CEO Made Her Nephew Lead Mechanic Over a Single Dad—Then the Whole Crew Walked Out
Chapter 5
By noon, Bennett Automotive had a crisis.
Twenty-three mechanics had walked out.
Three service managers had submitted resignations.
Customers were canceling appointments.
Cars were sitting unfinished.
The parts department refused to release new orders without approval.
Claire stayed in her office while Tyler paced.
“This is temporary.”
She looked at him.
“Temporary?”
“They’ll come back.”
“Why?”
“Because they need the job.”
Claire stared.
“They trusted Mason.”
“They’re emotional.”
“No.”
Her voice was quiet.
“They’re professionals.”
Tyler slammed his hand on the desk.
“You’re not going to blame me.”
Claire looked at him.
“I’m not.”
“You’re thinking it.”
She stood.
“I’m thinking I made a mistake.”
Tyler froze.
Claire immediately regretted saying it.
But the words were already out.
“I’m your uncle’s daughter,” she said. “I’m supposed to take care of family.”
“Exactly.”
“That doesn’t mean I should destroy the company doing it.”
Tyler’s face hardened.
“You’ve always been ashamed of me.”
Claire shook her head.
“No.”
“Yes.”
He walked toward the door.
“You’ll regret choosing those mechanics.”
Claire stared after him.
She didn’t know that Tyler had left something behind.
A folder on her desk.
A folder containing financial reports.
At first, she thought they were ordinary.
Then she noticed something.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars in parts purchases.
All approved under her signature.
She checked the dates.
She had never approved them.
She looked at the vendor names.
Several belonged to shell companies.
One company had the same mailing address as Tyler’s apartment building.
Claire’s heart sank.
She called accounting.
“Who authorized these purchases?”
“Your office.”
“My office?”
“Yes.”
“Which account?”
They gave her the account number.
Claire recognized it.
It belonged to Bennett Automotive.
But the money had been transferred to a private account afterward.
She opened the security footage.
The files were corrupted.
Someone had deleted them.
Claire called IT.
“Can you recover the footage?”
“We’re trying.”
She sat back.
Suddenly Mason’s warnings made sense.
The sabotage.
The missing tools.
The manipulated records.
Tyler’s obsession with removing him.
But there was still no proof.
That afternoon, Claire drove to Mason’s house.
The small home sat near the edge of town.
Emma was drawing at the kitchen table.
Mason opened the door.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“I know.”
Emma looked up.
“Are you Daddy’s boss?”
Mason sighed.
“Was.”
Claire stepped inside.
“I need to talk to you.”
Mason crossed his arms.
“About Tyler?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
“He may have been diverting company money.”
Mason stared.
“Are you sure?”
“No.”
“But you’re investigating.”
“Yes.”
Mason nodded.
“What do you want from me?”
“The truth.”
“You already had it.”
Claire’s expression softened.
“I didn’t listen.”
Mason looked away.
“You didn’t.”
She swallowed.
“Come back.”
He shook his head.
“I can’t.”
“I need you.”
“That isn’t the same as trusting me.”
Claire had no answer.
Emma looked between them.
“Daddy should go.”
Mason smiled.
“Why?”
“Because you like fixing cars.”
Claire almost laughed.
Emma continued.
“And she looks sad.”
Mason sighed.
“You’re becoming too observant.”
Claire looked at him.
“I’ll prove what happened.”
Mason shook his head.
“Don’t do it for me.”
“For the company?”
“For the people.”
She nodded.
“I understand.”
He closed the door.
Claire returned to headquarters.
For the first time in years, she had to admit a painful truth.
She had confused loyalty with favoritism.
And now the cost was coming due.
