Then Karen Whitmore approached him.
Her expression was serious.
“Benjamin.”
He turned.
“Yes?”
“We have a problem.”
Benjamin looked at her.
“What kind?”
Karen glanced toward Craig.
“Legal.”
Craig's head lifted.
Karen lowered her voice.
“I've just received additional information.”
Benjamin's expression changed.
“What information?”
Karen handed him her phone.
Benjamin read the message.
His face slowly hardened.
Margaret stepped closer.
“What is it?”
Benjamin looked at her.
Then toward Craig.
“It appears,” Benjamin said quietly, “that tonight was not the first time Mr. Holloway's behavior caused damage.”
Craig went pale.
Benjamin handed the phone back to Karen.
“And this time…”
His eyes remained fixed on Craig.
“We may be dealing with more than workplace bullying.”
Karen nodded.
Benjamin looked toward the ballroom.
The night had already changed.
But suddenly, he realized the investigation had only begun.
And whatever Karen had discovered threatened to reveal a secret Craig Holloway had been hiding for years.
The applause had faded.
The ballroom, which only minutes earlier had been filled with music, laughter, and the clinking of champagne glasses, now felt like an entirely different place.
Employees stood beneath the chandeliers.
Former employees had begun speaking.
Donors whispered among themselves.
And Craig Holloway stood near the stage with his face drained of color.
Benjamin Anderson had just read the message on Karen Whitmore's phone.
He handed it back to her slowly.
No one could tell exactly what the message contained.
But everyone could see the change in Benjamin's expression.
The disappointment from earlier was gone.
Now there was something colder.
Something more serious.
Margaret Hayes stepped closer.
“Benjamin?”
He looked toward Karen.
“Are you certain?”
Karen nodded.
“Not completely.”
Benjamin raised an eyebrow.
Karen continued.
“But certain enough that we need to act immediately.”
Craig's breathing became shallow.
He took a small step backward.
Benjamin noticed.
“Mr. Holloway.”
Craig froze.
Benjamin looked at the stage.
Then toward the hundreds of people gathered around it.
“This conversation is no longer appropriate for the ballroom.”
Craig's shoulders relaxed slightly.
For the first time since the investigation began, he appeared relieved.
Benjamin saw it.
Then Benjamin turned toward Michael Grant.
“Michael.”
“Yes?”
“Please ask everyone to return to their tables.”
Michael nodded.
Within moments, the ballroom began to move again.
Guests slowly returned to their seats.
Employees exchanged confused looks.
Marcus and Rosa remained near the front.
Emily Turner stood beside Sophia Bennett.
Tiffany had not moved.
Craig watched Benjamin carefully.
“What happens now?”
Benjamin looked at him.
“We find out whether you've been lying to us.”
Craig swallowed.
“I haven't.”
Karen Whitmore stepped forward.
“That answer may change in the next ten minutes.”
Craig stared at her.
Benjamin looked toward Margaret.
“Bring him upstairs.”
Craig's eyes widened.
“What?”
Benjamin began walking toward the elevator.
“This time, Mr. Holloway, you won't be joining us as head of operations.”
Craig followed slowly.
“What does that mean?”
Karen answered without looking at him.
“It means you're under formal investigation.”
The words seemed to hit him physically.
Craig stopped walking.
“An investigation for what?”
Karen turned toward him.
“That depends on what we find.”
The elevator doors closed.
Once again, Craig stood surrounded by the same people who had spent the evening uncovering his secrets.
But now the atmosphere had changed.
Earlier, he had believed his greatest problem was that Benjamin Anderson had discovered how cruelly he treated employees.
He had thought he might lose his job.
His reputation.
His position.
Perhaps even his career.
But as the elevator climbed toward the executive floor, Craig realized Karen's message meant something else.
Something much worse.
Benjamin stood silently at the front.
Margaret checked her phone.
Daniel Price stared at the floor.
Sophia remained beside Tiffany, who had been instructed to accompany them upstairs as part of the investigation.
