A businessman standing near the elevators stopped walking. A woman holding a cup of coffee stared in disbelief.
But nobody immediately intervened.
Richard lowered his voice.
"You're making a scene. Do you understand how this looks?"
Eleanor looked directly into his eyes.
"Yes, I do. And I think you should ask yourself how it looks when a hotel manager treats an elderly woman this way."
Richard released her arm for a moment.
"Don't lecture me about hospitality."
Eleanor slowly straightened her coat.
"I wasn't trying to lecture you. I was simply hoping for some kindness."
For a brief moment, the manager said nothing.
Then his attention returned to the people watching.
"Everyone, please continue with your business. There is no problem here."
But there was a problem.
And it was about to become much bigger.
Behind the reception desk, Olivia's telephone suddenly began to ring.
She glanced at the screen.
The number was unfamiliar, and there was no name attached to it.
Normally, she would have allowed an unknown caller to wait while she finished assisting a guest.
But something about the timing made her hesitate.
She picked up the receiver.
"Good morning, Grand Imperial Hotel. This is Olivia speaking. How may I help you?"
A man's voice came through the telephone.
"Is Mr. Richard Collins there?"
Olivia looked toward the manager.
"Yes, sir. May I ask who's calling?"
There was a brief silence.
Then the caller said something that made Olivia's expression change.
"Please listen carefully. I need you to tell him that I am calling about an urgent matter concerning the woman currently standing in your lobby."
Olivia glanced at Eleanor.
The elderly woman was still standing beside the reception desk, holding her handbag with both hands.
Richard was looking at her impatiently.
Olivia swallowed.
"May I have your name, sir?"
The caller gave his name.
Olivia's eyes widened.
She had heard that name before.
In fact, every senior employee at the hotel knew it.
She slowly turned toward Richard.
"Mr. Collins..."
"What is it now?" he snapped.
Olivia covered the receiver with her hand.
"Sir, I think you should take this call."
Richard frowned.
"Who is it?"
Olivia hesitated.
Then she whispered:
"He says it's extremely important. And he specifically asked about the elderly woman standing here."
Richard looked at Eleanor.
For the first time, uncertainty appeared in his eyes.
Eleanor, however, remained completely calm.
She reached into her handbag and carefully touched the sealed envelope inside.
She had not come to the hotel to beg anyone for help.
She had come because a promise made many years ago was finally ready to be fulfilled.
And somewhere beyond those magnificent glass doors, a telephone conversation was about to change several lives forever.
Richard slowly approached the reception desk.
"Give me the phone," he said.
Olivia handed him the receiver.
"Hello, this is Richard Collins. Who am I speaking with?"
The caller answered.
Richard listened.
His expression changed.
Then the color gradually disappeared from his face.
Because the person on the other end of the line had just asked him one question:
"Mr. Collins, do you know who the elderly woman standing in your lobby really is?"
Richard looked toward Eleanor again.
And for the first time that morning, he wondered whether he had made a terrible mistake.
The discovery of Michael Carter's documents changed the direction of the investigation.
Jonathan Reed immediately instructed the legal department to verify every transaction connected to Victor Whitmore.
But there was a problem.
The documents Michael had preserved were incomplete.
They showed that money had been transferred from the employee welfare fund to private companies, but they did not explain who had authorized the entire arrangement.
Some signatures were missing.
Others appeared to have been copied from older documents.
The auditors needed more evidence.
Jonathan called an emergency meeting.
"We have enough information to suspect serious financial misconduct," he said. "But suspicion is not proof. We must establish exactly what happened."
The chief legal officer agreed.
"We should contact the former accounting director."
"Who is that?"
"Margaret Lewis. She left the company two years ago."
Jonathan nodded.
"Find her."
Meanwhile, Richard Collins was becoming increasingly desperate.
Victor had stopped answering his calls.
Richard had sent several messages, but none had received a response.
He knew that the investigation was approaching the truth.
He also knew that he had signed documents that could send him to prison.