Page 46 of Lumi

Charles had reprimanded me after the meeting for undermining John’s authority as the CEO by saying the right thing at the wrong time.

“I know that the place to go to with my observations would be HR, but I don’t trust them. That’s why I’m coming to you,” Ebany said.

“All right, tell me what has you concerned.”

Ebany nodded and spoke fast. “As you might know, my job is to ensure that Solver Industries gets the best deal when we negotiate contracts with our suppliers. Before I took my current position three years ago, a friend in the industry warned me that dealing with Solver Industries wasn’t about having the best deal but the greasiest business morals. I dismissed it at the time because every industry has its rumors and drama. Now, however, I think there might be something to the rumors. You see, over the last six or seven months, I’ve been wondering why on several occasions my recommendations for acquisitions get overruled. Large orders have mysteriously gone to suppliers who weren’t the best or most fairly priced, and each time when I ask my boss, Frank, about it, he tells me that John White wanted it that way.”

I kept quiet and took notes.

“You have to wonder why John won’t let us do our job when he’s got an enterprise to run. Unless, of course, there’s something in it for him, and this is where it gets interesting. You see, over the years in this business, I’ve developed a network and become friends on social media with many. Last Monday, Bailey, who is the girlfriend of Ken Moritz from Moritz Steel, shared pictures on Facebook from a birthday party they were hosting for John White.”

I frowned. “Don’t tell me that Moritz Steel is one of those suppliers who got favored despite not offering the best deal.”

Ebany nodded. “It happened not once, but three times these past four months. And here’s the kicker. Bailey shared pictures of her sitting in John’s lap with them laughing together, and another picture showed Ken Moritz standing with his arm around John’s shoulder in front of a special edition sports car with a ribbon on it.”

“You think they gave him the car?”

“It’s a possibility. I mean, Bailey wrote that they were celebrating John’s birthday, and the car had a ribbon on it.”

Feeling disturbed by what I’d heard, I pushed my hair back. “Yes. It’s a fair conclusion that it was a present. Is the post still up on Facebook?”

“No. Bailey took it down later that same evening, but I made sure to save screenshots of everything. I can send it to you.”

“Thank you.”

Ebany pushed her glasses in place. “Solver Industries has several suppliers who no longer wish to be part of our bidding process. I don’t blame them when the company with the best deal isn’t getting the order. Bailey’s pictures increased my suspicion that John was getting a kickback from Moritz Steel. I looked it up, and that car alone is worth a hundred and forty thousand dollars. Who knows what else they gave him.”

My tone was stern. “Thank you for telling me this. Corruption isn’t just wrong. It’s illegal. If John got a kickback from suppliers, it’s a serious matter.”

“Thank you for listening, Ms. Robertson.”

“Please call me Lumi. You did the right thing by telling me. I just sent you my private number. Please keep me updated if anything else happens. For now, I’ll talk to Charles about this. I’m confident he’ll want to launch an investigation. It’s best if no one else knows so John doesn’t get a chance to delete evidence or cover his tracks.”

“Do you think…” Ebany trailed off and drew her brows tight. “Do you think I might be in danger if John finds out that I told on him? I mean, everyone knows that he’s a firearm enthusiast.”

“I can’t imagine he would hurt you. But Ebany…” I closed my eyes for a second. “You have to be careful and keep quiet for now. Your boss failed to report this problem himself, which tells me that he could be implicated.”

Ebany nodded. “Yes, I wondered about that myself. I’ll keep my mouth shut, and my eyes and ears open.”

“Thank you. I’ll update you when I know more.”

As soon as I ended the call, Damian put down his earphones. “Ye look upset. Is everythin’ all right?”

“Someone in management might be taking money under the table in return for large contracts with suppliers.”

“Then fire them.”

“First, we’ll have to prove it.”

Damian brushed my thigh. “I have confidence in ye. Sherlock Holmes might be a genius at solvin’ crimes, but if they involve numbers, he has nothing on ye.”

I turned the ring on my middle finger and looked out the window. “I need to talk to Charles.”

“Are ye goin’ to call him?”

Picking up my phone, I texted Charles, asking if he was home. “I would prefer to see him in person.”

“Perfect, as long as ye promise we can dip into the pool for a bit.”