Chapter 4 - The Whispers in the Shadows
The eviction of Patricia and Ethan from the Bennett Grand was covered heavily by local business blogs, but the real war was far from over. Desperate people do dangerous things, and Patricia Carter was nothing if not dangerously resourceful.
Over the next two weeks, I threw myself into running the hotel. I worked fourteen-hour days, meeting with department heads, reviewing supply chain contracts, and restructuring the guest-relations strategy. With Victoria’s guidance, I discovered several inefficiencies in the operational structure that, once fixed, boosted our projected quarterly profits by twelve percent. The staff, initially hesitant about a young heir taking over, quickly realized I wasn't a figurehead—I was in the trenches with them.
However, just as the hotel was regaining its footing, strange incidents began to occur.
It started on a Tuesday evening during a high-profile charity gala hosted at the hotel by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Midway through the event, the main kitchen’s refrigeration systems suddenly failed, jeopardizing over fifty thousand dollars worth of imported ingredients. Hours later, an anonymous tip was leaked to the health inspector alleging severe sanitation violations in our primary kitchens.
"Someone paid off a junior engineer to tamper with the breaker panels," Arthur Pendelton told me late that night in my office, his expression grave. "And the health inspector who showed up was surprisingly aggressive—almost like he was expecting to find something."
"Patricia," I said, leaning back in my chair and rubbing my temples. "She’s trying to destroy the hotel’s reputation before the upcoming European Royalty Summit next month. If we lose that contract, our prestige drops, and our stock values dip."
"It gets worse, Madison," Victoria said, walking into the office with a thick dossier. "Ethan’s legal team just filed a petition in civil court claiming that your grandmother was mentally incompetent when she transferred the deed to you. They are seeking an emergency injunction to freeze all hotel operations until a court-appointed custodian takes over."
I sat up straight, anger flashing through me. "Mentally incompetent? My grandmother is sharper than their entire legal team combined!"
"It’s a delay tactic," Victoria explained. "If they freeze our operations for even thirty days, the European Royalty Summit will cancel their reservation. That’s an eight-million-dollar loss and an irreplaceable blow to our brand. Patricia knows she can't win the lawsuit long-term, but she doesn't need to—she just needs to ruin you before her own twenty-two million dollar debt comes due next week."
"She’s playing dirty because she’s cornered," I said, my mind racing. "Then we stop playing defensively."
I pulled out my phone and dialed a number I had been hesitant to use. It belonged to Julian Vance—Victoria’s younger brother and a renowned private intelligence operative who specialized in corporate espionage defense.
"Julian," I said when he answered. "I need you to find out who inside the Bennett Grand is taking Patricia Carter’s money."
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"Already on it, Miss Bennett," Julian’s calm, confident voice replied over the speaker. "In fact, I’m watching your head of procurement drop off an envelope at a parking garage right now. Would you like me to invite him to a private conversation?"
I looked at Victoria and Arthur, a cold resolve taking over. "Bring him to my office. It’s time to catch a mole."
