Chapter 3 - The Boardroom Strike
By Monday morning, the storm had fully rolled into Chicago. I sat at the head of the glass conference table in my firm’s penthouse office, overlooking the gray waters of Lake Michigan. I wore a tailored crimson suit that screamed authority. Today was not about mourning a marriage; today was about corporate execution.
At precisely 9:00 AM, the heavy glass doors opened.
Greg Harrison, the CEO of the supply chain corporation where Marcus worked, walked in. He looked stressed, his tie slightly askew. Trailing behind him was a man who looked like he had aged ten years over the weekend: Marcus.
Marcus was wearing a suit that looked like he had slept in it—because he probably had. Without my funds to secure a luxury hotel in Seattle, he had likely been forced to max out a personal emergency credit card just to fly back coach.
"Elena," Greg said, extending a hand as he approached the table. "Thank you for taking this meeting so quickly. I understand we have a... delicate situation regarding the supply contracts for the new West Coast developments."
"There is nothing delicate about it, Greg," I said, ignoring his hand and gesturing for them to sit. "I am the lead project manager for a two-billion-dollar development pipeline. My firm relies on vendors with absolute integrity. Over the weekend, I discovered that your Regional Director has been embezzling corporate funds to finance a personal affair, falsifying expense reports, and exposing both our companies to massive liability."
Marcus jumped up from his chair, his hands slamming on the table. "I did not embezzle! That is a lie! I shifted some budget lines to cover travel, that's all! Elena, you are doing this out of spite!"
"Sit down, Marcus," Greg barked, his voice cracking like a whip.
Marcus slowly lowered himself back into the chair, his face flushed with humiliation.
I slid a thick, bound folder across the table to Greg. "This is the forensic audit my team completed over the weekend. It details every falsified hotel receipt, every phantom client dinner, and every unauthorized flight Marcus booked for Mia over the last eight months. The total is just shy of eighty-five thousand dollars."
Greg opened the folder. The silence in the room was suffocating as he flipped through the pages. The color slowly drained from his face.
"Furthermore," I continued, my voice as calm as still water, "Marcus violated your company’s strict morality clause and fraternization policies by engaging in a sexual relationship with a direct subordinate. My firm cannot, in good conscience, continue a vendor relationship with a company that allows this level of gross negligence and fraud at the executive level."
Greg closed the folder. He didn't look at Marcus. He looked directly at me.
"What are your terms, Elena?" Greg asked quietly.
"You have a choice, Greg. You can protect your Regional Director, in which case my firm will immediately terminate our contracts, resulting in a seventy-million-dollar loss for your quarterly projections." I paused, letting the number hang in the air. "Or, you can terminate Marcus Vance, with cause, effective immediately. No severance. No glowing recommendations. You will also file a police report regarding the eighty-five thousand dollars he stole from your expense accounts."
Marcus let out a sound that was half-gasp, half-sob. "Greg... Greg, please. I've given ten years to this company. You can't let her do this."
Greg stood up. He buttoned his suit jacket, his expression completely devoid of sympathy.
"Marcus," Greg said coldly. "Your keycard is deactivated. Security is currently boxing up your office. You will be hearing from our legal department regarding the stolen funds. If you contact this office, or Mia, you will be arrested for harassment."
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Greg turned to me, nodding once. "The contracts remain secure, Ms. Hastings. It’s a pleasure doing business with you."
As Greg walked out of the room, Marcus buried his face in his hands, completely shattered. I sat perfectly still, watching the man who had lied to my face for months realize that he had just lost his entire kingdom.
