The office smelled faintly of coffee and cleaning spray. There was a heavy stillness in the air.
Jeremy stood by Marcel's desk, holding a printed report like he wasn't sure if he should hand it over or drop it and run.
Marcel kept typing. Calm. Focused. Too focused.
Jeremy cleared his throat. "Something came up in the audit."
Marcel stopped typing but didn't look up. "Something?" His tone was flat. "You'll have to be more specific."
Jeremy stepped closer and placed the paper on the desk. "One of the finance guys Valentino, has been moving money into a separate account. Quietly. Over the past few months."
Now Marcel looked up. His expression gave away nothing, but his eyes sharpened.
"Valentino," he repeated.
"Yeah. He's been around for a while. Clean record until this."
Marcel leaned back in his chair, arms resting on the sides. "I want everything on him. Keep it quiet. HR doesn't need to know yet."
Jeremy nodded. "Should I let security know?"
"Not yet. I want to know who he talks to. Where he goes. What else he's hiding."
Jeremy hesitated. "He's got a daughter. University student. Could be why he did it. Maybe money's tight."
Marcel's brow lifted slightly. "A daughter?"
Jeremy passed him another paper. "Her name's Lucy. Works part-time. Good student. Helps take care of her mum. From the looks of it, they're struggling."
Marcel didn't say anything at first. He skimmed the page, then closed the file.
"Keep your focus on him," he said. "Leave her out of it for now."
Across the City – 5:45 p.m.
The diner was kind of busy cutlery clinking, people talking in low voices, and that sizzle from the grill every now and then.
Lucy moved between tables, balancing three plates on one arm.
She dodged a child crawling under a table and stepped over a line of ketchup spilled on the floor like she had done it a hundred times.
"Table five!" June called out. "Two burgers,one with extra pickles!"
"I'm on it," Lucy replied, using her elbow to push hair out of her face.
She set the plates down at table seven and made her way back, tightening her apron.her feet was hurting,she couldn't wait to sit down.but she kept moving.
"Slow down, Lu," June said softly. "You're gonna dig a path into that floor."
Lucy gave a small smile. "If I leave on time, I can still grab Mom's meds before the pharmacy closes."
June's expression turned gentle. "You're doing all you can. Just don't forget to breathe."
Lucy nodded, picked up the burgers, and dropped them off with a polite smile. "Here you go,enjoy."
At the back of the diner, her phone screen lit up.
One voicemail. Unknown number.
She tapped to listen.
"Miss Valentino, this is Officer Bright from the City Police Department. We need you to come down to the station. It's about your father. Please call us back as soon as you can."
Her hand froze.
The plate she held trembled slightly.
June looked over and frowned. "Lucy? You alright?"
She swallowed. "It's the police. Something's happened… to my dad."
Later That Night – Police Station
The room was cold and too bright. Lucy sat across from Officer Bright, her hands tight in her lap.
"Your dad's been arrested," he said. "They're charging him with embezzling over three hundred thousand pounds."
Lucy shook her head. "That's not possible. He's not like that. He's never even missed a day of work. We don't even have that kind of money."
"I know this is a lot," the officer said. "But he admitted to it. Said he did it to cover your school fees and your mum's hospital bills. Said it just got out of hand."
Lucy's eyes filled with tears. "He would've told me. He wouldn't just do something like this."
Officer Bright pulled out a folded note and placed it on the table.
"He wanted you to have this. Told me to give it to you myself."
She opened it slowly. One line, written in her father's handwriting:
I'm sorry, Lucy. I thought I could fix it before they found out. I didn't want you to see me like this.
Marcel's Office – 11:17 p.m.
Jeremy came in with a folder. His face looked tired.
"They got him," he said. "He's in custody. Admitted to everything."
Marcel didn't look up. He was holding a cup of coffee.
Jeremy added, "His daughter Lucy wasn't involved. She's in school. Helps take care of her mum. They're barely getting by."
Marcel said nothing.
"I just thought maybe"
"This isn't personal," Marcel said. "I want every penny tracked."
Jeremy gave a short nod and turned to leave.
"Wait," Marcel said suddenly. "Find out where she works."