I trusted my husband completely.
That was my first mistake.
Three months before the incident in the dining room, Hartwell’s longtime accountant contacted me privately.
His voice sounded uneasy.
“Mrs. Bennett, I believe someone is moving money out of the company through suspicious supplier payments.”
I immediately asked him to explain.
He told me that certain invoices didn’t match the services supposedly provided and that the irregular transactions totaled more than $1.8 million.
I was stunned.
Hartwell Industries employed hundreds of people. My father had spent decades building the business, and I knew how much those employees and their families depended
on it.
I couldn’t ignore a warning like that.
When I raised the issue with Julian, however, he brushed it aside.
“It’s probably an accounting discrepancy, sweetheart. Don’t worry yourself over something the finance department can handle.”
I asked whether an independent review would be appropriate.
He sighed.
“Maya, you hired me to run the company. Let me do my job.”
That answer made me more concerned, not less.
So I spoke privately with Margaret Ellis, the independent board chair, and our outside legal counsel.
We agreed that the financial irregularities needed to be reviewed without interference.
An independent forensic audit was initiated.
At the same time, I wanted to understand what was happening inside the company beyond the reports placed on my desk.
With the knowledge and approval of the appropriate people, I temporarily joined the administrative staff using my maiden name.
Maya Hart.
To most employees, I was
simply a new temporary worker.
I wore ordinary office clothes, handled paperwork, assisted with scheduling, and spent my lunch breaks with the staff.
I listened carefully.
I observed how executives treated people when they believed nobody important was watching.
And I began noticing things that disturbed me.
Certain invoices were treated as unusually urgent.
Some employees seemed frightened to question executive expenses.
Several purchasing decisions bypassed procedures my father had insisted upon for decades.
