Chapter 1 - The New Sheriff’s Expensive Shoes“Derek Lawson,” Ethan said, reading the internal memo Nina slid across his desk.
“He transferred from the Dallas branch,” Nina muttered, glancing warily toward the glass-walled corner office. “He’s one of those corporate overhaul guys. The kind who measures productivity in keystrokes and looks at human beings like they’re lines on a balance sheet.”
Ethan adjusted his glasses, scanning the memo. Derek Lawson had a reputation for aggressive restructuring, rapid downsizing, and inflating short-term margins by cutting foundational staff. In corporate finance, it was called optimization. In reality, it was usually a chainsaw disguised as a strategy.
“Well,” Ethan said quietly, setting the memo aside. “Every department needs management. We just have to keep doing our work.”
“He’s already pacing the floor,” Nina warned.
She was right. Ten minutes later, Derek Lawson emerged from his office. He wore a razor-sharp charcoal suit, a Rolex that caught the fluorescent light, and an expression of permanent dissatisfaction. He walked with the heavy, purposeful stride of a man who believed the world was divided into predators and prey, and he had no intention of being the latter.
Derek stopped directly in front of Ethan’s cubicle.
He didn’t say hello. He didn’t introduce himself. He just looked down at Ethan’s desk, his gaze lingering on the worn elbow of Ethan’s navy jacket, the simple mug, and the framed photograph of Sarah and Lily.
“You’re Ethan Cole?” Derek asked, his voice clipped and dry.
“I am,” Ethan said, looking up calmly.
“I’ve been reviewing the personnel files for this branch,” Derek said, crossing his arms. “Lakeview Data Systems is underperforming relative to Crestline’s regional expectations. Too much legacy software, too many redundant processes, and frankly, too many senior salaries that don’t align with modern efficiency metrics.”
Ethan didn’t flinch. He leaned back slightly in his ergonomic chair—one of the standard-issue ones that creaked when you shifted weight. “Efficiency is important, Mr. Lawson. But legacy systems often carry institutional knowledge. If you strip them out too quickly, you risk breaking the core database infrastructure.”
Derek’s eyes narrowed. He clearly didn’t appreciate being corrected by an analyst in a faded shirt.
“I didn’t ask for a lecture on data architecture, Cole,” Derek said sharply, loud enough for the surrounding cubicles to hear. “I asked for optimization. And frankly, your position—Senior Operations Analyst—is a relic. You’ve been here six years doing mid-level auditing that automated scripts could handle in three seconds.”
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“Automated scripts miss systemic anomalies,” Ethan said evenly. “They don’t catch human errors in inventory forecasting.”
“We’ll see about that,” Derek snapped, turning on his heel. “Clean out your desk by noon. You’re done here.”
