Chapter 5 - THE HUSBAND WHO LOST HIS JOB FOR A REASON
Mason Carter had spent three months blaming himself for losing his job.
Now I was learning his employer received hundreds of thousands of dollars while claiming it couldn't afford workers.
I sat across from Rebecca Collins as she explained the payment records.
The money had moved from a company connected to Calder Hospitality into Carter & Sons Renovation Services.
The stated purpose was property maintenance.
But several invoices appeared inconsistent with the work actually performed.
My stomach tightened.
"Does that mean Mason's employer lied?"
Rebecca answered carefully.
"It raises questions. We need to verify the contracts and payroll records."
I nodded.
I didn't want guesses.
I wanted facts.
That evening, I told Mason.
We sat at our tiny kitchen table.
The same table where we'd spent weeks calculating bills.
Rent.
Groceries.
Utilities.
Minimum payments.
Every dollar assigned before it reached our account.
Mason stared at the documents.
"Six hundred thousand?"
I nodded.
He looked devastated.
"They told us the company was closing."
I took his hand.
"I know."
He shook his head.
"I worked there for seven years."
His voice broke.
"Seven years, Lily."
I squeezed his fingers.
"You were good at your job."
He looked down.
"Then why did they fire me?"
I swallowed.
"That's what we're trying to find out."
For a long moment, neither spoke.
Then Mason said something unexpected.
"I remember a project."
My heart tightened.
"What project?"
"The Meridian Room."
I stared.
"Our restaurant?"
He nodded.
"We were hired to renovate part of the building last spring."
My stomach tightened.
"What happened?"
"Management changed the specifications halfway through."
He frowned.
"They wanted certain walls opened and old storage areas sealed."
I sat upright.
"Why?"
"They said it was part of an executive upgrade."
My heart pounded.
"Who approved it?"
Mason hesitated.
"Charles Price."
The room went silent.
Then he continued.
"One of our supervisors questioned the invoices. He said materials were being billed twice."
I swallowed.
"And?"
"He was fired."
My stomach twisted.
"What was his name?"
"Daniel Mercer."
I recognized it.
Daniel had been a regular customer at The Meridian Room.
He used to come in on Tuesdays, order coffee, and ask whether I knew anyone hiring construction workers.
Then he stopped coming.
I stared at Mason.
"Where is he now?"
Mason looked away.
"I don't know."
Then his expression changed.
"Lily, there's something else."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
"Before the layoffs, Daniel told me he'd found a hidden storage room beneath the restaurant."
I stopped breathing.
"A storage room?"
Mason nodded.
"He said it contained boxes of old financial records."
My heart pounded.
"Did he report it?"
"Yes."
"To whom?"
"Charles Price."
The silence felt heavy.
Then Mason reached into a drawer.
He withdrew a folded photograph.
It showed part of the restaurant's basement during renovation.
Behind a partially opened wall stood several metal filing cabinets.
Each cabinet carried a label.
EVELYN CALDER FOUNDATION — PRIVATE ARCHIVE.
My breath caught.
Then I noticed something else.
Standing beside the cabinets was a man in a dark suit.
Charles Price.
And next to him stood Greg Holloway.
My manager.
May you like
The man who fired me for defending a customer.
Suddenly, I understood that Greg's apology might have been hiding something much bigger.