Craig finally spoke.
“What did Karen find?”
Nobody answered.
He looked toward Benjamin.
“Mr. Anderson.”
Benjamin kept his eyes on the elevator doors.
“You'll hear it with everyone else.”
Craig's voice became defensive.
“You can't just accuse me without telling me what I'm accused of.”
Karen looked at him.
“We haven't accused you of anything.”
Craig stared at her.
Karen continued.
“Yet.”
The elevator became silent again.
The executive floor was now filled with people.
Not dozens.
Only a small group.
But every person there had been called for a reason.
Benjamin stepped out first.
Waiting near the reception area was an older man in a dark suit.
His hair was gray, and thin glasses rested low on his nose.
Benjamin recognized him immediately.
“David.”
The man nodded.
“Benjamin.”
Craig looked at him.
“Who is that?”
Karen answered.
“David Lang.”
Craig's face tightened.
David was an external forensic accountant.
The kind of person companies hired when ordinary financial reviews were no longer enough.
Benjamin shook David's hand.
“Thank you for coming on such short notice.”
David looked toward Craig.
“I was already reviewing some irregularities.”
Craig went still.
Benjamin noticed.
“What irregularities?”
David opened a leather briefcase.
He removed several folders.
Then placed them carefully on the reception desk.
“For the past six months, our auditors noticed inconsistencies in vendor payments connected to event operations.”
Daniel Price stepped forward.
“How significant?”
David adjusted his glasses.
“At first, not significant enough to trigger an emergency review.”
Craig folded his arms.
“Exactly.”
Everyone looked at him.
Craig immediately realized he had spoken too quickly.
David continued.
“Small differences.”
Benjamin's eyes narrowed.
“How small?”
“Several thousand dollars at a time.”
Tiffany looked toward Craig.
David opened the first folder.
“Payments for catering equipment.”
Another page.
“Temporary staffing.”
Another.
“Transportation.”
Craig shook his head.
“Those departments deal with hundreds of vendors.”
David nodded.
“That is correct.”
“Then discrepancies happen.”
“Sometimes.”
Craig leaned forward.
“So what are you implying?”
David looked at him.
“I don't imply.”
He placed another document on the desk.
“I calculate.”
The room became silent.
Benjamin looked down at the document.
David continued.
“Three vendors received unusually high payments during the last eighteen months.”
Daniel picked up the paper.
“Were the services provided?”
David's expression remained neutral.
“That's what we're trying to determine.”
Craig's face had become completely pale.
Benjamin walked toward the boardroom.
“Everyone inside.”
One by one, they entered.
This time, the room felt less like a corporate office.
It felt like a courtroom.
Benjamin sat at the head of the table.
Margaret sat to his right.
Karen beside her.
Daniel and Michael across from them.
Sophia sat near Tiffany.
David Lang placed his folders on the table.
Craig sat alone.
Benjamin looked toward him.
“You may contact legal counsel.”
Craig blinked.
“What?”
Karen spoke.
“You have the right to obtain independent counsel.”
Craig stared at her.
“This is insane.”
“No,” Benjamin said quietly.
“What's insane is that we may have spent years allowing you to operate without enough oversight.”
Craig looked toward Daniel.
“Tell him this is ridiculous.”
Daniel said nothing.
Craig laughed bitterly.
“Of course.”
Benjamin folded his hands.
“Mr. Lang. Continue.”
David opened a spreadsheet.
“Vendor one is BrightStar Event Services.”
Craig stared at the table.
“Vendor two is Metropolitan Guest Logistics.”
Tiffany's eyes narrowed.
“And vendor three?”
David turned another page.
“Holloway Hospitality Solutions.”
The room went silent.
Craig slowly lifted his head.
Benjamin looked at him.
“That name sounds familiar.”
Craig swallowed.
“It shouldn't.”
Karen leaned forward.
“It's registered to a private address in Oak Park.”
