Chapter 4 - The Unraveling
"Security," Clare called out calmly.
The boardroom doors opened instantly, and four heavy-set security guards in black uniforms stepped inside.
"Please escort Ms. Parker from the premises," Clare ordered, pointing a finger at Emily. "Her employment with Vertex Dynamics is terminated, effective immediately. Her personal belongings will be boxed and mailed to her. If she sets foot on any Vertex property again, she will be arrested for trespassing."
"Ryan!" Emily screamed, her hands clutching at his arm as a guard stepped forward and firmly took her by the elbow. "Do something! You’re the CEO! You can’t let her do this to me!"
"I... I..." Ryan stammered, his eyes darting around the room, completely paralyzed.
"Let's go, miss," the guard said, pulling Emily toward the door. She kicked and screamed, her silver heels scraping against the hardwood floor, her polished facade completely disintegrating into ugly, screeching rage as she was dragged down the hallway in front of the entire office staff.
Once the doors closed, Clare turned her gaze back to Ryan. He was shaking, his hands clutching the edge of the conference table to keep himself upright.
"As for you, Ryan," Clare said, her voice dangerously calm. "I have a special arrangement."
"Clare, please," Ryan begged, tears finally welling in his eyes. "We can work this out. We can go to counseling. I’ll break it off with Emily completely. I’ll do whatever you want. Please, don't ruin me. If you fire me like this, my reputation in the industry is dead. I'll be blacklisted."
"Oh, I’m not firing you, Ryan," Clare said, a cold, beautiful smile spreading across her face.
Ryan blinked, a desperate ray of hope shining through his panic. "You... you aren't?"
"Of course not," Clare said, sitting back down. "Under your current executive contract, if I fire you without cause, the company owes you a five-million-dollar severance package. And even if I fire you with cause, the litigation could take months. I don't want to waste my money on your lawyers."
She leaned forward. "So, you are going to remain an employee of Vertex Dynamics."
"I... I am?"
"Yes. But not as CEO. Effective today, you are being demoted. Your new title is Junior Data Entry Clerk. Your new desk is in the basement archives, next to the server room. Your salary will be adjusted to forty-five thousand dollars a year—the entry-level minimum. And you will report directly to Sandra in accounting."
Ryan’s jaw dropped. "The basement? Forty-five thousand? Clare, that’s constructive dismissal! I’ll sue you!"
"You can try," Clare said, tapping the audit report. "But if you sue, we will immediately turn this file over to the District Attorney. Embezzlement of two million dollars carries a minimum prison sentence of seven years. So, you have a choice, Ryan. You can take the basement job, live on forty-five thousand a year, and slowly pay back the two million you stole from my company... or you can spend the next decade wearing a bright orange jumpsuit. What’s it going to be?"
Ryan stared at her, his throat dry, his chest tight. He looked at the board members, but they all averted their eyes. He had no allies left. He had traded them all for a false sense of security.
"I... I'll take the job," Ryan whispered, his voice barely audible.
"Excellent," Clare said. "Your shift starts now. Go see Sandra. And Ryan?"
May you like
He looked up, a pathetic, broken look in his eyes.
"Don't forget to leave your company car keys on my desk. You'll be taking the subway from now on."
