Chapter 5 - THE CONTRACT TERMINATIONThe door to the private dining room burst open, and three junior aides who had been waiting in the hallway rushed in, hands hovering near their jackets before they realized there was no physical threat—only a moral execution.
Admiral Vance didn't look at them. He reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket, pulled out a thick, legal-bound folder stamped with the gold seal of the United States Department of Defense, and tossed it contemptuously onto the center of the table, right on top of the floral centerpiece.
"What is that?" my father whispered, his hands trembling as he stared at the folder.
"That," Admiral Vance said, his voice dropping back to a terrifying, arctic calm, "was the final authorization for the two-hundred-million-dollar Atlantic logistics and transport contract Varrick Maritime has been lobbying my office for over the last six months."
My mother let out a hopeful sound. "Oh, thank goodness, Declan, you see—"
"Was," the admiral interrupted, turning his cold, flinty eyes back to my mother. "Past tense, Mrs. Varrick. As of five seconds ago, that contract is officially rescinded, revoked, and permanently blacklisted from consideration."
May you like
My father lurched out of his chair, his face turning a deep, dangerous shade of purple. "You can't do that! You don't have the authority! That was approved by the procurement board!"
"I am the head of the procurement board, Declan," the admiral replied smoothly, stepping back toward my side and resting a warm, heavy hand on my uninjured shoulder. "And my signature is the only one that matters. Furthermore, the Department of Defense is launching an immediate audit of all Varrick Maritime federal sub-contracts for labor violations, tax irregularities, and safety compliance. Men like you don't deserve to profit off the infrastructure built by the very patriots your family treats like trash."
