I gathered my materials slowly, methodically. The humiliation that should have crushed me had instead hardened into something dangerous. Certainty. For three months, I’d been building a case while they thought they were breaking me down. The first time I contacted Eliza wasn’t planned. I’d found her name buried in correspondence my predecessor had hidden in encrypted files. Tomas hadn’t left for health reasons. He’d been systematically documenting the same issues I’d discovered. His final report had vanished the same day as his sudden departure. When I reached out to Eliza, she was cautious.
“Tomas stopped responding to my inquiries three months ago,”
she explained.
“The company claimed he was unavailable due to medical leave.”
“He’s not sick,”
I said.
“At least not according to his wife, who I tracked down yesterday. She says he took a massive settlement with a gag order after being threatened with fraud charges.”
Our collaboration began that night. We knew a frontal assault wouldn’t work. The executives had covered their tracks too carefully, with armies of attorneys ready to bury any accusation. We needed them to incriminate themselves, preferably on record. After leaving the meeting room, I walked through the empty halls to my office. The silence felt weighted now, expectant. I checked my watch. Two hours until Eliza’s team would make their move. My office door was ajar. Inside, sitting in my chair, was Vivien.
“That was quite a spectacle,”
she said, turning my computer monitor toward her, though not surprising given your approach.
I set my materials down carefully.
“Was there something else you wanted to say that you couldn’t share with the group?”
She smiled that particular smile that never showed teeth.
“You know, Leona, I actually argued for hiring you. Your reputation for fixing problems impressed me. But you misunderstood your assignment from the beginning, which was to fix the perception problem, not to create a new one.”
She stood, smoothing her skirt.
“Your position has been terminated. Effective immediately. Security will collect you in twenty minutes. Whatever materials you’ve gathered stay here, including my personal notes.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“Everything. The company owns all work product created during your employment.”
“I understand,”
