"There is something else."
Jonathan turned.
"What is it?"
Margaret returned to the cabinet and removed a small photograph.
It showed Victor Whitmore standing beside an older man.
Jonathan recognized the older man immediately.
Arthur Whitmore.
But the date on the photograph was surprising.
It had been taken only six months before Arthur's death.
Margaret explained that Arthur had contacted her shortly before he died.
He had wanted to correct something.
"He told me that his son had gone too far," she said.
Jonathan frowned.
"What exactly did he mean?"
Margaret looked at Eleanor.
"He said that the original ownership agreement had been altered many years ago. But he also said there was a document proving the alteration had been unauthorized."
Jonathan stared at her.
"Where is that document?"
Margaret shook her head.
"I don't know. Arthur said he had given it to someone he trusted."
Eleanor slowly looked at the photograph.
Then she noticed something.
In Arthur's hand was a small silver key.
She recognized the shape.
It belonged to a private safe deposit box.
And she remembered Daniel once mentioning that Arthur had kept important documents in a bank vault.
Perhaps the missing ownership schedule was not the only secret waiting to be discovered.
Richard Collins arrived at the hotel early the next morning.
He had barely slept.
The previous evening, he had received another message from Victor.
It contained a single sentence:
DO NOT TRUST ANYONE.
Richard read it repeatedly.
He had begun to realize that Victor was not trying to protect him.
He was trying to protect himself.
Richard entered his office and closed the door.
He sat at his desk, opened his computer, and searched for the original supplier contracts.
Several files were missing.
He checked the archived emails.
Some conversations had been deleted.
He tried to access the internal financial system.
His account had been restricted.
Richard stared at the screen.
Victor had begun removing his access.
He picked up his phone.
"Victor, what are you doing?"
The call went unanswered.
Richard tried again.
This time, someone answered.
It was Victor's assistant.
"Mr. Whitmore is unavailable."
"Tell him I need to speak with him."
"I'll pass on the message."
"Now."
"I'm sorry, sir."
The call ended.
Richard threw the phone onto his desk.
He looked at the documents in his drawer.
Every suspicious transaction was connected to his signature.
He had been careless.
But he had also been manipulated.
He wondered whether Jonathan would believe that explanation.
A knock came at the door.
"Come in."
It was Olivia.
"Mr. Collins, Mr. Reed would like to see you."
Richard stood.
"When?"
"Immediately."
He straightened his tie and walked toward the chairman's office.
Jonathan was sitting behind his desk.
Eleanor was beside the window.
Michael Carter and the chief legal officer were also present.
Richard immediately understood that this was not an ordinary meeting.
Jonathan pointed to a chair.
"Please sit down."
Richard obeyed.
Jonathan opened a folder.
"These are copies of financial transactions involving the employee welfare fund."
Richard looked at the pages.
"Yes, sir."
"Your signature appears on several of them."
"I can explain."
"Please do."
Richard took a breath.
He began explaining that Victor had approached him with a proposal to restructure the company's finances.
He claimed he had been told that the transfers were temporary and legally authorized.
Jonathan listened without interrupting.
Richard continued.
"I believed I was helping the company. I was promised that the money would be returned."
Eleanor looked at him.
"Did you ever ask where the money was going?"
Richard lowered his eyes.
"Not carefully enough."
"Did you know that employees were losing their benefits?"
Richard hesitated.
"I knew some programs had been reduced."
"Did you question it?"
"No."
Eleanor remained silent.
Jonathan closed the folder.
"Richard, do you understand how serious this is?"
"Yes, sir."
"Employees trusted this company. Some of them had worked here for decades. Their welfare fund was intended to protect them during illness, unemployment, and family emergencies."
Richard nodded.
"I understand."
"Do you?"
Richard looked up.
Jonathan continued.
"You were responsible for managing this hotel. You were trusted with the authority to make decisions. Instead, you allowed another person to use that authority for personal gain."
Richard's eyes filled with tears.
"I made mistakes."
Eleanor spoke quietly.
"Some mistakes happen because we don't know better. Others happen because we choose not to look."
Richard looked at her.
"I am sorry for how I treated you."