Chapter 6 - The Wedding Bill
The flowers had been charged to employee housing.
So had the chandeliers.
The custom invitations.
The imported champagne.
Claire’s designer gown.
Every expense was described as investor relations for the Lakeshore redevelopment initiative.
A hotel housekeeper’s leaking ceiling had been postponed because the repair reserve was depleted.
A retired cook’s broken heating system remained unfixed.
Meanwhile, Claire wore a dress costing more than the annual maintenance budget of an entire apartment building.
Daniel looked around the white-and-gold ballroom differently.
Luxury became evidence.
“You used worker money for our wedding.”
Claire remained composed.
“The gala was designed to attract development capital.”
“It was a wedding.”
“It was both.”
Maya looked toward the servers standing quietly beside the ballroom doors.
Several had been told they would not receive overtime because the event was considered a family function.
The family had charged the workers for the celebration, then refused to pay them properly for staffing it.
Daniel closed his eyes.
He had approved the event budget.
“I didn’t know where the money came from.”
Maya’s expression did not soften.
“You had the reports.”
“I trusted Claire.”
“And the employees paid for that trust.”
He nodded.
No excuse.
That mattered.
Daniel ordered every wedding expense transferred to his personal account.
All service workers would receive full pay and overtime.
The four million dollars would return to the housing reserve before any family dividend resumed.
Claire stared at him.
“You are destroying our reputation.”
“No.”
He placed the unsigned marriage license beside the ring.
“I’m discovering what it was built on.”
Then the auditor found another charge.
May you like
One million dollars had been paid to Hawthorne Academy as a nonrefundable placement fee.
The authorization carried Daniel’s signature.
