Chapter 5 — Bianca’s Defensiveness Cracks
Bianca swallowed hard as the cold glow from the security monitor illuminated her face.
Her composure began to fracture under Aiden’s steady, unblinking gaze.
She shifted her weight from one foot to the other in the cramped hallway.
“The labor budget constraints have been nearly impossible to manage this quarter,” Bianca said, her voice dropping defensively.
“Upper management keeps cutting our hours while expecting the exact same output from the kitchen.”
“I had to make difficult scheduling choices to keep the facility running smoothly.”
Aiden did not blink.
“Falsifying volunteer hours and threatening staff with schedule reductions is not a difficult scheduling choice, Bianca,” Aiden replied flatly.
“It is a direct violation of company policy and labor laws.”
Liam stood quietly by the edge of the console.
He reached into the front pocket of his work apron.
He pulled out a small, worn black notebook with creased paper corners.
Liam placed the notebook down on the stainless steel counter between them.
“That isn’t just an isolated incident from yesterday,” Liam said, his voice measured.
“If you check the dates in here, you will see a pattern.”
Liam flipped open the cover to reveal pages filled with neat, handwritten entries.
Every line listed specific dates, times, and hours worked off-the-clock.
“She has been doing this to everyone on the evening shift for weeks,” Liam added.
Aiden leaned forward to examine the open pages of the notebook.
The detailed record spanned across multiple weeks of unrecorded labor.