"Some customers are impossible to please."
Arthur looked at him.
"Perhaps. But are all forty-one unhappy customers impossible to please?"
Derek said nothing.
Thomas continued.
"There are also discrepancies between several recorded transactions and the customer consent forms."
Richard looked surprised.
"What kind of discrepancies?"
"Several customers reported that optional packages were added after they had declined them. In two cases, the final paperwork contained signatures that the customers disputed."
Derek immediately leaned forward.
"I never forged anyone's signature."
Thomas remained calm.
"I didn't say you did. I said the signatures were disputed."
Derek looked at Richard.
"You're not seriously going to let them accuse me of fraud."
Arthur interrupted.
"Nobody is accusing you of anything yet. We're examining evidence."
Derek leaned back.
Arthur looked toward Thomas.
"Show us the first case."
Thomas opened a digital file.
"Customer: Eleanor Price. Vehicle purchase date: March 14. Extended protection package: $3,200."
Derek shook his head.
"She agreed to it."
Thomas displayed the signed document.
"The customer later provided a written statement saying she had explicitly declined the package. She also supplied an email she sent to the dealership the following morning."
Michael read it aloud.
"'I am disappointed to discover that the protection plan was included in my purchase despite my repeated request that it be removed.'"
Richard closed his eyes.
He remembered Mrs. Price.
He remembered her daughter calling the dealership.
He remembered telling the receptionist to send the complaint to Derek.
And he remembered doing nothing afterward.
"Did anyone refund the customer?" Arthur asked.
Thomas shook his head.
"No."
Arthur turned toward Richard.
"Why?"
Richard looked uncomfortable.
"I believed Derek had explained the situation."
"Did you speak with Mrs. Price?"
"No."
"Did you review her statement?"
Richard looked down.
"Not personally."
Arthur nodded.
"Continue."
Thomas opened another file.
"This concerns a customer named David Reynolds. He purchased a luxury SUV and later reported that he had been promised a maintenance package that wasn't included in the contract."
Derek shook his head.
"He misunderstood what I said."
"Did you provide him with written confirmation?"
"I don't remember."
Thomas displayed an email.
"Here is the customer's follow-up message. He asked three times for clarification before signing."
Derek stared at the screen.
"That's not the entire conversation."
Thomas nodded.
"Which is why we're requesting the complete communication history."
Michael closed the folder.
"There's also a pattern involving employees."
Richard looked up.
"What pattern?"
"Sales credit was repeatedly reassigned from junior employees to senior associates."
Derek frowned.
"That's normal. Senior staff assist with complicated transactions."
"Sometimes," Michael replied. "But in several cases, the junior employee completed most of the work and received no commission."
Richard turned toward Derek.
"Have you been doing that?"
Derek's expression hardened.
"I've been helping the team close sales. That's what senior associates do."
"Then why were the commissions reassigned?"
"Because I was responsible for the final transaction."
Arthur listened quietly.
He was beginning to see that the problem was not simply a young salesman who had developed an arrogant attitude.
It was a workplace where financial performance had become more important than honesty.
And someone had allowed that culture to grow.
Arthur turned toward Derek.
"How do you define success?"
Derek looked confused.
"Excuse me?"
"Success. What does it mean to you?"
Derek considered the question.
"Meeting targets. Building a strong customer base. Making money."
"Anything else?"
Derek shrugged.
"Being the best."
Arthur nodded.
"And what does being the best require?"
"Hard work. Confidence. Knowing how to close a sale."
Arthur paused.
"What about trust?"
Derek gave a small laugh.
"Trust comes with results."
Arthur looked at him for several seconds.
"No, Mr. Collins. Results can come from pressure, manipulation, or luck. Trust comes from how you treat people when you have something to gain by treating them badly."
Derek looked away.
Arthur continued.
"When I was building my first business, I hired a young man who was extraordinarily talented. He could sell anything to anyone. His numbers were incredible."
Derek looked up.
"What happened?"
"He eventually lost the company a fortune."
"Why?"
"Because he believed that closing a sale was more important than keeping a promise."
