Chapter 5 - THE FIRST MONDAY AT THE MANSIONCaroline barely slept that night.
Every time she closed her eyes, she heard Nora's frightened voice.
The same person who dismissed his warning is still approving those suppliers.
Who was Nora talking about?
And why had someone interrupted her call?
At six the next morning, Caroline was already sitting in the mansion's kitchen.
Mama Grace entered wearing a soft blue robe.
"My dear, you're up early."
Caroline smiled weakly.
"Old habits."
Mama Grace poured herself some tea.
"Or too many worries."
Caroline looked at her.
"Probably both."
She explained Nora's call and the message that followed.
Mama Grace listened carefully.
"Have you told Vincent?"
"Not yet."
"Then tell him."
"I don't want to bring trouble into your home."
Mama Grace placed her cup on the table.
"Caroline, trouble doesn't disappear because we refuse to speak about it."
Caroline nodded.
"You're right."
An hour later, Vincent joined them.
He was already dressed for work.
When Caroline explained what had happened, he called Priya immediately.
Priya advised them not to confront anyone and said she would attempt to contact Nora directly.
"The most important thing," she told Caroline, "is that we preserve these messages and let the investigation follow the evidence."
Caroline agreed.
Soon, Daniel and Blessing appeared at the kitchen entrance.
Both wore their school uniforms.
Blessing had spent nearly twenty minutes arranging her hair.
Daniel carried a backpack stuffed with textbooks.
Mama Grace smiled.
"Look at these wonderful students!"
Blessing turned around.
"Do I look okay?"
"You look beautiful."
Daniel grinned.
"She's been asking everyone that."
Blessing crossed her arms.
"At least I combed my hair."
Daniel touched his head.
"What's wrong with my hair?"
Everyone laughed.
For a few moments, the morning felt like an ordinary family breakfast.
Vincent had arranged a safe, reliable ride to school, and Caroline had spoken directly with the principal about the threats.
The children knew that someone had sent troubling messages connected to Caroline's work.
They did not know all the details.
Caroline believed they deserved honesty without being burdened with unnecessary fear.
Before leaving, Daniel approached Vincent.
"Sir, can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Would it be possible to visit the Riverside construction site one day?"
Vincent smiled.
"Why?"
"I want to see how buildings are designed."
"Then when the site is safe and the proper arrangements can be made, we'll organize an educational visit."
Daniel nodded enthusiastically.
"Thank you."
Vincent looked at him.
"And Daniel?"
"Yes?"
"Never be afraid to ask questions about how something works."
Daniel smiled.
"I won't."
After the children left, Caroline returned to the kitchen table.
Vincent noticed she was staring at her phone.
"Are you worried about Nora?"
"Yes."
"Priya will contact her."
Caroline looked up.
"Do you trust your employees?"
Vincent considered the question.
"I want to. But trust doesn't mean ignoring evidence."
She nodded.
"That's fair."
He sat across from her.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Yes."
"What would you do if you were responsible for this company?"
Caroline looked surprised.
"Me?"
"Yes."
She thought carefully.
"I would find out why one person's approval could move so much money without proper verification."
Vincent leaned back.
"Go on."
"And I would ask why employees who report problems are afraid of losing their jobs."
Vincent was quiet.
Caroline continued.
"If people are afraid to tell the truth, management may never know what's actually happening."
He studied her.
"That's a strong point."
She shrugged.
"I'm not an expert."
"You don't need to be an expert to notice a broken system."
Caroline smiled slightly.
"Daniel would say we need to understand the problem before fixing it."
Vincent laughed.
"Your brother is a wise young man."
At the company, the atmosphere was different.
Employees spoke quietly in the hallways.
Several managers had been asked to preserve records.
Outside investigators were reviewing financial transactions.
No one knew exactly how much money had disappeared.
Caroline tried to focus on her assigned work, but the tension was impossible to ignore.
Shortly before lunch, Priya called her into a meeting room.
Nora was sitting beside the window.
Caroline stopped.
"Ms. Bell!"
Nora looked exhausted.
"I'm sorry I frightened you."
"What happened last night?"
Nora looked toward Priya.
"My brother came to my apartment unexpectedly. He's been helping me because my car broke down. When he heard me talking about company records, he asked what was happening."
Caroline exhaled.
"Then that message—"
"I didn't send it."
Priya nodded.
"We have preserved the phone records. We're treating the message as a possible account compromise or unauthorized access until we know more."
Nora wiped her hands on her skirt.
"I was afraid to come in today."
Caroline sat beside her.
"Why?"
"Because three years ago, I tried to tell someone about the senior housing project."
"Who did you tell?"
Nora looked at the closed door.
"Adrian Cross."
Caroline felt her stomach tighten.
Nora continued.
"I gave him copies of the delivery reports. He told me the problem had been corrected."
"Was it?"
"I don't know."
"Did you keep the copies?"
Nora nodded slowly.
"Yes."
She reached into her handbag and removed an envelope.
Inside were several faded documents.
One was a written complaint from a construction foreman.
His name was Luis Vega.
He had reported that certain materials appeared inconsistent with the approved specifications.
The complaint was dated three years earlier.
Two weeks afterward, he had been dismissed.
Attached to the complaint was a signed acknowledgment.
Caroline recognized the signature.
Adrian Cross.
Priya photographed the documents for the investigation.
"Thank you, Nora. This may be important evidence."
Nora looked ashamed.
"I should have spoken sooner."
Caroline touched her arm.
"You spoke today."
Nora's eyes filled with tears.
"I kept thinking about my son. I couldn't afford to lose my job."
Caroline understood.
"Being afraid doesn't make you a bad person."
That afternoon, Priya arranged for an independent engineering firm to inspect the affected Riverside construction work.
The team was led by Dr. Maya Chen, a structural engineer with more than twenty years of experience.
By evening, Maya had identified enough concerns to recommend additional testing.
The project remained halted.
Caroline learned about the inspection when Vincent returned home.
He found her sitting at the kitchen table helping Blessing with a mathematics assignment.
"Can I speak with you for a moment?"
Caroline stood.
They walked into the hallway.
"What happened?"
Vincent's expression was grave.
"The engineer found evidence that some concrete batches may not meet the required strength."
Caroline covered her mouth.
"Is anyone in danger?"
"The affected areas are closed. No one is being allowed inside until we understand the extent of the problem."
She looked at him.
"Who approved those materials?"
"That's under investigation."
Vincent paused.
"Caroline, there's something else."
She waited.
"We found records showing that Horizon Industrial Supply received payments from multiple projects."
"How much?"
"More than two million dollars in questionable transactions."
Caroline felt cold.
Then Vincent's phone rang.
It was Maya.
He answered immediately.
After listening for several seconds, he closed his eyes.
"What did you find?"
Caroline watched his expression.
Vincent turned toward her.
"One of the structural components has failed its initial strength test."
Maya said something else.
May you like
Vincent's voice became sharp.
"Are you telling me the building could have collapsed?"
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