2026-07-06 20:00:25
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Chapter 38: The Empty Route.
Jayden barely slept.Even after the call with Amanda ended, the words kept going round in his head.“There are no records showing where it stopped.”He kept thinking about the trip. The warehouse. The loading bay. The truck doors closing. The seal locking into place.Everything looked normal.So where did the forty minutes go?Morning light was already in the room when he finally gave up trying to sleep. He sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his face.Twenty-three days left.That was all.For the first time since he took over Grand Meridian, doubt came in. Was he spending too much time on this mystery and not enough time fixing the hotel?The thought didn’t stay long. He couldn’t save the hotel if someone was still draining it from inside.His phone buzzed on the table.Amanda.“I’ve sent you the documents,” she said the moment he answered.“I’m
Chapter 37: A Step Ahead
The air in the room instantly grew still. Without a word, everyone leaned in toward the center of the desk. Papers shifted under the desk lamp. The light caught the edges of the documents and made the numbers stand out more sharply. Cedric adjusted his glasses and frowned. "What is it?" Jayden pulled the supplier's dispatch ticket closer. His finger landed on one line and stayed there. The paper felt thin under his touch. "Yesterday, before the truck left the warehouse, I watched one of the workers lock a plastic seal onto the cargo doors." Amanda looked up from the papers in front of her. Her pen stopped moving. "A seal?" Jayden nodded. "Every truck leaving the warehouse gets one. The seal number is recorded before the truck departs." He pointed at the dispatch ticket. The ink looked fresh against the white page. "Seal number eight-eight-four-one." Cedric immediately grabbed the hotel's receiv
Chapter 36: More Eyes; More Questions.
***The sun reflected off the window curtain, sending a beam of light straight to Jayden, who was still curled up in bed.He squeezed his face slightly and changed his position.A few seconds later, a heavy groan escaped his chest.‘You can't afford to sleep in. 30 days are counting down,’ his subconscious mind reminded him, and he sprang up.Twenty-four days left!He strode into his washroom and splashed cold water on his face. After taking a moment to gather himself, he headed back to his room, grabbed his phone, and sat on the couch.It was 7:30 AM.“I should use this off day for something better,” he mumbled as he unlocked his phone.He dialed Amanda's number, and she answered on the first ring.“Good morning, Miss Amanda.”“Good morning, Mr. Hart.” They exchanged greetings.“I apologize for calling so early,” Jayden said.“No problem at all, Mr. Hart. How may I be of
Chapter 35: The Wrong Questions.
Jayden finished his training a little after two in the morning.His muscles screamed in protest as he lowered himself onto the cold wooden bench beneath the old ginkgo tree. Closing his eyes, he let out a long breath in the damp night air. Every breath tasted faintly of sweat and dirt.For a long while, neither he nor Master Wang spoke. The silence between them wasn't heavy.Then the old man finally broke the stillness, his voice barely louder than the dry leaves rustling overhead."Your mind is somewhere else."Jayden opened his eyes and stared into the dark garden ahead."I visited one of Grand Meridian's main suppliers yesterday," he began slowly. "I thought they were sending the hotel inferior products. Cheating us on quality."He paused, running a bruised knuckle over his knee."But they aren't."He laid out the details—the immaculate warehouse floor, the rigorous quality checks, the sealed refrigerated trucks, and the crisp, vibrant vegetables he had personally inspected befo
Chapter 34: The Supplier's Truth.
***He stepped into the dining room, loosened the knot of his tie a little and pulled out a chair. Breakfast had already been laid out neatly on the table. Toast. Eggs. Fresh fruit. A steaming mug of black coffee. Normally he would have eaten in silence. Today his thoughts were somewhere else entirely. He reached for the coffee and took a slow sip. The hot liquid burned slightly on his tongue. He set the mug down and stared at the untouched breakfast.His mind was elsewhere.His phone vibrated across the table. Amanda. Jayden picked it up immediately. "Miss Amanda." "Good morning Mr. Hart." Her voice was as composed as ever but he could tell she had already been working for hours. "I have completed the background check." Jayden straightened in his seat. "What did you find?" "The supplier has been operating for over twenty years." She paused briefly before continuing.
Chapter 33: The First Clue.
The chatter around the pass faded.Nobody reached for the returned plate.Even the cooks who had been rushing moments ago found themselves glancing toward Andrew.The returned breakfast still sat on the pass, untouched and cooling.Andrew stared at the plate for a long moment. His jaw was clenched tight, and the deep frustration etched across his face was impossible to miss.Jayden stepped forward and picked up one of the fresh tomatoes from the prep station, turning it slowly in his hand."Chef..." he said at last. "Where do these deliveries actually come from?"Andrew looked over at him, his eyes heavy. "Procurement."Jayden frowned slightly. "The Procurement Department?"Andrew nodded, resting both palms flat against the stainless-steel counter. "We don't choose what comes through that loading dock. Procurement buys it. We just cook whatever they send us.”Jayden looked back down at the
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