Arthur paused.
"After he left, we discovered that many customers had purchased products they didn't understand or need. Some never returned. Others warned their friends and family to stay away."
He looked around the table.
"His sales figures had made him look successful. His behavior had made the business weaker."
Thomas placed another folder in front of Arthur.
"There's one final matter."
Arthur opened it.
Inside was a printed email.
It had been sent by Richard Hayes to the regional management office three months earlier.
The subject line read:
Performance Priorities — Sterling Motors.
Arthur began reading.
The message emphasized increasing revenue, reducing time spent on low-conversion customers, and prioritizing high-value transactions.
But one sentence caught his attention.
"Employees who fail to meet monthly revenue targets should be considered for reassignment, regardless of customer satisfaction scores."
Arthur slowly raised his eyes.
"Richard."
Richard looked pale.
"Yes, sir?"
"Did you write this?"
Richard nodded.
"Yes."
"Why?"
Richard took a breath.
"We were under pressure to improve profitability."
"From whom?"
"The regional office."
Michael frowned.
"We never instructed you to ignore customer satisfaction."
Richard looked at him.
"You sent me the revenue targets."
"Revenue targets are not permission to mistreat people."
Richard fell silent.
Arthur placed the email on the table.
"This is where the investigation becomes more serious."
He looked at Thomas.
"I want the complete management correspondence for the past eighteen months."
Thomas nodded.
"And I want an independent review of all disputed transactions."
Michael added:
"I'll arrange it."
Derek leaned forward.
"Are you going to fire me?"
Arthur looked at him.
"That decision will be based on evidence, not assumptions."
Derek seemed dissatisfied.
Arthur continued.
"But I will tell you something. Your sales record is not going to protect you from the consequences of your behavior."
For the first time, Derek realized that his numbers might not save him.
And he began to fear what the investigation would uncover next.
At 3:40 p.m., the rain finally stopped.
Sunlight entered the showroom through the tall glass windows, illuminating the luxury cars.
Arthur stood near the blue sedan he had admired that morning.
He was reading a message from Thomas when Emily approached.
"Mr. Bennett?"
Arthur looked up.
"Emily. How are you?"
"I'm fine, thank you."
She hesitated.
"There's someone here who asked to speak with you."
"Who?"
"An older gentleman. He says his name is Walter Harris."
Arthur remembered the first complaint Thomas had read.
"Did he say why he came?"
"He said he heard there was an investigation."
Arthur looked toward the entrance.
"Please invite him in."
A few moments later, an elderly man walked through the doors.
He was wearing a dark green coat and carrying a folded newspaper.
His hair was almost completely white.
He looked around the showroom before approaching Arthur.
"Mr. Bennett?"
"Yes."
"My name is Walter Harris."
Arthur extended his hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Harris."
Walter shook it.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"Not at all. Please, have a seat."
Emily brought them water.
Walter sat down carefully.
Arthur took the chair opposite him.
"Thomas mentioned that you submitted a complaint about your experience here."
Walter nodded.
"That was six months ago."
"Would you mind telling me what happened?"
Walter looked around the showroom.
"I came here because my wife wanted a new car."
Arthur smiled.
"That's a wonderful reason."
"She had been driving the same old sedan for almost twenty years. It was reliable, but she always dreamed of owning something a little nicer."
Walter paused.
"She passed away before we could buy it."
Arthur's expression softened.
"I'm very sorry."
Walter nodded.
"Thank you. After she died, I couldn't bring myself to do anything about the car. But eventually, my daughter convinced me that I should buy one anyway. She said my wife wouldn't want me to stop living."
Arthur listened quietly.
"So I came here. I had saved enough money to pay for the vehicle without financing. I wasn't looking for anything extravagant, but I wanted something comfortable."
Walter glanced toward the blue sedan.
"Something like that."
Arthur nodded.
"Did you speak with Derek Collins?"
"Yes."
"What happened?"
Walter folded his hands.
"He looked at my clothes. Then he asked whether I had come to the correct dealership."
Arthur remained silent.
Walter continued.