Chapter 11 - The Deal Beneath the Champagne
The investor presentation for Price Hospitality was supposed to conclude with a polished reception overlooking Manhattan.
Instead, Brandon entered a meeting room filled with directors, advisers, and questions no amount of champagne could soften.
Natalie Brooks advised the board that the Grand Royale's ownership had never been transferred, pledged, leased, or otherwise committed as an asset to Price Hospitality.
Victor Sloan produced the presentation versions he had preserved, each marked with dates and changes.
Early drafts described the Grand Royale as a potential partner location.
Later drafts called it an anchor property.
A photograph of its lobby appeared beside operating numbers that had come from the hotel's internal reporting.
"Who supplied these figures?" asked the board chair, Evelyn Price, Brandon's aunt.
Brandon claimed that they came from market research.
Victor explained that the figures were too precise and recent to have been assembled from public sources.
Evelyn asked whether the company had obtained permission to use them.
Nobody at the table could produce an authorization.
Natalie warned against speculation about criminal wrongdoing, but said the company needed to correct investor communications promptly and cooperate with legitimate inquiries.
Brandon argued that the entire issue was a misunderstanding fueled by a jealous ex-boyfriend.
Evelyn looked at him for a long moment.
"Was the hotel's ownership a misunderstanding too?"
Brandon did not answer.
The board voted to suspend him from oversight of the financing effort pending an independent review.
He retained his legal rights and an opportunity to respond, but he could no longer direct investor communications.
He left the room furious.
At the Grand Royale, the investigation into Meridian Guest Strategies reached another stage.
Forensic accountants traced payments from the hotel's approved accounts to the consulting company's bank records through lawful document requests.
The company appeared to be controlled by an associate of Edward Voss.
Some of the funds had subsequently been paid to a business connected to a marketing adviser who worked with Brandon's expansion project.
The transfer pattern raised concerns, though investigators carefully separated established facts from unresolved questions about individual intent.
Edward Voss was placed on administrative leave while the hotel reviewed his conduct.
Diane Mercer received written notice of allegations concerning payroll certification, retaliation, and unauthorized expense approvals.
She was invited to respond through the formal disciplinary process.
The company froze further questionable payments, preserved its audit trails, and sought to recover expenses that lacked legitimate support.
Liam resisted pressure from a public-relations consultant to hold a flashy press conference.
"I want the workers paid first," he said.
"Headlines can wait."
The audit team established a preliminary fund for verified wage corrections, with a clear process for disputing calculations.
Employees were not required to speak to reporters, sign favorable testimonials, or waive unrelated rights in exchange for their earned pay.
Henry visited departments during late shifts to explain the program to workers who rarely attended morning meetings.
One dishwasher asked if the company could guarantee that nobody would be punished for cooperating.
"Retaliation is prohibited," Henry said.
"And if it happens, report it directly to the independent team."
The dishwasher studied him.
"Managers have promised things before."
Henry nodded.
"Then judge us by what we do next."
Emma heard about these meetings from Rosa and other colleagues.
She was pleased, but she remained cautious.
She had seen policies announced in polished emails and forgotten when the banquet hall grew busy.
Liam invited her to participate in a paid advisory session about improving employee experience.
He explained that advisers would be selected for relevant experience and paid a standard disclosed rate.
Emma asked for the agenda, the reporting structure, and confirmation that she could criticize management without jeopardizing the education application.
Liam sent her the documents.
"You've become very demanding," he joked when they met.
"I was always demanding," she replied.
"You just started listening."
Their friendship had become comfortable enough for teasing, but both were careful about the imbalance his ownership created.
They discussed workplace matters in formal meetings and their personal lives outside them.
At the community center in Queens, Emma volunteered with the Neighborly workers on weekends.
She met a cleaner who had doubled her reliable bookings and a mechanic who used the platform to rebuild a customer base after an injury.
She also heard complaints about pricing, app glitches, and slow support responses.
Liam listened and wrote them down instead of delivering a speech.
Emma found that habit more convincing than his financial achievements.
One evening they walked to a small diner after volunteering.
Liam ordered grilled cheese.
Emma ordered soup and teased him about his taste for cheap comfort food.
"You're a hotel owner," she said.
"You could eat anywhere."
"I did eat anywhere."
He smiled.
"Then somebody handed me half a turkey sandwich."
Emma laughed, but her expression softened.
"My mother still asks about you."
"What does she call me?"
"The frosting man."
He groaned.
"That's going to follow me forever."
"Probably."
They ate in easy silence, neither needing to fill it.
Across Manhattan Chloe inspected the financial statements Brandon had finally agreed to show her.
The family company's assets were substantial but heavily leveraged.
Several of the luxurious promises he had made depended on financing that was no longer assured.
She asked why he had described his future as guaranteed.
"I was going to make it happen," he said.
"That wasn't my question."
He accused her of marrying him for his money.
She had no easy response.
She had loved being seen as the wife of an apparently successful man, and she knew it.
But she also understood now that a marriage built around appearances could collapse when the appearances did.
"I need the truth," she said.
Brandon looked away.
"Then prepare yourself," he answered.
"Because we're in more trouble than you think."
Priya Desai also recommended a permanent independent review of large related-party expenditures.
Liam approved the proposal after asking how internal staff could raise objections without risking their careers.
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She suggested that the audit committee receive confidential reports directly.
It was a technical change, largely invisible to guests, but potentially more protective than any grand speech.
