Chapter 474 Records
1920
s
She turned toward the piles of paperwork. Her eyes moved quickly over the numbers, and with each page, her heart sank lower.
The factory’s losses were worse than anything she’d seen from headquarters.
Yet the shipment records wereplete. Every single order was marked as fulfilled.
Dawn’s brows drew together. “These shipments,” she said, her voice steady but cold, “did they all actually leave this factory?”
“Of course.”
The foreman nodded, his voice steady. “Our factory builds world–ss bike frames and wheelsets. The biggest luxury brands in the world hire us to make their products. Our craftsmanship can’t be reced.”
Then the problem was obvious. It was Marshall.
Dawn closed the ledger with a snap and reached for the shipment reports.
The numbers told the truth. The output matched what the foreman said, but for handmade production, it was far beyond what was reasonable.
At such a high unit price, the profits should have been massive.
So where did all that money go? And worse, the workers still hadn’t been paid.
Her tone turned sharp. “Mason.”
“Yes, Ms. Dawn.”
“Bring in a full audit team. I want every ount checked, every cent traced. Make sure Marshall’s people work with us. If they don’t, call the chairman. Ask him if he’sfortable letting Marshall use thepany as his personal bank. Then ask who’s going to <i>pay </i>for it.”
The sum involved wasn’t small.
Mason nodded once and left to carry out the order.
But what came next confirmed the unease twisting in Dawn’s chest.
Even after everything had been handled by the book, Marshall walked free the very next day.
<b>10:52 </b>Mon<b>, </b>Jan 5
Chapter 474 Records
The police imed there wasn’t enough evidence to charge him.
“Not enough evidence?”
<b>920 </b>
s
Dawnughed, the sound sharp and bitter. “We have witnesses. We have proof. What more do they need?”
Mason’s voice was low. “The local police said the recording doesn’t count. It was taken without consent. And they didn’t find any illegal funds in Marshall’s ounts.”
Her eyes darkened. “That’s ridiculous.”
Where had the money gone?
It couldn’t have just disappeared.
Dawn pressed her lips together and said quietly, “Keep investigating. Tell no one. Marshall’s dirty money is somewhere safe. Start watching the people closest to him.”
She paused, then added, “And pay the workers first. Everyst one of them.”
Mason hesitated. “Ms. Dawn, Marshall hasn’t paid them in a year. The factory’s been running on the workers‘ savings. Covering that back pay will cost a fortune.”
“Then pay it,” she said coldly.
“But-”
“No excuses.”
Her voice carried the weight ofmand. “This factory is their lifeline. They’ve poured everything they have into keeping it running. And what did they get in return?”
Her gaze hardened. <i>If </i><i>they </i><i>spent </i><i>all </i><i>their </i><i>money</i><i>, </i><i>how </i><i>would </i><i>they </i><i>put </i><i>food </i><i>on </i><i>the </i><i>table</i>?
“They’ve carried this burden long enough. If there’s no money left, go to Vincent.”
A faint, bitter smile touched her lips. “Because let’s face it, he’s not clean in this either.”
Marshall’s arrogance didn’te from confidence. It came from being spoiled, protected, and never once held ountable. They were all the same. Rotten to the core.
The door burst open the moment Mason left.
A tall man strolled in like he owned the ce. He brushed his fingers over a potted nt,
10:52 <b>Mon</b><b>, </b>Jan 5
Chapter 474 Records
<b>92 </b>
s
whistled low, and grinned. “Well, well, Ms. Dawn. Two whole days without me. Tell me you missed me at least a little?”
Dawn’s stomach tightened. His golden hair gleamed under the office lights, and his blue shone with smug delight. Every step he took made her skin crawl.
eyes
“What are you doing here?” she said, her voice sharp as ss.
“Now that’s the question of the day.”
Marshall leaned against her desk, looking perfectly at case. “You did give me quite the gift, sending me to jail like that. I figured it’d be rude not toe say thank you.”
He leaned forward, close enough for her to catch the scent of his cologne. “After all, you almost became mine.”
Dawn’s jaw flexed. “Don’t talk to me like that. You make me sick.”
“Make you sick?”
His tone snapped cold. “You think you’re better than me? You went along with your father’s little deal just fine. Don’t act innocent. No woman has ever made a fool out of me before.”
“There’s a first time for everything,” she said tly. “You’ll learn to live with it.”
She rose, smoothing her jacket with deliberate calm. “Now leave. I have work to do.”
But Marshall stayed right where he was.
He hadn’te to talk. He wanted to see for himself what kind of woman could throw him to the wolves and still look him in the eye without blinking.
So what if she had?
The cops had already let him go once. They’d do it again.
“I hear you’re looking into the missing money from the factory,” he said, his tone light, like they were chatting over coffee.
Dawn didn’t look up. “Not just the factory. The
He smirked, his voice dripping with fake sympathy. “And what did you find, hmm? Such a shame, all those losses. Bute on, Stonewarden Group is filthy rich. You could plug a dozen holes and still have more left over. Isn’t that right, Ms. Dawn?”
10:52 Mon<b>, </b>Jan 5
Chapter 474 Records
:
Her hand stopped mid–turn of a page. She lifted her gaze slowly, her
eyes
cold.
92
s
“How many mothers did you have, Marshall? You act like every single one of them raised you wrong.”
His face went red, then white. He sputtered, furious. “You have no proof! None! You can’t touch me! But I swear, you’ll regret this. Every word of it!”
He spun on his heel and stormed out, mming the door so hard the walls shook.
The sound echoed through the office. Dawn stared at the empty doorway, her eyes like steel.
He really was fearless.
And that made him even more dangerous.
<b>10:52 </b><b>Mon</b><b>, </b><b>Jan </b><b>5 </b>
ADMINJ