They Humiliated Her Boyfriend — Not Knowing She Owned the Hotel
Chapter 4
The next morning, Olivia arrived at the Grand Aurelia before sunrise.
Ethan came with her.
The hotel looked different at six in the morning.
Without guests, music, and champagne, the luxury seemed less impressive.
It felt like a machine.
Employees moved through the halls.
Housekeepers pushed carts.
Kitchen staff carried supplies.
Security guards checked doors.
Ethan noticed everything.
“This place runs like a city.”
Olivia smiled.
“It practically is.”
They entered the administrative office.
Victoria was already waiting.
She stood behind a large desk.
“You asked for the financial records.”
“Yes.”
Victoria handed over a folder.
“Everything is here.”
Olivia opened it.
She read silently.
Then she looked up.
“These are incomplete.”
Victoria smiled.
“They contain all necessary information.”
“No.”
Olivia turned a page.
“Vendor payments are missing.”
“They’re in another system.”
“Why?”
“Because accounting handles that.”
Olivia looked at Ethan.
He noticed something.
The folder had a coffee stain on its corner.
A familiar logo was printed on the invoice behind it.
The same logo appeared on a receipt Ethan had seen the previous night.
He pointed.
“That company.”
Victoria’s face changed.
“What about it?”
“Who owns it?”
Victoria closed the folder.
“It’s a regular supplier.”
“For what?”
“Cleaning products.”
Ethan looked at Olivia.
“Those numbers look high.”
Victoria laughed.
“Are you an accountant now?”
“No.”
“I suggest you let professionals handle financial matters.”
Ethan said nothing.
Olivia opened the folder again.
“How much did we pay this supplier last year?”
Victoria answered immediately.
“Approximately four hundred thousand dollars.”
Ethan looked at her.
“Cleaning products?”
Victoria nodded.
“That’s correct.”
Ethan frowned.
“That seems high.”
“It isn’t.”
Olivia closed the folder.
“Get me three years of invoices.”
Victoria hesitated.
“Of course.”
As she left, Ethan whispered, “She’s hiding something.”
Olivia nodded.
“I know.”
They spent the next three hours reviewing records.
Ethan noticed patterns.
Payments repeated every two weeks.
The same amounts.
Different invoices.
Different descriptions.
Same bank account.
“Look at this.”
Olivia leaned over.
“What?”
“Twenty-eight thousand dollars.”
She looked.
“Maintenance equipment.”
“Now this one.”
“Twenty-seven thousand.”
“Same vendor.”
She stared.
“And this.”
“Twenty-nine.”
Ethan shook his head.
“It looks like someone is breaking large purchases into smaller ones.”
Olivia looked impressed.
“That’s exactly what I thought.”
“Your accountants didn’t catch it?”
“They did.”
“Then why is it still happening?”
Olivia leaned back.
“That is the question.”
A loud crash came from the hallway.
They rushed outside.
A maintenance cart had been overturned.
Boxes were scattered across the floor.
One employee stood nearby.
His name was Marcus.
He looked terrified.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
Ethan helped pick up the boxes.
One box had been cut open.
Inside were expensive replacement parts.
Ethan examined them.
“These aren’t hotel-approved brands.”
Marcus looked at him nervously.
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Ask questions.”
“Why?”
Marcus glanced down the hallway.
Then whispered, “People who ask questions disappear.”
Olivia froze.
“What did you say?”
Marcus immediately walked away.
Ethan watched him go.
“Olivia.”
She nodded.
“I heard him.”
That evening, Ethan returned to his apartment.
His front door was unlocked.
He stopped.
He had locked it that morning.
Slowly, he pushed it open.
Nothing appeared missing.
Then he saw a white envelope on the kitchen table.
His name was written across the front.
Inside was a single photograph.
It showed Olivia and Ethan standing outside the Grand Aurelia.
On the back, someone had written:
STAY AWAY FROM THE HOTEL.
Ethan stared at the words.
Then his phone rang.
It was Olivia.
“Ethan?”
“Yes.”
“Are you okay?”
He looked at the photograph.
“No.”
Her voice changed.
“What happened?”
Ethan whispered.
“I think someone is watching us.”
