a long moment.
“I don't want you to turn into a hero because you did what you were supposed to do.”
“I wouldn't know how.”
“Good. Heroes are exhausting.”
He laughed softly.
Then she grew serious.
“People are going to get their money back?”
“Yes.”
“Even the ones who left?”
“Especially them.”
Dela nodded, visibly relieved.
For her, that was the victory.
Not the investigation. Not the punishment of a manager. Not the possibility that Julian might care for her.
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The victory was the thought that someone who had already left the building might finally receive a paycheck that belonged to them.
And Julian, watching her face, understood that her sense of justice had never depended on whether the person being helped could thank her afterward.
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