Chapter 8 - The Resignation
The following morning, Daario arrived at his Michigan Avenue tower at eight sharp, his demeanor dark and lethal.
He walked past the reception desks, heading straight into the primary conference room where Vivien Cross was setting up a multimedia presentation for an upcoming television interview.
"Good morning, Daario!" Vivien chirped, holding up a printed briefing sheet.
"We have Channel 5 coming at noon. I’ve outlined five talking points regarding the dock strike, framing the union as unreasonable obstructionists."
Daario didn't look at the paper; he walked to the head of the table and turned off the digital projector with a sharp click.
"Pack your things, Vivien."
Vivien froze, her smile freezing into an awkward grimace.
"Excuse me?"
"You are terminated from Rinaldi Holdings, effective right now," Daario said, his voice terrifyingly calm.
"Your severance package will be wired by noon, and my legal team will oversee your non-disclosure agreement."
"Daario, you can't be serious!" Vivien stammered, stepping forward with genuine outrage.
"I saved this company's image! You stood before two hundred people on Saturday and said I saved your empire!"
"I lied," Daario whispered, leaning across the table until their eyes locked in absolute clarity.
"I was a foolish, vain man who wanted to believe that glossy magazines and smooth speeches were what made me powerful. You didn't save my empire, Vivien. You just put paint on a sinking ship while my wife kept the engines running."
Vivien’s face turned crimson with humiliation, realizing that no amount of polished rhetoric could overturn his decision.
She gathered her leather portfolio, turned on her designer heels, and walked out of the executive suite without another word.
Daario picked up his telephone and summoned his entire executive board, including his brother Frankie and the maritime logistics heads.
"Cancel every media interview for the rest of the year," Daario ordered the moment the door closed behind them.
"Call the union steward and agree to all of their safety bonus demands immediately. And transfer fifty percent of my executive voting shares into an irrevocable educational trust for Sophia."
Frankie leaned against the doorway, crossing his muscular arms with a knowing smirk.
"What are you doing, big brother?"
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"I’m getting out of the spotlight," Daario said, taking off his gold luxury watch and dropping it into the wastebasket.
"And I’m going home to do the only job that actually matters."