Craig said nothing.
David continued.
“The address is connected to a property owned by your brother.”
Tiffany turned toward Craig.
“Your brother?”
Craig's jaw tightened.
“This has nothing to do with him.”
David adjusted the papers.
“Then perhaps you can explain why a company registered to his address received nearly four hundred thousand dollars in payments from Anderson Holdings.”
Tiffany's hand moved to her mouth.
Craig stared at the table.
Benjamin's voice remained calm.
“Answer the question.”
Craig shook his head.
“It was a consulting company.”
Daniel frowned.
“Consulting for what?”
Craig hesitated.
“Event planning.”
Michael leaned forward.
“You are head of operations.”
“Yes.”
“You approved event planning payments to a company connected to your own family?”
“It was disclosed.”
Karen immediately opened another file.
“No, it wasn't.”
Craig's head snapped upward.
Karen placed a document on the table.
“There is no conflict-of-interest disclosure.”
Craig stared at the paper.
“I submitted one.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
Karen shook her head.
“You didn't.”
Craig looked toward Benjamin.
“This is a mistake.”
Benjamin did not answer.
David continued.
“That's not the only issue.”
Craig closed his eyes.
Tiffany whispered.
“Oh my God.”
For the next twenty minutes, David Lang explained what his team had discovered.
Several invoices appeared to have been approved for services that could not be verified.
Some vendors had incomplete tax records.
Others shared mailing addresses.
Two businesses were registered within weeks of one another.
And every payment had passed through a series of approvals connected, directly or indirectly, to Craig Holloway's operations department.
The total amount was still unclear.
But it was no longer a small discrepancy.
Daniel Price looked at the documents.
“What are we talking about?”
David paused.
“Potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Tiffany stared at Craig.
“Craig.”
He did not look at her.
“You told me everything was fine.”
Craig laughed bitterly.
“Of course I did.”
Her expression changed.
“What does that mean?”
Craig finally looked at her.
“You think I was going to tell you?”
Tiffany leaned back.
The realization hit her slowly.
She had spent years beside him.
Defending him.
Laughing with him.
Protecting his reputation.
And he had never trusted her enough to tell her the truth.
Perhaps, Tiffany thought, that was because Craig trusted no one.
Not even the people who helped him.
Benjamin watched the entire exchange.
Then he spoke.
“Mr. Holloway.”
Craig did not answer.
Benjamin repeated himself.
“Mr. Holloway.”
Craig looked up.
“Did you steal from this company?”
The question landed heavily.
Craig's lips tightened.
“No.”
Benjamin waited.
“No,” Craig repeated.
David Lang looked down at his notes.
Benjamin remained silent.
Craig became frustrated.
“I didn't steal anything.”
Benjamin nodded slowly.
“Then help us understand.”
Craig looked around the room.
His eyes moved from face to face.
For years, he had been the person in control.
He had decided who received resources.
Who received promotions.
Which vendors received contracts.
Which employees were invited into important meetings.
And which employees disappeared.
Now everyone was watching him.
Waiting.
Craig laughed.
A broken sound.
“You really want to know?”
Benjamin nodded.
“Yes.”
Craig leaned back.
“Fine.”
He pointed toward Daniel.
“Ask him how many budgets I've had to manage.”
Daniel frowned.
“What?”
“Ask him.”
Daniel said nothing.
Craig looked toward Benjamin.
“Every year, they gave me impossible targets.”
Benjamin's expression hardened.
“So you stole?”
“I didn't say that.”
“But you're explaining it.”
Craig slammed his hand against the table.
“I did what I had to do.”
The room froze.
Craig looked around.
“You sit here and judge me.”
His voice grew louder.
“You have no idea what it's like.”
Benjamin remained calm.
Craig pointed toward Margaret.
“She wants bigger events.”
Staff Hurls Trash at Elderly Black Janitor at Charity Gala — Until 6 Execs Escort Him to CEO Floor
Chapter 10