Chapter 6 - The Promotion
By Friday afternoon, the news of the executive shakeup had sent Ravenholt Global's stock soaring twelve percent on the New York Stock Exchange.
The corporate headquarters on the seventieth floor had been completely sanitized; new security protocols were established, and Julian’s associates were systematically purged from every department.
In the human resources department on the forty-second floor, Lucas sat in a small conference room, wearing a tailored charcoal suit that felt remarkably comfortable despite his lifetime in work boots.
The door opened, and Scarlett walked in, carrying a thick leather-bound employment contract.
She wore a striking emerald silk dress that accentuated her sharp elegance, but the guarded, icy armor she usually wore around other executives was completely absent.
"Mr. Hayes," she said, setting the folder on the table and sitting across from him with a bright smile.
"Ms. Vale," Lucas nodded, adjusting his dark tie with a wry grin. "I'm still trying to figure out why I'm wearing a tie to a security audit."
Scarlett slid the contract across the polished wood.
"Because as the newly appointed Chief of Asset Protection and Corporate Integrity for Ravenholt Global, you will be reporting directly to the Office of the CEO."
Lucas opened the folder, his eyes scanning the terms.
His jaw dropped slightly as he reached the compensation clause.
"Scarlett... this salary is absurd. This is more than my entire Ranger platoon made in five years."
"You prevented a forty-million-dollar fraud and protected twenty thousand manufacturing jobs, Lucas," Scarlett said firmly, leaning forward.
"If anything, the board got off cheap. But this isn't just about the money."
She looked down at her hands for a moment before meeting his eyes with disarming vulnerability.
"I've spent my entire life surrounded by people who wanted something from me. My father wanted a successor. Julian wanted my shares. My suitors wanted the Vale name."
She reached out, touching the corner of the contract.
"You're the only person who ever walked into my office and asked if I was okay before asking what I could do for you."
Lucas looked at the woman across the table, feeling a warm, protective surge in his chest that had nothing to do with contracts or corporate security.
He picked up the pen and signed his name in bold, clean strokes on the dotted line.
"When do I start?" he asked softly.
Scarlett smiled, a radiant expression that made her hazel eyes dance with light.
"You start right now," she said.
"And your first assignment is taking your boss out for dinner. Somewhere with no white tablecloths, no paparazzi, and no board members."
Lucas laughed, a rich, genuine sound.
"I know a diner in Queens that makes the best pastrami sandwich on the East Coast."
May you like
"Deal," Scarlett said, rising from her chair and offering her hand.
Lucas took it, feeling the electric, unspoken connection that had bound them together since five o'clock that fateful morning.
