Chapter 4 - The Emergency Board SummonsBy 2:00 PM, the atmosphere inside Lakeview Data Systems had transformed from stunned disbelief to absolute chaos.
Derek Lawson had already been escorted out of the building by Frank, his cardboard box containing a single mug and a plaque of unearned achievements tucked awkwardly under his arm.
Upstairs in the executive conference room, an emergency board meeting had been hastily assembled via encrypted video link. On the massive wall-mounted display, three senior board directors from Crestline’s corporate headquarters in Milwaukee sat staring with grave expressions. Malcolm Reed, the CEO of Crestline Dynamics and Ethan’s longtime business partner, leaned forward into his microphone, his white hair neat and his expression grim.
“Claire,” Malcolm said, his voice deep and resonant through the speakers. “Is this confirmed? Did Lawson actually fire him?”
“He did, Malcolm,” Claire said, standing at the head of the conference table. “Derek walked right up to his desk, insulted his work, and threw him out like a common temp. He had no idea.”
Malcolm rubbed his temples, letting out a long, exhausted sigh. “I told Ethan five years ago that hiding in the trenches was a disaster waiting to happen. The man has an $80 million stake in this enterprise, and he’s sitting in a standard cubicle eating ham sandwiches so he can stay humble.”
“Well, his humility just cost us our most toxic manager,” one of the board members muttered dryly.
“That’s not all it cost us,” Malcolm corrected sharply. “Ethan doesn’t just own Lakeview Data Systems. Through Crestline’s core infrastructure protocols, every single proprietary algorithm running our medical supply chain and hospital database networks is tied directly to Ethan’s personal cryptographic keys. If Ethan walks away permanently, our entire system security architecture locks down within forty-eight hours.”
The room went dead silent.
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“You mean...” Claire swallowed hard. “If he doesn’t come back, the company collapses from the inside out?”
“Not just Lakeview,” Malcolm said grimly. “Seventeen corporate branches across the Midwest. Billions in assets. All tied to a man who just got fired by an overzealous middle manager with a Rolex.”
